Last Friday night, my family and I attended Mickey’s Halloween Party at Disneyland. As you have read in my previous posts “teasing” this special event, it is a separate-ticket event that brings the magic and fun of Halloween to life in a way that can only be produced by Disney Parks.
If you and your family have been thinking about purchasing tickets for Mickey’s Halloween Party but aren’t quite sure if it’s for you, I’ve put together these Q&A’s to help make the decision easier!
What is Mickey’s Halloween Party at Disneyland?
Mickey’s Halloween Party is a separate-ticket event that has become a popular Halloween highlight at Disneyland Park. The party takes place on 11 nights after park hours on September 28 and Oct. 2, 5, 9, 12, 15, 19, 23, 26, 29 and 31. Tickets are on sale now at www.Disneyland.com/Halloween.
Which ages are best for Mickey’s Halloween Party?
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| My two-year-old dressed as Mickey waiting for the Jungle Cruise. He had a blast! |
This is a question I get all of the time from readers and it is a good one. The answer is not entirely simple and it really varies from family to family and child to child. Because Mickey’s Halloween Party is held at night, it is important that families know their child’s limitations or at least go into it know whether or not their child is a “night owl.” Some kids are fine if they stay up after their bedtime and others don’t do as well.
That being said, the “thrills and chills” of Mickey’s Halloween Party are appropriate for children of all ages. There is nothing scary–no one jumping out to say “boo!” or blood or gore. My kids (ages 2, 5 and 7) don’t like anything scary and had a really wonderful time.
What makes Mickey’s Halloween Party different than a normal day at Disneyland during Halloween time?
Mickey’s Halloween Party is a truly special way to enjoy the Halloween holiday and provides families with the opportunities to experience Halloween in a fashion that only Disney can produce. Party guests can enjoy the following only at the Mickey’s Halloween Party:
- Halloween Screams Fireworks: Considered by most Disney fans as Disney Parks’ greatest fireworks show, this show is worth the price of admission, folks.
- Trick-or-treating: Treat “trails” are located throughout the park and understandably, kids get a big thrill from trick-or-treating inside Disneyland. My kids talk about it year round. Please note that some of the candy does contain peanuts, so if you have a child with a peanut allergy, simply have them tell the Cast Member who is handing out the candy and he or she will give peanut-free candy to your child. Also, the trick-or-treat stations also have healthy alternatives like craisins, apple chips and carrots. I made sure my kids got a supply of healthy snacks for later in the evening and to snack on this next morning in our hotel room before we headed down to breakfast.
- Special decorations and music: Although Disneyland is decorated during the day, they pull out even more decorations for Mickey’s Halloween Party making it extra festive. Plus, special no-too-spooky music is played throughout the park.
- Mickey’s Halloween Cavalcade: This small parade is full of classic Disney characters, dancers and a delight for young children. My children loved seeing the characters in their Halloween costumes. My two-year-old yelled and waved to each character that went by; he couldn’t believe his eyes!
- Unique photo locations: Guests at Mickey’s Halloween Party have the distinct opportunity to get really incredible photos with characters, including Storm Troopers, Disney villains and more.
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| Trick-or-treating in Pixie Hollow |
Be certain to pick up a special Halloween Party map when you go through the turnstiles. The special-edition maps include the treat trails, as well as information on the locations of special Halloween-themed food and merchandise locations, special character meet-and-greets and live entertainment.
Can you wear costumes to Mickey’s Halloween Party?
Guests attending Mickey’s Halloween Party can wear costumes, but it is important to keep in mind that this is a family-friendly event, meaning that costumes should not be scary and should be tasteful as children are in attendance. Moreover, adults and children may wear costumes, so if you’ve ever been dying to dress up as your favorite Disney character to walk around Disneyland, this is your chance!
That being said, I have a few tips about costumes:
- First and foremost, be comfortable. I dressed as a ghost “dying” to get into the Haunted Mansion and my costume was uncomfortable which made it a little more difficult to tend to the kids and get in and out of the rides.
