Dates Announced for 2023 Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party; Tickets To Go On Sale Next Week

 by Beth Keating

News

DisneyBizJournal.com

April 20, 2023

 

We may be “Halfway to Halloween” in Disneyspeak, but the dates for Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party at Disney World’s Magic Kingdom actually begin in August, and tickets go on sale next week.  Disneyland’s popular Oogie Boogie Bash is also returning, with 24 dates scheduled for September and October in California.

Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party begins at 7 p.m. and ends at midnight. However, party guests may enter the Magic Kingdom as early as 4 p.m. to get a jump on their celebration. Ticket prices vary by date, with dates rising in price the closer you get to Halloween.  Prices begin at $109 for Adults (ages 10 and up) and $99 for children (ages 3 to 9), and top out at $199. There are discounts available for annual pass holders and Disney Vacation Club members.

 

Mickey’s 2023 Not-So-Scary Halloween Party dates are:

August: 11, 15, 18, 22, 25, 29

September: 1, 4, 8, 10, 12, 15, 17, 19, 22, 24, 26, 28, 29

October: 1, 3, 5, 6, 9, 10, 12, 13, 15, 17, 19, 20, 22, 24, 26, 27, 29, 31

November: 1

 

Guests who have a stay booked at select Walt Disney World Resort hotels, Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Hotels, and Shades of Green can purchase tickets starting April 27, 2023. Ticket sales will open to the general public on May 2, 2023.  Popular dates have been known to sell out quickly.

So, what are some of the highlights of the Not-So-Scary party? Candy, of course!  Guests are given a commemorative Trick-or-Treat bag upon entering the park, and are invited to make their way through designated “Treat Trails” throughout the Magic Kingdom. You’re welcome to collect as much free candy as your heart desires.  There are also a number of special treats available for sale throughout the evening, some of which are party exclusives.

 

While most of your favorite rides and attractions are open (except for those being used as treat trails) and offer much lower wait times during the party, several of the rides have themed party overlays to make the party more exciting. And TRON will be open for the parties this year!  (Be sure not to miss the Pirates of the Caribbean ride on party night for a little extra mischief from the scallywags.)

 
Party-only shows include the ever-popular Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular; a Not-So-Scary Fireworks Spectacular; and the Boo-To-You Parade which runs several times each night, with the very cool grave diggers “sparking” their way down Main Street. 

 

Elsewhere in the Kingdom, there are a number of meet-and-greets with rare characters, usually including Jack Skellington and Sally, and other character favorites in holiday costumes. And if you’re looking for some great photos of your night, there will be event-exclusive 3D step-in photo opportunities, as well as special event Magic Shots from the PhotoPass photographers throughout the park.

 

If you feel the need to work off the calories from all that Halloween candy, head over to one of several dance parties that typically take place throughout the evening, including the Disney Junior Jam Dance Party at Cosmic Ray’s.  And speaking of music, one of our family’s favorites will be returning: The Dapper Dans Barbershop Quartet becomes the Cadaver Dans, with eerie (and corny) versions of their traditional jokes and tunes.

Don’t forget that the Not-So-Scary Halloween party is the one chance for grown-ups to dress the part as well (just make sure you are abiding by Disney’s costume guidelines…. and make sure your costume will allow for comfort in the Florida heat!)

 

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Beth Keating is a theme parks, restaurant and entertainment reporter for DisneyBizJournal.

Cadaver Dans Arrive in the Magic Kingdom for Some Harmonious Fall Fun

by Beth Keating

News/Review

DisneyBizJournal.com

September 11, 2020

If you are getting whiplash trying to keep up with the seasons in the Magic Kingdom, you aren’t alone. This past week, we’ve told you about upcoming changes to the Fall events at Disney World, then told you about the Winter Holiday offerings…. Now, Disney’s made some Fall announcements again! My quarantine brain is having a tough time remembering the day of the week right now, let alone the back-and-forth of the seasons! 

While we’ve known for a while that Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party wasn’t taking place this year, and the Food and Wine Festival had become A Taste of Epcot International Food and Wine Festival, the details for the rest of the Fall celebrations have been inching out more slowly. Halloween merchandise has been on display in the shops for several weeks, and the Pumpkin Spice lattes are already being served up in the parks, but we’ve been anxiously awaiting news on some of the more entertaining details for the harvest season.

The Fall festivities at the Disney World parks are slated to take place September 15 – October 31, and Disney is now giving us more details about the seasonal entertainment experiences headed for the parks. (Earlier in the week we learned about the return of Minnie’s Halloween Dine at Hollywood & Vine.)

