Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party is once again returning this summer and fall to Magic Kingdom, and Walt Disney World has already announced changes. This post covers what’s new & different for the 2025 MNSSHP, with our assessment as to the good and bad of various additions.
The first thing you need to know is that not much changes from year to year. If you’re planning on attending the 2025 Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party and last did the event in 2019, it’s still going to about 90% the same, at minimum. The biggest change you’ll probably notice is lower crowds, and that isn’t exactly substantive. Honestly, we thought Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party was getting stale back in 2019, and with no material changes in the last 6 years, that sentiment has only grown stronger.
What’ll be different in 2025 is mostly minor and easy to miss…or you simply may have forgotten specifics due to the passage of time. The ‘holy trinity’ of entertainment–Mickey’s Boo to You Parade, Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular stage show, and the Disney’s Not-So-Spooky Spectacular fireworks–are all returning for the 2025 Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party. There might be tweaks to the parade units, costumes, or characters represented, but the 2025 entertainment lineup will be materially the same as it was in 2019.
Nevertheless, there are changes for the 2025 Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party. That’s where this post comes into play–so you know what has changed (since several of these things are unadvertised) and how to plan accordingly. Focusing on the new stuff so it manages to be Mickey’s Not-So-Stale Halloween Party for you (at least, to the greatest extent possible).
Of course, one thing that has changed even as 90% or more of the event is the same since 2019 is prices. The big story is that the 2025 Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party High Ticket Prices Break $200 Barrier. Back in 2019, Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party tickets cost between $79 and $135 back, and every date aside from October 31 was less than the 2025 starting price! (I still remember when tickets broke the $50 barrier for the first time, and thinking that was “ridiculously expensive.” How young and naive!)
With that said, if you’re a first-timer or attending Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party after a decade-long absence, this post is not your best or singular resource. For everything you need to know about this event–beyond what’s new–see our Ultimate Guide to the 2025 Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party!
On that note, let’s turn to what’s new & changed at the 2025 Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party…
What a frightfully good surprise 😏🖤 #DisneyParks #JackSkellington #NightmareBeforeChristmas pic.twitter.com/GHi9zS8WOp
— Disney Parks (@DisneyParks) May 12, 2025
Jack Skellington’s New Head – Walt Disney World has revealed a new look for Jack Skellington for the 2025 Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party. The character will have a new, articulated head at his meet & greet with Sally, replacing the cut-out mouth and rubber hat previously worn by the performer.
This is an undeniable glow-up, and looking at my old photos side-by-side with this new video puts just how bargain basement and off-model the old look was (kind of like when Toy Story characters got their last updates). Big Spirit Halloween energy with the old head.
Unfortunately, it’ll probably come with a big downside. Jack Skellington and Sally will once again be must-meet characters for many longtime attendees of Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party. This will balloon wait times at the meet & greet, which is already popular with first-timers. If you’re attending the event–especially the first few parties–pack your patience and prepare for 3+ hour wait times to meet Jack and Sally. Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if that wait time hits 4 hours on night one!
Villains Treat Trail(s) – During last year’s Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party, Princess Fairytale Hall was not a meet & greet location for the princesses. Instead, it was an enhanced treat trail that features two villains, Maleficent and the Evil Queen. These villains were in the queue in front of a portrait of their tale’s princess, as they mingle with guests and pose for selfies.
This was an excellent little surprise plussing, especially later in the evening when treat trail lines were shorter. There’s no PhotoPass or even a character attendant, but guests had time for selfies and brief interactions. Again, this is especially true later in the night when the crowd is more sparse–earlier you’ll need to move through faster so you don’t hold up the line. It’s our understanding that this was a test to gauge guest response and potentially expand upon the concept for the 2025 Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party.
Thus far, all Walt Disney World has announced is this: “This year, guests can expect even more fun than ever before with some familiar (and fiendish) faces surprising guests along the trails.” Our expectation is that Walt Disney World will expand the villainous treat trails for 2025, and make this the marketable new addition. It probably still won’t hold a candle to what’s offered at Oogie Boogie Bash, where the immersive treat trails are the highlight of the event, but having 3-4 villainous treat trails would be a huge win.
Mickey & Minnie Meeting Together New – Last year, both Minnie and Mickey Mouse received all-new costumes, featuring a neon spider web design. While this costume was redesigned and look quite good, it follows a familiar formula and doesn’t really reinvent the wheel.
Despite this, it was (frustratingly) still only Mickey Mouse meeting in Town Square Theater. This caught me by surprise, as Walt Disney World made a big deal out of the new costumes and featured Mickey & Minnie together in their official publicity photos. Accordingly, I expected Mickey and Minnie Mouse to finally meet together again. They did not. Mickey greeted guests at Town Square Theater and Minnie appeared in Storybook Circus.