- Make sure the costumes aren’t too warm for the weather. My son Brandon dressed as Jake from Jake and the Never Land Pirates but was so hot looked like this by 9p.m.:
- Go Disney! There’s nothing cuter than pictures of your kiddos (or YOU) in your Disney-themed costumes for the family scrapbook. And be creative! There’s lots of great inspiration to pull from just inside Disneyland.
- If the entire family dresses up, you could create a pretty unique family portrait for your holiday cards!
This is another question I get frequently from readers and here are my personal opinions.- Make a game plan of the things you really want to do. Trick-or-treating is fun, but I would recommend saving that activity for later in the evening (once the lines go down) and enjoying things like the special photo locations and Haunted Mansion Holiday early. (Haunted Mansion Holiday pictured to the right and below).
- Try to get to the park early! Disneyland allows Halloween Party guests to “mix in” with regular day guests starting in the afternoon (check the specific date of your Halloween party for details).
- Eat dinner before the party. This isn’t always possible, especially if you will be traveling to the park after work. Once you are at Disneyland for Mickey’s Halloween Party, you will want to enjoy all of the special Halloween activities–not sit and eat.
- Don’t miss out on the special entertainment. The fireworks and cavalcade are so much fun and a really special extra bonus that should not be missed. We watched the 8:30 cavalcade and then stayed in the area so we could watch the fireworks at 9:30.
- Because the event takes place at night, I recommend taking a few moments to see if you can figure out the best setting for your camera to take photos in the dark. I know that is something I really struggle with, which is a shame because there are a lot of really fabulous memories to make at Mickey’s Halloween Party.
- If you are a parent of boys like me, I highly recommend going to the trick-or-treat trail located inside Pixie Hollow. This is something I look forward to every year, as this is simply not a location that is high on my boys’ radar the rest of the year. (We trick-or-treated in Pixie Hollow in between the cavalcade and fireworks since we were already in the area.)
- If you have older children, they may enjoy dancing at Tomorrowland Terrace or Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy, which has been made extra spooky this time of year.
- A child that had a nap during the day! Lack of a nap can result in either of the scenarios below:
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| Loopy Mickey baby on the ground while waiting for attractions. |
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| A very exhausted and grumpy Anakin Skywalker |
- A stroller even if your child doesn’t use a stroller very often. It’s better to have a stroller and last longer than having to cut your evening short. The stroller is also great to store pieces of your child’s costume if he or she becomes tired of wearing it. The stroller will also store all of your candy from trick-or-treating!
- If you aren’t staying in an area hotel, consider bringing your child’s pajamas so that you can slip them into bed…sans costume.
- You do not need to bring a trick-or-treating bag, as they are supplied for you. If you fill a bag, you can get another.
WIN YOUR TICKETS TO MICKEY’S HALLOWEEN PARTY ON OCTOBER 9 BELOW.
- WINNER MUST BE A SO CAL RESIDENT AND THE TICKETS ARE ONLY GOOD FOR THE OCTOBER 9 DATE ONLY.
- WINNER WILL HAVE TWO HOURS TO RESPOND VIA EMAIL ONCE THE WINNER IS ANNOUNCED. IF THE WINNER DOES NOT RESPOND, A SECOND WINNER WILL BE SELECTED.
Thanks for the info. I have 3 children myself (11, 8 & 4) and have always wondered exactly how to manage all those groups. The tips about eating ahead of time and hitting the candy trails later sounds like the best plan.
Great post! So much info! I learned a lot, but one that stuck out was that the fireworks are different than the usual and should not be skipped. Good to know!
I am a adult and I did dress up. I dressed up as Boo from Monsters Inc. It was the most easy and comfortable costume I thought of. I even walked around with a Mike W bean bag toy from the Disney Store. I had so much fun and I would so do it again.
To dress comfy, try and eat dinner beforehand….and definitely take my little guy to the trick-or-treat trail inside Pixie Hollow! 🙂
My family has been passholders for years, but have never attended the Halloween party. Reading all this, I know my kids would LOVE to go. They’re planning on dressing up as the Little Einsteins this year and that would be WAY adorable!!
