For the first time in a decade, Disney World has failed to announce Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party dates before May. Confusingly, Disney World has not so much as uttered a peep when it comes to the made-up “Halfway to Halloween” season, which they have used in recent years to announce Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party dates. Now, as the calendar turns from April to May, we’re still in the dark as to when Disney World’s Halloween season will begin and when tickets will go on sale.
To put this year’s silence into perspective, here’s a list of previous dates when they announced Not-So-Scary dates:
- 2023: April 20th
- 2022: April 28th
- 2021: no party (Boo Bash announced May 7th)
- 2020: no party
- 2019: January 15
- 2018: March 19
- 2017: April 6
- 2016: March 23
- 2015: February 25
- 2014: May 16
- 2013: May 8
- 2012: May 2
- 2011: April 30
- 2010: May 21
As you can see, a May announcement timeframe is not completely unprecedented, but it breaks with Disney World’s recent trends.
The next question is: why wait? We don’t expect any major changes to this year’s party, and even if there were new shows or fireworks in planning, it wouldn’t slow down an announcement. If anything, new offerings would create stronger bookings for the fall – something that I’m sure Disney World would like/need.
The only thing that we can think of that might be delaying an announcement for Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party is an opening date for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. Obviously, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure will be open by the time the first Not-So-Scary Halloween Party takes place in mid-August (right?!), but announcing Not-So-Scary dates (and attractions) would essentially get ahead of an opening date announcement for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure.
We think that Walt Disney World isn’t too keen on announcing reasons to book for the Fall when they haven’t even completed their Summer announcements. I think just about everyone expected to know the Tiana’s Bayou Adventure opening date by now, perhaps even the Not-So-Scary marketing team. All other Walt Disney World Summer offerings have been announced already, and a proper opening date for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is seemingly the final piece of the puzzle.
The next question is: when will Disney World announce an opening date for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure? With early May probably dedicated to Hollywood Studios’ 35th anniversary and Star Wars, the next logical date to consider for a Tiana’s Bayou Adventure opening date announcement would be the earnings call on May 7th.
In short, Disney World has seemingly missed the Halfway to Halloween push, we still don’t know the Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party dates, and we think that Disney World is waiting to announce a Tiana’s Bayou Adventure Summer opening date before they start to market for Fall.
Either that, or someone forgot to hit publish on the article sitting in drafts.
As always, keep checking back with us here at BlogMickey.com as we continue to bring you the latest news, photos, and info from around the Disney Parks!
Probably waiting for a slow news day, or expecting Universal to make a big announcement, then pull attention away with the MNSSHP announcement.