Author: Nick the Disney Devo (tee)

There are many wonderful reasons to attend Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party (MNSSHP), and I’d like to share my favorites with you here.

Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party (MNSSHP), is held on select evenings in September, October and early November, from 7PM-Midnight.

Trick or Treating!
 In my neighborhood, at Halloween each year, parents walk their young children up and down the streets, and hang back on the sidewalk while their children come to the door.
Here, you get to join the fun!

Upon entering the party, you’ll be given a treat bag, and throughout the park, you’ll find Trick or Treat Stations.

This year they are located in:
Adventureland: Next to Jungle Cruise and the Pirates of the Caribbean queue

Fantasyland: at Peter Pan’s queue, inside Pinocchio Village Haus, and at the Fantasyland Railroad Station
Tomorrowland: next to Tomorrowland Speedway, near Space Mountain, and near Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress.

There are even Trick or Treat Trails, and they can be found in:
Frontierland: enter and exit at the Splash Mountain queue
Fantasyland: enter near The Barnstormer, and exit at Tomorrowland

Mickey’s Boo To You Halloween Parade!
This parade features some of your favorite Disney characters and terrific themed floats, and can only be seen at the MNSSHP.

It is my absolute favorite parade in all the World.
My wife is not a big parade fan, yet she loves this one. In fact, we attend both the early and late parades.

Yep, you get 2 chances to see it!

The parade steps off in Frontierland at 8:15PM and 10:30PM.

Many people prefer to see it on Main Street, with the Cinderella’s Castle as a backdrop, but Frontierland and Liberty Square are great alternatives, and tend to be much less crowded.
And the song will stay with you for weeks, or even months.
It’s more catchy than “It’s a Small World”!

Happy HalloWishes!
This fireworks show is like Wishes on steroids. It is easily our favorite fireworks display, and is only shown during MNSSHP.

For this, I confess, I really do prefer to deal with the crowds and watch it from Main Street. I’ve watched it from different lands, and it isn’t the same, especially because there are many effects that utilize the Castle.

The show begins at 9:30PM

Character Dance Parties 
Rock it Out…Stitches Club 626 is in Tomorrowland at the Rockettower Plaza Stage
Woody’s Happy Harvest Roundup is in The Diamond Horseshoe in Liberty Square

I confess, I’ve never participated in one of these, but they look adorable, offering children and adults the opportunity to dance with characters!

Disney Diva and her family have though and LOVED them!

Villain’s Dance Mix and Mingle
This is an exclusive to the party stage show that takes place in front of Cinderella’s Castle at 7:45PM, 8:50PM, 10:05PM, and 11:15PM.

In the event of bad weather, Villains will greet guests at Tomorrowland Terrace.

I saw it a couple of years ago while waiting for HalloWishes, and it is a lot of fun, though it may be a tad bit intense for young or sensitive children.

Exclusive Merchandise
Every year I go in saying I’m not going to buy one more t-shirt, and they get me every time with their fun and imaginative designs!

Items exclusive to the party can be found in many of the shops throughout the park.

Exclusive/Special Disney Characters
I love character photos, and this is the place to find many that are extremely rare, such as Tarzan and Jane, Prince Philip (with Aurora the Sleeping Beauty), and Snow White and ALL SEVEN Dwarfs! You’ll also see many of the characters you normally encounter dressed in Halloween costumes, which you will not find anywhere else outside of the MNSSHP.

Characters appear throughout the evening. Please consult your party map for locations.

The lines for some of these meet and greets can be extremely long, especially for Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, so please plan accordingly.

A couple personal notes on eating and time management:
There is a lot to see and do, so I like to have a plan of attack. Know going in what is most important and not to miss.

The party can be very crowded, depending if it is a weekend, and the crowds grow regardless of the day the closer it gets to Halloween.

There are a lot of restaurants that are not open during party hours. I suggest eating before hand, and then snacking through the evening. You’ll get plenty of candy to do just that!

Have fun!

Nick is co-writer of the Disney Musings Blog with his wife, Barbie.