“Halfway to Halloween” Hands Out Dates for Mickey’s Not-So-Scary and Oogie Boogie Bash

 by Beth Keating

News

DisneyBizJournal.com

May 6, 2024

 

For most of the country, planning is just starting for this year’s Mother’s Day celebrations.  If you are a longer-range planner, maybe you are looking forward to your unofficial kick-off to the summer with a Memorial Day BBQ at the end of this month.

But over at Disney, they launched their #HalfwaytoHalloween celebration this morning. It might be halfway to Halloween if you contemplate Halloween as an October 31st holiday, but when Disney begins their Halloween festivities in August, we’re actually far more than halfway there.

Courtesy of Disney Parks Blog

Be that as it may, Disney released a ton of information about their plans for the fall. Many of the items are dates that fans have been waiting for in order to finish making arrangements for their upcoming vacations, including dates for Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween party in Florida, and Oogie Boogie Bash in California.  (Disney has even set up a special webpage for its Halloween activities and updates.)

Courtesy of Disney Parks Blog

Disney Parks Blog also highlighted Halloween fun for Disney’s Hulu, Freeform, and Disney+ networks; showed off spooky villains-themed wedding attire and accessories for Disney Fairy Tale Weddings & Honeymoons; and offered up training schedules for the first-ever (but already sold out) runDisney 2024 Disneyland Halloween Half Marathon Weekend.  If you are looking for more info, you can also follow @31nightsofhalloween as they count down October’s “31 Nights of Halloween” flicks on Freeform.

  
So, on to the stuff you’ve really been waiting for…

At Walt Disney World

 

Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party at Magic Kingdom will kick-off August 9 and take place from 7:00 p.m.-midnight on select nights through October 31.  The separately ticketed evening will include a new DescenDANCE Party, inspired by the upcoming Disney+ movie,  “Descendants: The Rise of Red,” and the Boo-To-You parade times will be moved earlier to accommodate little ones’ schedules.  

Event tickets go on sale for guests of select Walt Disney World Resort hotels, Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Hotels, and Shades of Green starting May 8. Tickets will be available to all guests starting May 15.  You can purchase tickets at Disneyworld.com/Halloween, or call the Disney Reservation Center at 407-934-7639.

If the sugar you gather at the Trick-or-Treat stations isn’t enough, and you’d like to add on Disney’s Not-So-Spooky Spectacular Dessert Party (which includes fireworks viewing from Plaza Garden or Tomorrowland Terrace), reservations for the dessert party open on June 7.

 
Ticket prices for Not-So-Scary range from $119 to $199 (with discounts available for Annual Passholders and DVC members). The dates for the 2024 Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Parties include:

 

• August 9, 13, 16, 20, 23, 27, 30
• September 2, 6, 8, 10, 13, 15, 17, 20, 22, 24, 26, 27, 29
• October 1, 3, 4, 6, 8, 10, 11, 14, 15, 17, 18, 20, 21, 24, 25, 27, 29, 31
  
  

Disneyland Resort

 

Oogie Boogie Bash – A Disney Halloween Party will be returning to Disney California Adventure, with even more dates than in previous seasons.  Also a separately ticketed, after-hours event, the party happens on 27 select nights, including: Sunday, Aug. 25; Tuesday, Aug. 27; Thursday, Aug. 29; Tuesday, Sept. 3; Tuesday, Sept. 10; Thursday, Sept. 12; Sunday, Sept. 15; Tuesday, Sept. 17; Thursday, Sept. 19; Sunday, Sept. 22; Tuesday, Sept. 24; Thursday, Sept. 26; Sunday, Sept. 29; Tuesday, Oct. 1; Thursday, Oct. 3; Sunday, Oct. 6; Tuesday, Oct. 8; Thursday, Oct. 10; Sunday, Oct. 13; Tuesday, Oct. 15; Thursday, Oct. 17; Sunday, Oct. 20; Tuesday, Oct. 22; Thursday, Oct. 24; Sunday, Oct. 27; Tuesday, Oct. 29; and Thursday, Oct. 31.

