Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party: Our MNSSHP Experience & Tips 🎃👻
Magic Kingdom already feels pretty special, but add Halloween decorations, trick-or-treating, spooky entertainment and the famous Boo-to-You Halloween Parade, and the whole park takes on a completely different feeling.
We were lucky enough to experience Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party (MNSSHP) with our children and some of our best friends, and it gave us so many memories to bring home with us.
So, if you’re thinking about visiting Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, here are some of the things we loved, a few tips from our experience and why one particular moment inspired one of our latest Happy Place Print designs.
🎃 What is Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party?
Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party is a special Halloween event held at Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World during the Halloween season.
It’s a separately ticketed event, so it does come at an extra cost — and yes, it can be pricey!
But it also offers a completely different experience from a normal day at Magic Kingdom, with special entertainment, Halloween-themed treats, characters in costume, trick-or-treating and, of course, the Boo-to-You Halloween Parade.
And despite the name, it really is not-so-scary.
It’s much more spooky and fun than genuinely frightening, which made it brilliant for our family. Our children were 7 and 3 when we visited, and it was perfect for them.
👻 The atmosphere is something else
One of our favourite things about MNSSHP wasn’t necessarily one particular ride or attraction.
It was the feeling of being there.
As evening arrives, the Halloween decorations seem to come alive, the lights begin to sparkle and the sounds of the party fill the park.
You’ll see children dressed as their favourite characters, adults getting involved with costumes and Disney characters appearing in some very special Halloween outfits.
We were lucky enough to go with our best friends and decided to dress up as characters from Encanto.
We even got to meet the actual characters while dressed as them, which was amazing!
I’ll let you guess who was who… 😂
It’s those little unexpected moments that often end up becoming some of your favourite holiday memories.
🐎 The Headless Horseman & Boo-to-You Parade
If there’s one thing we would recommend making time for, it’s the Boo-to-You Halloween Parade.
The parade is packed with Disney characters, villains, ghosts and Halloween favourites, but when we visited, there was one appearance that completely stole the show.
The Headless Horseman.
Before the parade reached the crowds, the Headless Horseman rode along the parade route.
There was something about seeing that silhouette coming towards us that was just brilliant.
It was atmospheric.
A little spooky.
And completely iconic.
It was also one of those Disney moments that stays with you long after the holiday is over.
In fact, it stayed with us so much that it eventually became the inspiration for a Happy Place Print.
More on that in a minute…
📸 Find a good spot — but don’t forget to look around you
It’s easy to get caught up trying to find the perfect place to watch the parade, especially when you want the children to be able to see.
But once you’ve settled into your spot, take a moment to look around.
The decorations.
The costumes.
The lights.
The excitement from everyone waiting for the parade to begin.
And yes, take the photos.
Take the videos.
Capture those little faces when something magical comes around the corner.
But also put the phone down for a few minutes and soak it all in.
Some memories deserve to live somewhere other than your camera roll. ❤️
🍬 Trick-or-treating at Magic Kingdom
For children, the trick-or-treating is a huge part of the fun.
Grab your Halloween bag and head around the designated trick-or-treat locations, collecting treats as you explore Magic Kingdom.
It’s such a simple idea, but it makes the evening feel completely different from a normal Disney day.
And let’s be honest…
There’s something pretty exciting about being told you can walk around Magic Kingdom collecting sweets!
One little tip from us, though: remember the Florida heat and chocolate aren’t always the best combination…
You can probably imagine the rest! 😂
🎃 Don’t forget the Halloween treats
Then there’s the food!
One of the fun things about visiting during a special event like MNSSHP is looking out for the Halloween-themed food and drinks available around the park.
Part of the experience for us is choosing something we wouldn’t normally have and enjoying it while surrounded by all those Halloween decorations.
It’s not exactly the evening for worrying about how much sugar everyone has consumed.
Especially after the trick-or-treating. 😂
✨ Our MNSSHP tips
If you’re planning your first Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, there is a lot going on, and especially with younger children, you probably won’t manage absolutely everything.
And that’s OK.
We’d much rather enjoy the things we really want to experience than spend the entire evening rushing from one thing to another.
So, based on our experience, we’d recommend:
Decide on your must-dos beforehand. Pick the things your family really wants to experience and prioritise those.
Make time for the Boo-to-You Parade. It was one of the highlights of the night for us.
Give yourself time to find a parade spot. Especially if you have little ones who need a decent view.
Dress up if you want to! Going as Encanto characters with our friends made the evening even more memorable.
Bring something for all those sweets. And remember the Florida heat/chocolate situation!
Don’t try to do everything. Sometimes the best moments happen when you aren’t rushing anywhere.
Put the phone down occasionally. Take the photos you want, but make sure you actually experience the party too.
And most importantly, enjoy it.
You’ve paid extra to be there, so don’t spend the whole evening worrying about ticking things off a list.
🖼️ From a Disney memory to a Happy Place Print
We don’t just love travel.
We love what travel means to people.
A holiday can represent years of saving.
A special birthday.
A family tradition.
A first trip together.
A holiday with your best friends.
Or simply precious time spent making memories with the people you love.
And often, when you get home, there’s one tiny moment that takes you straight back.
For us, one of those moments was seeing the Headless Horseman.
That unmistakable silhouette.
The atmosphere of Halloween at Magic Kingdom.
The excitement in the crowd.
Waiting for the Boo-to-You Parade to begin.
And that memory became the inspiration for our Headless Horseman print.
We wanted to capture the feeling of that moment rather than simply create another piece of Disney-inspired wall art.
Because that’s what we want our artwork to do.
To take you back.
✨ Bring your happy place home
Maybe your happy place is Walt Disney World.
Maybe it’s a beach you’ve visited every summer.
Maybe it’s a city you fell in love with.
Maybe it’s somewhere you visited once but have never forgotten.
Or maybe it’s somewhere that reminds you of a very special person.
Whatever your happy place is, we believe it deserves to be remembered.
Because holidays end.
Suitcases get unpacked.
Real life starts again.
And somehow those hundreds — or thousands! — of holiday photos eventually disappear into your camera roll.
But the memories don’t have to.
That’s why we create travel prints.
Bring YOUR Happy Place to YOUR Home. ❤️
And if your happy place happens to include Halloween at Magic Kingdom, our Headless Horseman print might just be the perfect reminder of one very magical night.
🎃 Here’s to the memories, the magic and the places that make us happy.
Happy Place Print x
