Let’s talk about Halloween at Disney World in August

Here at Walt Disney World, we’re days away from the start of the Halloween season, with Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party kicking off on Friday, Aug. 11. 

Yes, while summer is still in full swing here on the surface of the sun, the Magic Kingdom will be decked out in Mickey Pumpkins and leafy garlands while the grave diggers and the Ghost Bride get ready to strut their stuff in the Boo to You parade and the Sanderson Sisters hope not to suffer from heat stroke during the Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular. 

Tickets are still available for some August dates for the party, with most selling for $109 for guests age 10 and up. Only the opening night party, on Aug. 11, costs more, $149. 

Before you buy your tickets to what is doubtless the best after-hours shindig Disney World throws, let’s talk about Halloween in August. 

THE HEAT. We joke that August in Florida feels like being wrapped in tinfoil on the surface of the sun. At the Halloween party, your costume is the tinfoil. I have seen a guest wearing a head-to-toe fuzzy Dalmatian costume, complete with hood, on a 90-degree night, and too many elaborate costumes involving knee-high boots and capes. It is so fun to see guests going all-out for the party, but if you want to dress up, don’t forget the weather. 

And then there’s the trick-or-treating. If you remember the old M&M ads promising “they melt in your mouth, not in your hands,” the party really puts that to the test. I swear I’ve had liquid M&Ms at the party in past years. You can trick-or-treat all night long and collect a pillow case full of candy (it happens!) only for the chocolate candy to melt. 

This kind of heat, plus the Halloween decorations, creates a kind of dissonance my brain just can’t handle. My eyes say fall, but every other part of me says summer. 

THE RAIN. August brings torrential rainstorms to central Florida on an almost-nightly basis. We  have had party nights without a drop of rain, but we have also had nights when the rain never let up and have been up to our ankles in rainwater. It’s impossible to predict ahead of time. 

When it rains, everything can be canceled — the parade, the fireworks, the Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular—all the things that make the party really special. If there are gaps in the rain, Disney will try to fit in a quick parade or fireworks, but that can happen without notice. (They do everything they can not to give you an excuse to get your money back.) 

THE AWESOMENESS IS REAL: If August is your only chance to take in Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party, it might be worth the heat and the storms. It really is our favorite Disney World after-hours party. It boasts the best parade (the gravediggers! the Headless Horseman! the Ghost Bride!); the best show (the Sanderson sisters kill it every time); and great fireworks. Plus, you can get your picture taken with characters in their Halloween Costumes and—the holy grail of Halloween character meet-and-greets—Jack Skellington and Sally. And that’s before the trick-or-treating.

If you decide you can’t miss the party even if it is in August, I have a few tips: 

• Stay away from the first night. It’s generally packed, especially with people who are determined to get first dibs on the event merchandise, which is returning this year for the first time since before COVID.
• Take a poncho and/or an umbrella. If it’s rainy, and you want to see the entertainment, stick close to the Hub so you won’t miss anything. 
• Take a water bottle so you can stay hydrated.
• If you wear a costume, make it as light and comfortable as possible. Unless the heat doesn’t bother you, in which case — bravo! 
• The party starts at 7, but guests can get into the Magic Kingdom as early as 4. If the heat bothers you, don’t go early. It will be cooler when you get there, and the crowd will thin out quickly as the day guests are hustled out of the park. 
• Lines for the character meet-and-greets can get very long, so be prepared. People wait several hours for Jack and Sally, so you’ll really need that water bottle.
• Don’t touch your chocolate candy until you get home and it solidifies again. 

Oh, and for the record: September in Orlando is basically an extension of August.