Details on when tickets for Oogie Boogie Bash will go on sale have not yet been released, but prices range from $134 to $189.

The Bone Chillin’ Halloween Merchandise Preview link will give you a peek at some of the merchandise you will be able to find at the event.

  
If you want to try to win an Oogie Boogie surprise, Disney Movie Insiders Oogie Boogie Sweepstakes! on Instagram (@DisneyMovieInsiders) is running a contest for an Oogie Boogie prize pack. Enter before May 12, 2024.

Disney Cruise Line Halloween on the High Seas

 

“Halloween on the High Seas” heads to the ocean once again for Disney Cruise Line in 2024 in September and October, for select itineraries.

Courtesy of Disney Parks Blog

Disney Treasure

 

The Disney Treasure sets sail this December, and one of the ship’s most anticipated details is the Haunted Mansion Parlor.  As part of the Halfway to Halloween celebration, Disney shared new details and photos on the décor of this first-of-its-kind bar, as well as imparted a bit of spooky history for the lounge.  A ghost fish aquarium and an eerie portrait gallery will help set the stage, and a series of ceramic mugs that look like carvings from the wooden planks of a ghost ship will be coming to the Disney Treasure. Among other ghostly depictions, they’ll be inspired by the backstories shared by Disney of The Mariner and The Captain’s bride.

 
Hong Kong Disneyland

 

From September 12 to October 31, House of De Vil-lains; “Let’s Get Wicked;” and the Nightmare Before Dinner experience will be returning.

Disneyland Paris

 

The Disney Halloween Festival will take place October 1 to November 3, with the return of the show, Mickey’s Halloween Celebration.

 
Tokyo Disney Resort

 

Brand new theming at Tokyo Disneyland, with new entertainment, will run from October 1 to November 7.

  
Descendants: The Rise of Red

 

If you are a fan of the Descendants franchise, there’s a little Halfway to Halloween fun for you, too.  The Disney Original movie, Descendants: The Rise of Red (and its soundtrack), begin streaming July 12 on Disney+, but the first single from the movie, “What’s My Name (Red Version),” has been released for streaming now.

Descendants: The Rise of Red  follows Red, the daughter of the Queen of Hearts, who is forced to team up with her opposite Chloe, Cinderella’s daughter, when they travel back in time to save Auradon.

 

Disney Snacks and Stuff

 

If you just can’t wait to get into the Halloween spirit, you can get a jump on the season by heading to Gideon’s Bakehouse at Disney Springs. Until May 8 (or while supplies last), you can enjoy four different spooky treats, edible and non-edible:

 

• Mephistophelittle’s Hand Pie: A flaky pastry packed with chocolate chip cookie dough and lined with dulce de leche. (Limit two per person) 

 

• The Frankenstein Cookie: Normally dished up in October, this fan favorite has been released for a nanosecond just for Halfway to Halloween. Made from “pieces of all the candies you want in your treat bag,” there will be M&M’s, crushed Oreo Double Stuff, and chocolate chips in every bite. (Limit two per person)

Courtesy of Disney Parks Blog

• Gideon’s Trading Card Series 3: There are free trading cards hidden at the bottom of every medium and large cookie box, and only for Halfway to Halloween, a free Barnabas Mephistophelittle Promo Card will materialize with your purchase (while supplies last).

 

• Barnabas Mephistophelittle Merchandise: Brand new merchandise featuring Gideon’s Halfway to Halloween Ambassador, Barnabas Mephistophelittle, will be available, including a collector’s pin and 24oz cold brew tumbler.

 
If you are on the West Coast, head to Kayla’s Cake in Downtown Disney District before May 9, for the Skull Macarons, macarons with vanilla confetti buttercream and a printed black skull.

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

 

Get The Disney Planner: The TO DO List Solution by Ray Keating. More information at

https://raykeatingbooksandmore.com/shop/ols/products/disneyplanner. And please listen to the Daily Dose of Disney with Ray Keating podcast. 

