Our 19 Tips To Enjoy Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party for 2016

This article was updated on Sepember 9th, 2016

Hi everyone!

We have attended the first two Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party nights of 2016, and there are some real changes since last year. My tips articles don’t usually change significantly from year to year, but 2016 is different. I’ve been attending Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party for most years since the mid-90s, usually more than once per year. There are some videos embedded in this article as well.

Here are my tips for 2016! We also now have 150 photos with more videos here.

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Tip 1 – Plan ahead what you want to do and see – It would be very easy to barely leave the Main Street area while watching Mickey’s Boo-To-You Parade, HalloWishes, Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular and meeting Talking Mickey Mouse. It would also be very easy to miss everything I just mentioned by trick-or-treating and meeting characters around the park. Rides tend to have short waits, and some guests enjoy that. So decide what you really want to accomplish and make a plan.

Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party Map

Tip 2 – Dress as your favorite Disney character – While I personally don’t follow this tip, a lot of guests – adults and kids – love wearing Disney costumes and cosplay. The costume rules changed very recently for Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, you can find the updated information here.

Tip 3 – Arrive at 4pm – Make the most of your ticket and arrive early. There is even an M&M/Mars treat location for guests arriving at 4pm (the treats were also available to guests receiving wristbands at the Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor location). For those entering the park with a wristband, look to the right after passing Town Square Theater for the backstage area- Market Street – to be open. We received plastic bags with M&Ms and a few other items.

Backstage Area for Treats

Cast Members with Candy Buckets

Tip 4 – Pick up your souvenir Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom card – You can pick up the card at the Main Street Firehouse beginning at 4pm! The card for 2016 is Zootopia themed with Clawhauser featured prominently.

Clawhauser Sorcerer’s of the Magic Kingdom Card

Tip 5 – Some characters meet before the Party starts – As in the past few years, Jack and Sally meet earlier than 7pm as do the Seven Dwarfs. I believe for the first Party, Jack & Sally (now at the Liberty Square Gazebo) began at 5pm. And the Dwarfs are now in Storybook Circus, and I believe they met at 6:20pm or so during the first Party. Times can change, ask a Cast Member for the schedule. It’s great to be able to get a character or two – or seven – out of the way before the Party begins.

Tip 7 – Mickey’s Friendship Faire has a special autumn finale – While this doesn’t have anything to do with Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, if you arrive at 4pm, you can enjoy Mickey’s Friendship Faire and the terrific new autumn finale. I wrote about it here.

Tip 8 – Adults Can Trick or Treat too – Take a bag for everyone, adults and kids can enjoy collecting treats from around the Magic Kingdom.

M&Ms Candy Given Out Prior to Official Party Start

New Treat Balloons

Tip 9 – Forget what you remember about treat locations last year. Not only have some character locations changed, but some treat areas have as well.

Tip 10 – Allergy friendly offerings are part of the experience this year – Guests can pick up a teal treat bag and trick-or-treat around the park. Cast Members will give out teal tokens, which can be redeemed at an Allergy-Friendly Center in the Magic Kingdom.

Allergy-Friendly Experience Sign

Allergy-friendly treat bag and token

Some items available for allergy-friendly experience in exchange for tokens

Tip 11 – View the second parade – Unless there is a weather warning for the evening, I always suggest the second parade because it is much less crowded than the first.

Villains in Mickey’s Boo-toYou Parade

Tip 12 – Watch Mickey’s Boo-to-You Parade in Frontierland. Or not. – While Mickey’s Boo-to-You Parade looks better on Main Street for photos, Frontierland is much faster. It takes maybe 20 minutes for the parade to go from Frontierland to Town Square (which is where we usually watch from). If we aren’t looking to take photos, we head to Frontierland so we can go back to the rest of the Party quicker. However…

Cast Members with Balloons Before Mickey’s Boo-to-You Parade

Tip 13 – Nick & Judy from Zootopia entertain crowd on Main Street before parade – In previous years, Phineas and Ferb joined the Creepa Crew to entertain guests waiting for Mickey’s Boo-to-You Parade on Main Street and Town Square. This year, Nick & Judy are with the Zootopia Party Patrol. Head to Main Street and not Frontierland if you want to see them!

Tip 14 – Don’t miss HalloWishes – HalloWishes is a fantastic fireworks show and is a Party exclusive. The 180 degree fireworks are gorgeous as they light up the sky around Cinderella Castle.

HalloWishes Finale

Tip 15 – Stop at PhotoPass Magic Shot locations through the park. These special photos are really cool!

PhotoPass Magic Shot in Front of the Main Street Train Station

Tip 16 – Meet Talking Mickey at Town Square Theater – He may even wish you a Happy Halloween, and Mickey is in his Halloween attire once the Party officially starts.

Tip 17 – Check out event merchandise – Personally, I think the merchandise seems a little light this year compared with other years – but it is worth seeing if there is a souvenir you might want from the Party.

Official Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party Shirt

Tip 18 – Trick or Treat during the final hour of the Party – Take a nap in the afternoon if you need to, but it is definitely worth pushing through the Party until at least midnight if you possibly can (I know it isn’t always possible). Trick or Treat stations can be really busy early on, but that isn’t the case during the final hour of the Party. The first wave of guests leave after the first Mickey’s Boo-to-You Parade, but the big exit is after HalloWishes and treat stations empty out for the most part.

Tip 19 – Stay Through midnight (or later) – Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular offers 3 shows per night currently (it will eventually be 4). The last one is at midnight. This allows guests to enjoy all of the elements of Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party and then the show at midnight – again, weather permitting. If there is any chance of rain, see it earlier (or if it is very important to you). But you can always catch a second show at that time if you want. The midnight show crowd on the first night was pretty big because there is nothing else going on in the Magic Kingdom at that time.

If you are looking to book a trip to Walt Disney World for Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party (or for any other event or no event at all!), we recommend Mouse Fan Travel.

The dates for Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party are September 2, 8, 11, 13, 16, 18, 20, 23, 25, 29, 30, 2016.
October 2, 4, 6, 7, 10, 11, 13, 14, 16, 18, 20, 21, 23, 25, 27, 28, 30, 31, 2016.

Dusk sets on Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party

End of the night at Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party

Happy Halloween!