Tickets Now on Sale for 2020 Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party
Tickets are now on sale for the 2020 Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party in Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World. Naturally, prices are up across the board and there are more dates than ever before. In this post, we’ll share the details and offer some commentary about whether–and when–you should buy tickets.
Let’s start with party pricing. As noted above, prices have gone up. This shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone who attended last year’s event–it was busier than ever before despite higher prices. Moreover, Walt Disney World attendance is already up considerably so far in 2020, and it stands to reason that’ll continue into the fall barring any unforeseen circumstances.
2020 Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party tickets start at $85 for weeknights in August and early September, which is “only” an increase of $6 as compared to last year. A few dates are virtually unchanged year over year, whereas late October has seen the largest spikes, with some nights up $10-14…
In our Guide to 2020 Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party, we shared the leaked party dates last week–and those turned out to be completely accurate. In case you missed that, here they are again…
Here are the 2020 Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party dates:
- August 13, 18, 21, 25 and 28
- September 1, 4, 7, 11, 13, 15, 18, 20, 22, 25, 27 and 29
- October: 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 12, 13, 15, 16, 18, 20, 22, 23, 25, 27, 29 and 31
- November 1
Here’s a visual if you want an idea of how this looks on the calendar, and how pricing corresponds with the various dates:
Walt Disney World has not yet announced whether the Unlimited Not So Scary Party Pass will make a return. Last year, it was announced literally the day of the first Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party in August, so there’s still plenty of time–several months, in fact.
Whether the Party Pass is offered again likely depends upon standard ticket sales (hence Walt Disney World waiting until the last minute previously) and whether there’s the “need” to bump numbers. If we had to guess, we’d bet that it won’t return.
The Party Pass was a convenient scapegoat for overcrowding last year, with many disgruntled guests pointing to it as the cause of the crowds. In reality, it would’ve constituted less than half a percent of attendees on any given night if every single Party Passholder showed up. The real cause is Walt Disney World increasing the attendance cap.
Speaking of which, Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party nights themselves have been packed the last couple of years. We covered this last year in our Is Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party Too Crowded? post. We fear this trend will continue in 2020. Again, crowds are up thus far this year.
It’s also worth noting that Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party wreaks havoc on Magic Kingdom’s calendar and crowds during the fall. More special events make non-party nights in Magic Kingdom even more crowded, and Saturdays in particular are a nightmare. We highly recommend avoiding Magic Kingdom on Saturday nights in September and October.
With all of that in mind, you might want to hold off on purchasing 2020 Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party tickets until reports start to emerge about crowds. If you’re visiting in September or October, consider waiting until August 29, 2020 or later to buy your tickets, which is after the fifth event of the year.
By that point, there should be a sufficient number of firsthand accounts to determine whether anything has changed in terms of crowds for 2020. If you can wait longer, that’s even better. Last year, the first couple of parties accurately reflected overall crowd trends, but that’s not always the case. Often, August is far less crowded than the late September and October parties.
There was a lot of backlash about crowds at Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party last year. Due to that, Walt Disney World might surprise everyone by lowering the attendance cap as a result. That’s wishful thinking on our part–it’s what they need to do, but we doubt it’ll actually happen.
It should go without saying, but the risk in waiting to purchase your tickets is that your party dates could sell out between now and the fall. However, if that does happen…well, you probably don’t want to attend those nights anyway due to crowds.
(If you’re dead-set on purchasing tickets now and want to make an educated guess on when to go, consult our Best and Worst MNSSHP Dates post to help choose the potentially least-crowded party. That has yet to be updated for 2020, but the same principles apply every single year. If many/most dates sell out, it’s really not all that helpful of a resource, though.)
With the official announcement that 2020 Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party tickets are on sale, Walt Disney World also confirmed a lot of what’s returning: “Disney’s Not So Spooky Spectacular” fireworks show (hosted by Jack Skellington, telling a Halloween tale about Mickey, Minnie, Donald and Goofy), “Mickey’s Boo-to-You Halloween Parade,” and the “Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular” stage show.
It’s no surprise that the fireworks are making a return as those were brand new last year. Likewise, Boo to You Parade and Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular are incredibly popular, so it would’ve been more shocking to see either retired. As much as we love it, Boo to You is getting a tad long in the tooth, so refreshing or changing up a couple of parade units would be wonderful.
Overall, we cannot say we’re too surprised by the increase in 2020 Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween ticket prices and dates. Even though it closes the world’s busiest theme park early for private events several nights per week each fall, the event is incredibly lucrative for Walt Disney World. With such an increased focus on boosting revenue via upcharge offerings and hard ticket events, expect to see more of the same when 2020 Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party tickets are released in the near future!
Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!