Haunted Mansion, Halloween and a Disney Author

 by Ray Keating

Lifestyle

DisneyBizJournal.com

October 26, 2023

 

Halloween is upon us, so it’s time to chat about the Haunted Mansion, scary and not-so-scary movies, costumes, and more. 

Chris Lucas is an actor, voiceover artist, stand-up comic, a TV and movie historian, and Disney expert, including being the author of Top Disney: 100 Top Ten Lists of the Best of Disney, from the Man to the Mouse and Beyond. Chris joined DisneyBizJournal.com’s Ray Keating on the PRESS CLUB C Podcast to talk about Chris’ return to stand-up, and pretty much all things Halloween, including the Haunted Mansion (park rides and movies), Universal Monster movies, Disney’s forays into spooky stuff, and the critical debate over which 60’s TV show was better – The Addams Family or The Munsters. 

 

Other burning questions are asked and answered. Why do Harry Potter films seemingly fit better at Christmas than at Halloween? And what’s the deal with the Twilight Zone, or lack thereof, at this spooky time of year? And what does The Odd Couple’s Oscar Madison have to do with Halloween?!

 

Enjoy the conversation in the PRESS CLUB C’s “Episode #125: Haunted Mansion and Halloween Movies with Chris Lucas.”

 

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Ray Keating is the editor, publisher and economist for DisneyBizJournal.com; and author of the Pastor Stephen Grant thrillers and mysteries, the Alliance of Saint Michael novels, and assorted nonfiction books. Have Ray Keating speak your group, business, school, church, or organization. Email him at raykeating@keatingreports.com.

 

The views expressed here are his own – after all, no one else should be held responsible for this stuff, right?

 

Support the Daily Dose of Disney with Ray Keating Podcast at https://www.buzzsprout.com/1724143. Subscribe at the $8 or $10 levels , and get The Disney Planner: The TO DO List Solution by Ray Keating. Remain a supporter and you'll get a FREE BOOK by Ray Keating every six months going forward. Thanks!

 

Consider books by Ray Keating, including…

 

• The Pastor Stephen Grant thrillers and mysteries. There are 18 books in the series now.

 

• Order The Weekly Economist II: 52 More Quick Reads to Help You Think Like an Economist. Kindle editions and paperbacks via Amazon here and signed books here. And don’t forget the first book in this growing series, i.e., The Weekly Economist: 52 Quick Reads to Help You Think Like an Economist at Amazon.com.

 

• Cathedral: An Alliance of Saint Michael Novel is at Amazon. 

 

• The Lutheran Planner: The TO DO List Solution combines a simple, powerful system for getting things done with encouragement, inspiration and consolation from the Christian faith.

 

• Signed editions of Ray’s books are at www.RayKeatingOnline.com. 

 

Also, check out Ray’s podcasts – the Daily Dose of Disney, Free Enterprise in Three Minutes, and the PRESS CLUB C Podcast.

Spooky Seasonal Activities Popping Up At Disney Springs

 by Beth Keating

News

DisneyBizJournal.com

September 25, 2023

 

When you think of holiday entertainment at Disney Springs, you probably think of the Christmas Tree Stroll that decorates the shopping and dining complex during the December holidays.

But the Springs is getting festive a little early this year, with some fun Halloween entertainment as well. This year, you might be surprised by the “Skeleton Stiltwalkers” roaming the sidewalks on Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings from September 29 to October 29, 2023.  Look for them with their pumpkins, skeletons, bats, tricks and treats around the Disney Springs Town Center zone.

Courtesy of DisneySprings.com

Disney Springs always has some fabulous live music for guests to enjoy, either while you are strolling with an ice cream, or sitting on a bench enjoying dinner.  During the Halloween season (also on Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings from September 29 to October 29), you’ll be treated to some special tunes courtesy of the Zombeats, a 4-piece zombie ensemble, complete with zombie percussionists stumbling their way around Disney Springs.  Join them for an eerie dance party!

