Mickey’s Halloween Party is a whole lot of fun packed into one night. If you love Halloween (and start planning your costume for next year November 1st like I do) and you love Disney (obviously), this magical mash-up of two of your favorite things is a must-see event, at least once in your lifetime. Maybe twice. Maybe three times…

So, bring on the candy!

The Parade!

As of 2017, the only way to see the Disneyland Halloween Parade is to attend Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party. This parade is a bit shorter than other Disney parades, but the music, floats, and engaging characters deliver a serious dose of Disney Halloween spirit. It all starts with the Headless Horseman, who I thought was chillingly realistic. Even though I knew he had had to have a head inside that costume somewhere, for a few minutes I seriously felt as frightened as Ichabod Crane must have.

The parade participants are all in on this one, which makes for a fantastic viewing experience. At one point gravediggers drag shovels down Main Street and they did this with such force that sparks flew everywhere and my kids screamed. My son still says that was his favorite part of the night.

All your favorite Disney Villains pile onto one float and take over Main Street. Seeing all that evil genius in one place is kind of overwhelming. What if Maleficent and Dr. Fusilier were to team up? Dragons in New Orleans? It could happen. 

Finally, the music really makes this whole parade come together. It’s loud and catchy and sounds like it’s being sung by vocalists who have had a few too many handfuls of candy. Perfect!

The Fireworks!

Like the parade, the Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween fireworks can only be seen when you’re in the park for the Halloween party. (Or I supposed you could also see it from a prime viewing spot outside the park, but nothing beats the magic of viewing the fireworks inside of Disneyland.) The night we attended the Halloween party half the show was cancelled due to high winds. This was disappointing, but the first half of the show was absolutely spectacular, as was the accompanying music and the Halloween spirited projections up and down Main Street. I have to say, the fireworks we saw put a smile on my face for the rest of the night.

The Candy!

Trick or Treat stations are scattered throughout the park, there was pretty much one station in each part of the park – Fantasyland, Adventureland – you don’t need this list do you?  Before you ask, yes, the Trick or Treat stations have long lines. But the lines moved very quickly for us every time (even my kiddos thought so) and there were 4 or 5 candy stops at each station. Does that make it sound like you come out of each station with a lot of candy? You do. Trust me. Every time we received candy the Disney employee passing out sweets threw handfuls of Halloween size candy bars into our bags. Score! We went home with enough candy to fill a carry-on bag. The Trick or Treat Stations were also decorated with extra Halloween décor like golden vats of pirate treasure to up the Halloween factor.

That Minnie trick or treat bag got so heavy. I"m not so sure a turkey leg was the best choice for dinner before trick or treating!

The Character Experiences!

At the front of Main Street a bunch of Mickey’s closest friends were wearing their Halloween costumes, which was so fun. Seeing Goofy dressed up like a ghost and Daisy in her ballerina tutu will be one of those special memories that will always brings a smile to your face.

My daughter came to the party dressed as the Beast’s one and only true love, Princess Belle. So after a stop at the first Trick or Treat station we were off to the Princess Faire. When we arrived there were three princesses to visit with, Belle, Cinderella, and Sleeping Beauty. Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty were on one side, Belle was on the other. We were next in line to see Belle when a Disney employee told us that Belle would be leaving and my daughter could choose to visit Tiana or Ariel and Rapunzel. After pointing out my daughter’s striking resemblance to Belle, the kind Disney employee managed to get my daughter in to see Princess Belle before she had to leave. And we’ve got the pictures to prove it!

In addition to the princesses, there were several other character experiences around the park. Jack and Sally were receiving guests. They had a long line but everyone waiting was in great Halloween spirits. I really think that waiting in line at Disney is really the best “line waiting” experience a person could have. Knowing the payoff is going to be huge helps, as does the Disney magic that catches everyone up in its glittering cloud of happiness.

Some of our Disney favorite characters were just cruising around the park in their awesome Halloween costumes!

The Costumes!

Getting to see hundreds of other Disney fans in their family Disney-themed Halloween costumes is definitely one of the best things about Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party. Some of the best costumes we saw were families dressed up like various characters in Alice in Wonderland. The two most popular women’s costumes I saw were The Red Queen from Alice in Wonderland and Sally, although there was a strange shortage of Jacks. The pumpkin head comfort factor maybe? Princesses, of course, are always popular, especially with my family.

On the toddler front, the new Disney Junior show Vampirina’s star character was a big hit this year and there was more than one young Jedi expertly using the force. My favorite costumes for guys were inspired by one of Disneyland’s coolest rides – Indiana Jones! Hello, Dr. Jones and Dr. Jones!

The Not So Scary-ness of it All

I’m not sure if you’ve ever been to one of the other theme parks in the Los Angeles area for Halloween, but the Halloween festivities at parks like Universal Studios could give a grown man nightmares for a month. Honestly, just watching the online commercials gave me shudders for a solid half hour. Eeek. It is so nice to be able to take kids (and horror-phobes like me) to a Halloween event that you know won’t give them tremors, shakes, and nightmares until Christmas. Thank you, Mickey!

The Only Downside…

Now for the not-best-thing about Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Part, the cost, which is high, don’t get me wrong. Our day-of-the-party tickets cost $120 per person. If you are planning on going though, do not wait to buy your tickets! Buying them early will ensure you a small discount and it will guarantee that you get to attend the party. This year tickets for Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party sold out in September. We got incredibly lucky and were able to buy ‘day of’ tickets but that rarely happens. So watch the Web site or give Disney a call, find out when the Halloween Party tickets go on sale and call that morning. You won't regret it.

Prepare for a Long Night of Fun

The party lasts five hours, either 7:00 p.m. to midnight or 6:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. ( in 2017), and you get an additional two hours at the park, for a total of seven hours of Disney Halloween fun. We went early but if I had to do it again I would show up right when the party is starting. The park was crowded for those last two hours as regular Disney guests tried to hit all the rides before the park closed early at 7:00.

After the park closed for regular visitors at 7:00, we could move around much more easily. The rides were all open and the lines were short. The restaurants and regular food stands were closed. But there were food carts selling quick food items, like hot dogs and chips. If we went back again I would plan on grabbing dinner at the park while we walked around and maybe eating while we waited in line to see Jack and Sally – that’s what I call efficient multi -tasking!

We’ll see what happens next year. ; ) It’s hard to put a monetary value on fun, but I think that if you add all the one of a kind memories you’ll find the cost justifies the price, at least once, maybe twice, maybe every year if you’re Halloween fanatics like we are. Happy Halloween!