That changes for the 2025 Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party: “Meet Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse together at Town Square Theater.” The practical impact on touring is longer lines for the dynamic duo, but not prohibitively so. This meet & greet should still have a lower wait time than last year’s Storybook Circus wait for Minnie, Daisy, Donald and Goofy. That one was unpleasant, and also came at the expense of the Seven Dwarfs.
“Rediscover” Storybook Circus – The biggest addition for last year’s Christmas party was Storybook Circus transformed into Santa’s Christmas Carnival. It was filled with decorations and lights, Christmas cheer, friends from the North Pole, and activities for kids. This included stilt walkers and my personal favorite, the bootleg Coca-Cola polar bears.
It’s unclear what’s planned for this area back by Dumbo during the 2025 Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party. All Walt Disney World has revealed is this: “Rediscover Storybook Circus—transformed into a happy haunt for families with younger children.” Our expectation is that it’ll be along the lines of the Christmas Carnival, but for Halloween. Last year’s overlay for MVMCP was really well-received and exceptionally done. Our hope is that the bootleg Coca-Cola polar bears make a return–just throw some pirate hats on them or something.
We also hope that Walt Disney World adds atmospheric entertainment and makes more of an effort on the meet & greet front. Last year’s changes to Storybook Circus during MNSSHP were a serious downgrade. All of the characters were consolidated inside Pete’s Silly Sideshow where the Seven Dwarfs used to meet, leading to long lines and fewer meet & greets and the total character count reduced by 7.
New Zombies Party – Fun fact about me: I’m a huge fan of zombies. Resident Evil is my all-time favorite video game series, and I’m eagerly awaiting Code Veronica to finally get the remake it deserves (such an underrated game). So I am fully on-board with the new dance party at the Rockettower Plaza Stage in Tomorrowland. Can’t wait to meet Leon S. Kennedy and Claire Redfield!
Wait a second, I’m being told this is actually for the Disney Original Movie ZOMBIES 4: Dawn of the Vampires on Disney+. Ah okay, I have no clue what that is. I have no clue what that is. Well, I guess I know it’s a Disney Original Movie and the fourth installment of the movie series. But I haven’t the slightest inkling as to what that’s about.
Zombies, vampires (and the dawn thereof), dancing and teen angst, probably? Frankly, it does strike me as a bit desperate that Disney would need to add vampires to a series about zombies, but I get it–vampires are all the rage right now.
Earlier Start Time for Mickey’s Boo to You Parade (Again) – Technically not new since it started last year, the fan-favorite Boo to You Parade takes place a full hour earlier, at 8:15 pm. That’s when it steps off, meaning you might see it at 8:30 pm or later if you’re on Main Street. According to Walt Disney World, this is perfect for those guests attending with little ones who want to enjoy the spooky fun before it’s bedtime. Previously, the first parade was at 9:15 pm and the second parade was at 11:15 pm.
This is a big win for young families that already struggle to make it halfway through MNSSHP. I’ve seen so many strollers with sleeping kids by the first parade in previous years. It’s also a small victory for photographers at the earlier events, as dusk images of the headless horseman pose far less of a challenge.
The earlier Boo to You Parade is also a big win for park operations. Since 2018-2019, we’ve bemoaned the downright dangerous crowds in front of Cinderella Castle between the first Hocus Pocus and fireworks, since there are multiple stage shows, Mickey’s Boo to You Parade, and the fireworks all essentially presented back to back.
The reason I’m mentioning this despite it being a change made last year is that the way Walt Disney World worded this in the announcement suggested there would only be one performance of Boo to You. We caught that, too, and assumed it was just a poor word choice. Nevertheless, the verbiage does leave the door open for one performance of Boo to You and one performance of Starlight.
We highly, highly doubt that’ll happen. It would be a logistical and operational challenge to run both Boo to You and Starlight in the same night–and exacerbate crowds as more guests tried to watch both. But it could decrease Starlight congestion on non-party nights, which would be a slight positive. Again, we do NOT think this is what’s happening–there’s a 95% chance the 2025 Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party will have two performances of Boo to You. But 95% is not 100% (certified math expert here!).
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YOUR THOUGHTS
Will you be buying tickets for this year’s Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party? Has enough changed from 2019 to 2025 for you to justify attending, or do you think MNSSHP has grown stale? What did you think of the new additions and changes? Disappointed that there wasn’t more to the villains presence, or the loss of meet & greets? Which character meet & greets are your top priorities? Do you agree or disagree with our assessment of the changes? Any questions? 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!