Zombies not your thing? Perhaps you’d prefer the more ghostly a capella performances of “Squad Ghouls.”  They’ll be haunting the Waterside Stage (near World of Disney) on Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings from September 29 to October 29, 2023, as well.

If you have your whole group with you, and would like to have a more tangible memory of your trip to Disney Springs, you can pop in to the Disney Springs PhotoPass Studio for their Halloween-themed photo backdrops.  You’ll get a free professional portrait session with a Disney PhotoPass photographer—no reservations required — and you can add the pictures either to your Memory Maker account, or pay for prints individually. (We hear rumors that there are some “hauntingly” cool backdrops of a certain spooky “mansion” available.)

Courtesy of DisneySprings.com

Obviously, it’s Disney Springs, so you can shop ‘till you drop for Halloween merchandise, but if you are looking for a seasonal treat to enjoy while listening to the Squad Ghouls, head to Amorette’s Patisserie, where you’ll find lots of thematically appropriate goodies, such as the Oogie Boogie cookies & cream cream puff; the Jack Skellington pumpkin cream éclair; or the Sally caramel-chocolate éclair.

 

For more sugary goodness, Swirls on the Water boasts a Pumpkin and salted-caramel soft-serve with caramel sauce and caramel crisp pearls that is also available as a trio flight with other Dole Whip flavors.  The pistachio and purple cheesecake soft-serve ice cream that is part of the trio is also available swirled in a black vanilla cone, and topped with a hitchhiking ghosts chocolate medallion, as the “Haunted Mansion Cone.”

 

Marketplace Snacks will be serving the “Minnie Witch Waffle Sundae,” a bubble waffle filled with chocolate soft-serve, orange sauce, chocolate cream cookies, candy corn and chocolate sticks.

Courtesy of DisneySprings.com

The Ganachery has some higher end treats as well – you may need to take a few of them home to finish! They have the Jack Skellington Ganache,  made with grand cru medium-roasted, custom-blend chocolate; and the Poison Apple Ganache Square, featuring sour-apple ganache enrobed in 65% dark chocolate.  But without a doubt, at their location, the Donald Candy Corn Chocolate Piñata, a white-chocolate piñata filled with pumpkin-spiced marshmallows and crisp pearls, is the height of Halloween treats!

Courtesy of DisneySprings.com

Parking is free at Disney Springs, and it does get very busy on weekends, so be sure to leave enough time to find a spot in the parking garages, clear security, and make it to your dining reservations, or to your chosen entertainment venue, with room to spare. You might just get side-tracked along the way by the ghoulish entertainment!

 

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

Stalking the Halloween Treats at Walt Disney World

 by Beth Keating

Review

DisneyBizJournal.com

September 14, 2023

 

Growing up in New York, it always seemed that the first day of school coincided with the first cool day of fall as well.  Not so here in Florida, where the kids go back when the calendar still says “summer,” and Disney starts putting up the pumpkins and hosting trick-or-treat trails in August.  For me, it’s a biological imperative not to begin drinking pumpkin-spiced anything while it is 900 degrees out.

Last week, though, we finally hit meteorological fall. And while the daytime temperatures in Orlando are still pushing the low-mid 90s, the humidity has eased off a bit, and it’s occasionally dipping to the upper 70s at night.  I could sort of justify looking at fall desserts.  Living in the hope that it might soon be cool enough to wear the spirit jerseys that Disney keeps hawking, we decided to go on a scavenger hunt for the best of the Halloween treats at Disney World.

To make our journey a bit more fun, we opted to board one of the free Sassagoula River Cruise boats to travel our way down the water to our first stop: Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – French Quarter, where we popped in to Scat Cat’s Club Café for the “Ghoulish Delight Beignets.”  Ahhh, beignets!  Apparently, we’d elected to start our day with what we later decided was the best treat of the hunt.

  

For $7.49, you get three delicious Mickey-shaped beignets, dusted with cookies and cream powdered sugar and purple and white marshmallow crème drizzles.  These seasonal beignets are available through October 31. (Snacks are always more exciting when they make them Mickey shaped, am I right?)