Your Thoughts
Will you be attending the 2020 Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party? If not, what’s keeping you away? Crowds? Prices? Some combination of the two? Or, would you not attend regardless? Do you agree or disagree with our assessment of Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
So are only choice this year is first or last party. We are out of town and I can’t pull my high schooler out. She’s been wanting to go to party for years, but with school has never worked. Finally we can go. Which would be better choice first or last? We are passholders so going for halloween stuff not necessarily rides.
We will be in Disney the week of October 20-27. We have been to the MVMCP in the past twice and enjoyed it. We have always wanted to experience the MNSSHP and the Halloween decorations. We will also be there with family from out of state and it will be their first Disney experience. We are excited and I have to say we bought our tickets already. We are a big group and we’re worried that we he tickets would sell out fast.
Although prices and crowds are annoying, I still love Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party and will return in 2020
What’s with Oct. 5th? It’s listed as a MNSSHP date in your text but it’s not on the visual calendar? That’s, of course, the week we’re planning on going!
Similar to Anne Poppy’s post above, we will be there September 5th-12th with that Monday being labor day.
Our teenage daughter is a huge Halloween fan and this is our first and last chance to share the Not So Scary experience with her before college.
That said its not a matter of if we go but which of the two dates?
First question: better to go Monday 7th Labor Day or Friday 11th weekend? My guess is better Monday since local kids should have school the next day but would love to get the expert opinion.
Second question: extra day of ticket costs not being a factor, do we go to MK that morning as well or another park?
Thanks in advance.
I’d love to see what the response to this is. We are also going that same week, and are trying to decide on Monday or Friday for MNSSHP. Good question. I also didn’t even think about whether to go to MK that same, the day of the MNSSHP, or go to another park. Now I’ll have to think about whether or not to add a park hopper. Unless, can we go to another park another day but still get access to MK for just the MNSSHP?
If you purchase the MNSSHP ticket, that is the only admission you need to get into MK as long as you don’t try to enter before 4PM. You wouldn’t need a hopper to go to a different park as long as you don’t go to a second park before you enter the MK for the party using the party admission ticket.
What it be wise to do Epcot until 4 then monorail over to Magic Kingdom? Is that enough time for Epcot?
We are planning a Disney trip to cross over the Halloween and Christmas decor and want to get in at least one MNSSHP. Our travel dates are looking like October 30th to November 7th. The 10/31 party will be max capacity. What do you think crowds will be like on November 1st? Would it be worth coming in a day or two earlier to catch the 10/29 party instead?
Hi Bill. I went in Nov 1, 2019 and it was extremely crowded. The wait times for the character greets were ridiculous.
Thank you! I was hoping that since 11/1 falls on a Sunday it would be less crowded. It looks like 11/1/19 was a Friday which probably added to the crowds.
The parties towards the end of the run are always going to be busier.
HI! We are only going to be there for 5 days. Should we go or save our Magic Kingdom for another day. If we did go it would be during the Labor Day Holiday and could go either Friday Sep 4 or Monday the 7th. Which would be better? Thank you
I’ve never been to their Halloween party but my wife and I did attend the Mickey’s Christmas Party last year. When I contacted reservations and asked about FastPasses for the event they told me they were not needed because it was like night and day as far as crowds.
We quickly discovered that it was just the opposite. It seemed like there were at least twice as many people for the party as what there had been throughout the day. Long lines, no FastPass and it was raining much of the evening so no parades. It is something I will never do again.
If their Halloween party is anything like the Christmas event I strongly suggest staying away.
It would be great if consumers finally put their money where their mouths are and stopped attending the parties in such large numbers.
The sheer number of dates, cost, and havoc they cause of park operations (i.e. “forcing” people to attend MK on just a couple of days of the week to experience full park hours) has gotten really old.
We’ve done the MNSSHP and MVMCP the past several years but after last year are calling it quits for this year.
Not that one family matters…but we are done with the parties.
We went to the Christmas Party last year and the Halloween party a few years ago. While crowds weren’t crazy, the prices for this upcoming year are insane. I refuse to pay $115 per ticket. Unfortunately, Disney will ultimately reach a price point where people won’t go. This is that point for us.
We visited in mid-late August 2017 and had an awful time. It was immensely crowded, terrible value for money, and as a result, we never plan to go back to it again.
IGER OUT!!!!! Good riddance. Thanks for destroying everything? Being a liberal dolt? For bad Star Wars movies? For mucking up Marvel? For raising Ticket Prices to the point FEW families can afford to go to Disney? For destroying CONSERVATIVE VALUES that made Disney what it is? IGER SUCKED
Dude, you need to get back on your meds ASAP. We’re all worried about you out here.
Those are crazy prices. We went to MNSSHP in 1997 on our first trip. They had two parties that year, one on Oct 30 and one on Oct 31. I think we paid about $30 per adult and less for kids.