It’s 1:48am as I type out these first few words. My feet are sore, and I’ve had more candy in the past 6 hours than the past 6 months. Night one of Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party is in the books. It’s a fun event, and one that we attend every year, but I can’t shake the feeling that I just want something different. Something new. Something creatively fresh. In this article, we’ll explore why Not-So-Scary isn’t going to be overhauled anytime soon, and why Walt Disney World needs a new Halloween party.
Disney World’s New Halloween Party
Now, I want to fully acknowledge at the start of this article that I’m lucky to be able to attend special upcharge events at Walt Disney World… and then complain about it. For the vast majority of guests, a visit to Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party is a dream, a once-in-a-lifetime experience, or even a once-in-eight-years experience like the nice couple I talked to before the Hocus Pocus stage show on opening night. That said, this isn’t the first time that I’ve complained about an upcharge feeling dated, either. Back in 2024, I asked “When Does Tradition Become Stale?” when previewing that year’s Very Merry Christmas Party event. I want to revisit that thought in this article, but with a twist.
Instead of calling for Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party to be changed or overhauled, I’m actually going to ask for the exact opposite. Leave Not-So-Scary alone; I want something new entirely. Something at a different theme park. Something like Jollywood Nights, but for Halloween. In fact, the whole reason that I’ve given up on wishing that Disney would overhaul Not-So-Scary or Very Merry is the confidence that I have in the Jollywood team to create something great for Halloween.
As if it wasn’t enough of a shock for me to not call for a Not-So-Scary overhaul, it’s even more of a shock that I wrote that I have “confidence in the Jollywood team”. I can still remember opening night of Disney Jollywood Nights back in 2023. How far we’ve come since then.
If It Ain’t Broke…
If I’m honest, while my trust in the Jollywood team is certainly one aspect of this, there’s also a big part of me that has to look at the reality of Not-So-Scary as an undeniable financial success. I attended a sold-out night last night. The first three weeks of the event are currently sold out. Eventually, every night will sell out again this year. Simply put, there is plenty of demand and no mandate from the general public for Disney to change up the event. “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” applies here. If people are paying, and the event is selling out, there’s honestly not much incentive to change it.
Now, I do think that the event will eventually undergo an overhaul. That said, I wouldn’t expect anything substantial until Villains Land opens. If Disney has an appetite for change when it comes to Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, Villains Land being open will give them that opportunity. In the meantime, I’m begging for something new and exciting. Enter, Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
Hollywood Studios Halloween Party
After falling on its face right out of the gates, Disney Jollywood Nights has grown to become a wonderful event. In fact, we’re planning on doing Jollywood Nights a couple of times this year, first for blogging purposes and then again with friends to simply enjoy an event that is a lovely “Disney Adults” night out.
The question becomes: what would a Halloween event look like at Disney’s Hollywood Studios? I think the obvious answer here is to go darker. I would suggest that Disney should use 2027-2031 as a testing ground for a darker, Villains-heavy event at Hollywood Studios. Lean into scary. Pull out some deep-cut villains. Push the boundaries. This would allow them a creative playground to see how far the average Disney guest is willing to go when it comes to something that is Absolutely-Definitely-Scary instead of Not-So-Scary.
Of course, we’re never going to get something like Halloween Horror Nights at Walt Disney World, but I’d like to see Disney push the boundaries a bit. In terms of creative specifics, I’ll leave that up to the professionals.
Is Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party “Worth It”?
I’ll end the article by closing the loop a bit on my “complaints” about Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party. This year, there are some new offerings like A Masquerade with Stitch and Captain Jack’s Buccaneer Bash. There are also returning favorites like the classic Boo-To-You Parade and the still-awesome Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular.
If you’ve never been, Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party is undeniably an excellent event and certainly worth it. If you’ve been recently (post-COVID), I would say that forking out $130 to $230 is a tougher sell, especially when the event was half that price not too long ago. Disney’s aggressive pricing, along with the lack of substantial change, makes Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party very skippable for guests who have already “been there and done that”.
That’s why, for 2027, we’re hoping that Disney gives fans a new way to spend money during the Halloween season by introducing a new Halloween party at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. A blogger can dream.
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!
I feel like this article- and Disney adults in general, miss the point that Disney is child-focused. Why are adults having such a hard time with that? Granted my husband and I have taken adult on trips for the food and wine festival only (never rides or characters), but this article’s suggestion is absurd. When have you ever seen a Disney villain that is actually scary? And why haven’t we seen that? Because it is too much for children. I’m sure a more adult-focused Halloween celebration would be appreciated by those wanting to indulge in feeling like a big child, but the magic and silliness of MNSSHP/Magic Kingdom should remain PG. that’s the whole point… it was intended for children and families with children. We’ve lost the plot here….
I wonder if this would be a good opportunity to utilize animal kingdom in the evening. Nocturnal/spooky animal themes. Pandora at night, Everest at night. AK has never had enough to stay up late on its own, but add extra meet and greets, walk throughs, candy collection, live music, shows in the theaters, and use the lagoon or tree of life for a finale. I think you could have enough without the animal attractions to make it a cool experience.