These pillow-y sweets are made fresh to order, so you may have to wait a few minutes for your treat, but that will give you time to look around this tiny room, decorated with portraits of famous musicians; lots of instruments, albums and sheet music; and sketches of jazz club scenes.  Upbeat Dixieland music sets the tone in the background. If you feel so inclined, there’s also an oversized checkerboard on one of the tables if you want to challenge a friend.

  
When your beignets appear, they are warm and puffy, a bit messy from the powdered sugar, but oh-so-good.  We were very glad there were three because they were quickly gobbled up.  (And if these aren’t sweet enough for you – don’t know how that could be - there are containers of dipping sauces you can purchase for a small upcharge.) While the dough wasn’t as airy as some beignets we’ve had in the past, neither were they dense, but merely a perfect texture of yummy goodness.  The rest of the day had a lot to live up to.

 

While we were at French Quarter, we also stopped right next door to see what the Sassagoula Floatworks and Food Factory had in store, and we acquired their “Tombstone Sweet.”  It was indeed sweet, a rectangular triple-layer mix of chocolate cake, chocolate-coffee mousse, caramel-milk chocolate mousse, and chocolate ganache decorated to look like - yes, a tombstone (that’s going to be a recurring theme this season). Green frosting grass and a chocolate spider completed the look.  The Tombstone was tasty, but its refrigerator cold temperature made it feel more like a standard food court offering, and the coffee flavoring was lost among the other chocolates, with just the smallest hint of coffee in the background. Perhaps letting it warm up a bit would elevate the textures if you decide to grab this one for yourself.  The Tombstone Sweet is $5.99, and is available through October 31.

Back on board the boat, we headed to Disney Springs, with a short walk along the waterfront to Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa, where The Artist’s Palette was offering a “Mini Pumpkin.”  If you love pumpkin pie, this treat would be right up your alley.  One of our diners liked it, the other hated it.  A cute, very photogenic goodie, the shape of this pumpkin was reminiscent of an upside down Bundt cake, with a hard orange frosting shell that was a touch misleading.  You expected the taste of the coating to be orange, but in fact it had a decidedly fall, nutmeg/cinnamon flavor to the coating.  This treat was pumpkin flavored through and through!  The pumpkin mousse interior was soft and fluffy, very like a cold pumpkin pie filling, with a chewy chocolate décor stem.  You gotta love pumpkin for this treat – it’s very fall forward!  It’s $5.99, and available through November 30.

Next up we headed to Magic Kingdom, where it seemed the bulk of the Halloween treats could be found. Unfortunately for us, we ran into a bit of trouble there, because by the time we finished our boat rides, it was mid-afternoon, and many of the treats had sold out for the day.  We were hoping to test out the incredibly adorable “Oh, My Gourd Cupcake” ($6.29) at the Main Street Bakery’s Starbucks location, but they were sold out already, so we had to suffer through with just a cold brew instead.  (They do have a seasonal Mickey-shaped cinnamon roll with orange frosting and autumn sprinkles for $6.79 if you are looking for something character-centric for breakfast.)

Next up was Auntie Gravity’s Galactic Goodies, where we were hoping to indulge in the sweet corn cone for $5.49, a twist of vanilla soft serve with sweet corn flavored soft serve, topped with a decorative chocolate bow.  Alas, that was among the missing as well.  Too bad, because we were intrigued by trying corn flavored ice cream.

We were, however, able to find another tombstone-shaped goodie, this time at Golden Oak Outpost on the edge between Frontierland and Adventureland.  A bit like a homemade “Pop Tart,” the “Tombstone Tart” ($5.99) was rounded at the top like a grave stone, and filled with a thin, deceptive layer of strawberry-jalapeno jam. At first, the jam layer tasted like your normal strawberry jam, but a few seconds later, there was a delayed kick of the jalapeno on the back of your tongue.  It wasn’t overwhelming by any means, just a delightful little bonus that gave the pastry more depth of flavor.  It was decorated with a grey buttercream rectangle and sprinkles, with a few chocolate sugar spiders to add cuteness. The crimped edges of the pastry were a little crisp, but the rest of the dough was soft and chewy, and not at all crumbly like a pie crust.  All in all, a nice afternoon boost.