My kids are 5 and 3 so it was good to know that this is not too scary 🙂
Make sure your kids have napped!
I love that they also have healthy alternatives and non-peanut alternatives! Way to go Disney!
I’ve been thinking of going. Thank you for all of the great information.
I have never been to the halloween party, but I like to make sure and get in early before dark plus eat dinner before.
Didn’t realize they had healthier/allergy free alternatives to the candy being given out. Glad that option is available!!
My 6 year old had so much fun! we did not have time to do everything!
Thanks for all your tips on this fun event!! In fact, thanks so much for your blog. I enjoy reading about all the great Disney things going on and your reviews.
Thanks for all the information, Lisa! I am excited to see the special Halloween fireworks show. I’m happy to hear that the characters get in on the Halloween action by wearing their own costumes. Fun!
Really cool that DL offers healthy alternative to regular candy for the trick-o-treaters! 🙂
I had no idea that Mickey’s Halloween Party had a special fireworks show (Halloween Screams Fireworks). Now I really want to go!
I loved how you differentiated what happens with the regular guests and the Halloween guests.
Jenny
Jen62728@aol.com or genevieve.m.larson@kp.org (
Trick-or-treat later.. Good to know, thanks!
Night owl kids are probably best, got it, thanks!
We take our kids every year and they love it! Very special night and safe trick or treating with healthy snacks as well.
Love it! Great giveaway. Thank you!
I learned to go on the trail of Pixie Hollow if you have sons.
I loved the review. We have 4 kids ages 6, 3, 18 months, and 5 months. I had no clue what it was really all about. I love that there are healthier snacks instead of all candy and that the fireworks are different. Crossing my fingers we win these even though we’ll have to buy 2 more tickets. We’ve been wanting to go for a couple years now.
Tried to leave a comment last night, but I guess it didn’t go through? Anyway, I love the tip about trying your camera’s night settings before you go. Really smart!
There is an endless supply of candy Yippee!
email: wilson1d@hotmail.com
I learned this is a good opportunity for a family picture.
I commented on your Big Thunder Mountain blog post. very interesting.
It’s been a long time since we’ve been able to get to Disneyland…and we have NEVER been at Halloweentime! Would love to go!
We went the first year and would love to go again
I had no idea they actually got to trick-or-treat, how cute!! I’d LOVE to go. I’ve been an AP and a cast member and I’ve never been during Halloween!
Thanks for the review! Makes me even more excited about going to Mickey’s Halloween party!
That there is a lot of candy! yum!!
I learned that I need to go!
susie@baxterco.com
I was actually in Anaheim last week for a conference. I went into the parks a few times in the evenings after my classes (though I was bummed by the “off peak” hours since I could only spend ~2 hrs/day in the parks).
My wife flew in on Thursday so we could spend a day in the park on Friday. We had just taken the kids back in March so they were mostly okay with staying behind…plus it’s our anniversary, so we decided to make a fun getaway of it.
We found out that Friday October 2 was a Halloween Party night so DLR was closing early. After only brief debate, we decided to get tickets to the Party so we could stay in Disneyland later. We each brought some low key costumes (pirate for me and duchess for her) and had a ball wandering the park through the super fun Halloween themed decorations and activities.
Since the park was already decked out for Halloween, I wasn’t sure how much would change. I was delighted to see new lighting, fog machines and even changes to the standard music.
We went through one of the “Treat Trails” just to experience it, but we weren’t as keen on the candy as we were on the fun activities.
There were still a lot of people, but the lines were generally much shorter than they had been such that we could do walk-ons for most of the big rides. I think our longest wait was 20 minutes for Space Mountain.
We caught the Halloween parade from a distance. We loved the Halloween Fireworks show. We popped out of Pirates just in time for the last ~half of the Cadaver Dans (?) singing along the Rivers of America.
Overall it was a lot of fun…even without kids. 🙂