Special Halloween cavalcades will pop up throughout the day, with Mickey and pals dressed up in Boo-tiful Halloween costumes. While we’ve seen some of the less seasonally-themed cavalcades in the past few months (see our pictorial report here), a more exciting change is that, for Halloween, a cavalcade of Disney Villains, including such baddies as Gaston, Maleficent, the Queen of Hearts, Jafar, and the Pumpkin King himself, Jack Skellington, will attempt to take over Main Street. 

Beginning September 20, the Cadaver Dans, the alter egos of the Magic Kingdom’s own Dapper Dans, will return to the park, bringing their stirring blend of a cappella and barbershop harmonies to guests. The “Dans” will trade their brightly colored pinstriped vests and corny puns for a slightly more “dead-pan” style for the Fall. If you missed the Dapper Dans’ zoomed version of “When You Wish Upon a Star” during COVID quarantine, check it out on DisneyBizJournal here. 

In addition to the upcoming entertainment changes, some of guests’ favorite foods and goodies have begun arriving in the parks. Orange and black churros, served up in Oogie Boogie or Mickey Pumpkin popcorn buckets (some with chocolate dipping sauces!) have been spotted, and “The Headless Horseman Rides Again,” a version of a Strawberry Dole Whip float, is available at Sunshine Tree Terrace (with its own Headless Horseman straw). At Sleepy Hollow Refreshments (shouldn’t the Headless Horseman treat be there? Just sayin’…), there will be a Pumpkin-Spiced Mickey Waffle Sundae, while Auntie Gravity’s Galactic Goodies will continue the pumpkin spice theme with a Pumpkin Spice Milk Shake (topped with a giant Mickey-shaped marshmallow) or a Pumpkin Spice Sundae.

Another float available in Magic Kingdom sounds a bit odd to us – let’s hope the “Poor Unfortunate Souls” float at Storybook Treats doesn’t refer to the diner. This bright blue float is made with cream cheese soft-serve, black raspberry syrup and Coke. Cream cheese flavored?

A returning favorite, the Not-So-Poison Apple Cupcake, is a giant sized spiced apple cupcake with pecan crunch, available at Pinocchio Village Haus. Another returning crowd-pleaser this year is Constance’s For Better or For Worse Wedding Cake at Liberty Square Market. It’s a miniature citrus flavored, cupcake sized “wedding cake” with raspberry Bavarian cream, and a miniature chocolate axe. Yikes!  Lines were long for that treat at last year’s Halloween party.

Looking for a less sweet nosh? Hades Nachos from Pecos Bill is a black bean nacho chip dish full of “fiery” buffalo chicken with all the fixins’. Cosmic Ray’s ubiquitous burger this season is the Mickey Monster Mash Burger with muenster cheese and sriracha aioli.

Sippers galore are featured at the parks right now as well. There’s a sipper in the image of Jack Skellington; Madame Leota (in her crystal ball); and Ezra the Hitchhiking Ghost. Additional “buckets” in the form of Gus the Ghost can be filled with cinnamon donut holes at Pecos Bill, or Phineas the Ghost as a popcorn bucket in Liberty Square. If you are counting ghosts who might follow you home, that’s three different stops to make to gather them all.

Those are just the specialty goodies at the Magic Kingdom, where the Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party would normally be held. You can branch out to treats at the other Parks as well.

Over at Hollywood Studios, you might be interested in the Poison Candied Apple at the Trolley Car Café (a sort of mousse, candy, glazed confection); the Box of Bones Chocolate Éclair at Backlot Express; or the Pumpkin Bread Tiramisu at Rosie’s All-American.  

Thirsty? Try for the Frozen Apple Cider at Hollywood Studios, or the Poison Apple Punch at Animal Kingdom. The Rotten Apple at Flame Tree in Animal Kingdom will kick it up a notch for you with Angry Orchard Hard Cider and Fireball Whisky. The Scar cupcake at AK seems mighty tame after that.

On Halloween Day only, EPCOT will be offering the Liquid Nitro Cake Pop at the Desserts & Champagne Marketplace, a Halloween Sugar Cookie at Traveler’s Café and Garden Grill, or Nemo & Squirt’s Noggin Concoction (a stuffed chocolate brownie) at the Coral Reef. 

We’re pretty sure this isn’t an exhaustive list of the treats for the season, and there will likely be more as Disney teases us with a few details at a time. You’ll know you’ve crossed over into Fall when you see the Mickey pumpkin decorations hanging from the light poles – even if it is still 85 degrees in Florida!

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Beth Keating is a regular contributor to DisneyBizJournal.