 

Courtesy of Disney Parks Blog

Our original plan was to end the day at Disney Springs to purchase some of Amorette’s Patisserie specialty desserts to take home for later. Unfortunately, we didn’t make it back to the Springs in time to gather up the last of the treats we’d been searching for on our sugar adventure. We’ll have to go back another day to complete this treat extravaganza.  Amorette’s is offering these creations through October 31, and among the ones we’re seeking is the Jack Skellington Éclair filled with pumpkin cream or the Sally Éclair with caramel-chocolate ($7.00 each); or the Oogie Boogie Cream Puff ($8.00) with cookies ‘n cream mousse. There’s also a Mummy Mickey Mouse Dome Cake that sounds delicious and is super charming, with peanut butter-milk chocolate mousse, caramel, peanut crunch, and dark chocolate glaçage. If we feel like splurging, we may bring home the $22.00 (!) Maleficent Petit Cake with vanilla chiffon, caramel, and milk chocolate mousse. At least the petit cake is big enough and rich enough to split with two or three other family members!

 

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

From Halloween to Christmas … Overnight at Magic Kingdom!

 by Beth Keating

News

DisneyBizJournal.com

November 1, 2022

 

If you were in Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom on October 31st, you would have been immersed in Halloween. If you showed up the next morning, like I did today, then it was suddenly Christmas! Now, that’s a dramatic turnaround. Don’t believe me? Well, here are some Magic Kingdom photos from the morning of November 1st.

 

 Merry Christmas! Too early? Not at Disney World.

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

 

“Boo to You” Means Something New This Year at Disney World

 by Beth Keating

News

DisneyBizJournal.com

May 8, 2021

 

Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party will not be returning to the Magic Kingdom again this year. That’s not surprising, given that fireworks, parades and close-up contact with character meet and greets are still on hiatus. The annual not-so-fright fest was cancelled last year because of the pandemic.

“Boo to You,” though, means something new this year. Replacing the Not-So-Scary festivities will be a Halloween-themed Disney After Hours event called “Disney After Hours BOO BASH.” It will take place on select nights, August 10 – October 31, from 9 p.m. to midnight most nights, with a few evenings slated for 9:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m., after the Magic Kingdom closes for the day. 

 

Halloween-themed cavalcades, character sightings (with some more rarely seen characters such as Dr. Facilier and Captain Barbosa), and candy-filled treat stops will be part of the entertainment. Special performances by the Cadaver Dans will bring holiday music to the park and help set the scene for a spooky evening. Disney’s themed holiday décor and special event lighting will also add to the mood. A few “BOO BASH” limited edition themed treats are sure to make an appearance at the party as well.

 

For those unfamiliar with Disney’s after-hours events, guests will not need a daytime park ticket or Disney Park Pass reservation to attend the special-ticketed event, which sells only a limited number of tickets for entry. “Disney After Hours BOO BASH” tickets will give party-goers admission to Magic Kingdom Park as early as 7 p.m. for the fun. Because the event takes place after the park is closed to day guests, party-goers also have access to more than 20 attractions and rides while experiencing very low wait times. 

 

As was the case with the Mickey’s Not-So-Scary parties, guests of any age can dress in costume for the event, as long as they adhere to the safety guidelines (such as only guests younger than 14 being allowed to wear costume masks – they are a no-no for adults. Check the Costume Guidelines page on Disney’s website to plan your party attire.) 

Disney has not yet released prices for the event, but tickets will go on sale next month. Guests staying at select Walt Disney World Resort hotels will have the ability to purchase their party tickets early before tickets go on sale to the general public. More information and ticket sales will be available at the Disney World website here. Disney will release additional BOO BASH details as the dates get closer.

 

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Beth Keating is a regular contributor to DisneyBizJournal.

 

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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.