There’s just something that’s special about Disney World Halloween events and celebrations! And this year as restrictions get lifted, we’re seeing some old things come back and some new things being developed. A trip to Disney World during Halloween season (which in Disney, that’s really anywhere from mid-August until the first week in November) is a wonderful time for everyone.
We’re excited to take you through each expected Walt Disney World Halloween event and share with you what we believe will be happening at each theme park and resort. It’s important to note that all events are subject to change due to the current health situation. We are going to do our best to give you a good idea of what to expect.
We hope you find this post helpful, and if you are planning a trip to Disney World be sure to check out our other FREE vacation planning tools. Our goal at The Park Prodigy has always been to help you save time and money on your next vacation. This includes helping you find the best time to buy Disney World tickets as well as book amazing Walt Disney World vacation packages!
So if you’re ready to learn everything there is about the 2022 Disney World Halloween events and parties read on!
SPECIAL NOTE: If you need help picking the best time to visit Disney World for your next vacation be sure to check out our Disney World crowd calendar!
There are already a few ways that Disney World during Halloween will be different this year from in the past. To start the very popular Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party will not be returning. Instead, we will have a brand new Disney Halloween after hours event called Boo Bash! This Disney Halloween event debuted in 2021, and we are unsure if it will stay!
We can however expect for the Disney Halloween events to begin earlier this year than ever before. This years first Magic Kingdom After hours Boo Bash event will begin on August 10th. Below is everything you need to know about Walt Disney World during Halloween.
Magic Kingdom is the best place to be at Disney World during Halloween in 2022. It is here that you’ll find those iconic Mickey pumpkins everywhere! From donning the light posts to having special photo ops set up both inside and outside the park, you’ll know it’s Halloween in Disney World with every turn you take.
As a side note, if you want to experience Magic Kingdom on Halloween day 2022, make sure to get purchase your Walt Disney World ticket and also 2022 Boo Bash Ticket as early as possible. This park does fill up on Oct 31 very quickly.
New this year is an after-hours event called Boo Bash. Disney’s after-hours BOO BASH will take place on select nights, Aug. 10 – Oct. 31, from 9pm-midnight. This WDW Halloween event will include spooky festivities such as Halloween-themed cavalcades, unique character sightings throughout the park, special performances by the Cadaver Dans, décor, lighting, music, trick or treating with plenty of candy and so much more!
If you aren’t familiar with Disney After Hours events, they are special events that occur after the park closes to regular guests. Typically open to a limited number of guests, the experience offers low wait at the park’s most popular attractions. Sometimes these rides even have special holiday overlays!
Exclusive Disney Halloween merchandise and food products can only be purchased at the event. With the Halloween BOO BASH, all guests are also invited to wear costumes no matter their age, to celebrate the scary fun side of Halloween (some restrictions apply). The Disney Halloween theme of this event is family-friendly for all ages.
Halloween at Disney World in Florida is one of the busiest times of the year. Even with how popular this event turned out to be, there are still tickets available for purchase on select dates.
Boo Bash After Hours party ticket prices vary depending on the day of the party offered. Right now, you can purchase tickets on select nights in August and September. Tickets range from $129-$139 on either Sundays, Tuesdays and Fridays.
Children under the age of 3 do not need a ticket for the event.
Purchase your Boo Bash After Hours party tickets here!
Disney during Halloween is a great time to see characters you don’t normally see around Magic Kingdom. Halloween cavalcades that showcase many of our favorite Disney villains will be coming back this 2022 Fall season. Keep an eye out for Jack Skellington and his spooky pals as our favorite cavalcade returns to Main Street, USA this year. The Cadaver Dans will be back, belting out terrifying tunes.
The 2021 Boo Bash Characters included:
Disney knows we love to take photos of our food and post them to social media, so there’s going to be plenty of Disney World Halloween snacks to fill up your entire social media feed as well as your belly. If you’re looking for more than snacks and actually want to enjoy some Disney Halloween dining, look for the quick service restaurants to provide Halloween-themed main courses.
At Magic Kingdom during Halloween, you’ll be able to pop into just about any store and purchase Disney World Halloween-themed merchandise. You’ll find every type of clothing, Mickey ears, toys, Magic Bands, and much more during this Disney Halloween party.
Related Product: 2022 Discount Boo Bash Tickets
Epcot is an amazing park for so many reasons, but there aren’t many Walt Disney World Halloween events that occur during the fall. We do love going to EPCOT in the fall due to one of our favorite festivals, the International Food and Wine Festival!
While not exactly a Halloween theme, you will find plenty of fall-themed and pumpkin-flavored goodies during this event. The décor at the 2022 EPCOT Food and Wine Festival will be more fall-like than Halloween-themed. If you’re more of a Fall foodie than a creepy crawly, Epcot will be more of your pace.
In the past, we haven’t seen anything different regarding Disney characters during the International Food and Wine Festival for Halloween. We expect that Disney Halloween 2022 will not be that much different this year at Epcot.
While the park has tons of specialty food kiosks during the International Food and Wine Festival, Sunshine Seasons in the Land Pavilion has been known to have some really fun Disney Halloween treats, such as cupcakes, on Halloween.
You’ll find plenty of fall-themed merchandise and you might even find a Halloween-themed popcorn bucket or glow cube at Epcot.
Hollywood Studios likes to dip its toe into Halloween at Disney World Florida. You won’t find a ton of Halloween Décor or Disney World Halloween specials, but there are a few hints to the season here and there, along with the best Halloween Dining experience.
MINNIE’S HALLOWEEN DINE AT HOLLYWOOD AND VINE: If your kids want to see the fab five all dressed up in their Halloween costumes, this is the place to come for some fun dining at Disney during Halloween. Character dining is still modified due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, so be aware when booking! Characters might still be included, but socially distanced photos and autographs might not be available.
It’s also important to note that Hollywood Studios has some of the best restaurants in Disney World in general and is simply a must for all foodies!
As Cavalcades travel through the park, we’ll have to see if any characters add a little something to their look to celebrate the season by adding to their standard costumes. We would love to see a Star Wars Villain cavalcade for Disney World Halloween 2022, but we might just be dreaming for now.
Of course, you’ll get great Disney Halloween food at Minnie’s Halloween Dine, but look for Halloween treats around the park to celebrate the season, as well as popcorn buckets and even glow cubes in drinks that represent the scarier side of Disney.
Merchandise
This is the place to find Halloween-themed Star Wars merchandise and Toy Story merchandise. While we can never be too sure on what Disney will come up with, we know that the Halloween 2022 Disney merchandise will be worth purchasing an item or two.
Animal Kingdom Park has been the least invested park at Disney World at Halloween. There’s a couple treats here and there, a little décor and standard merchandise but nothing to really write home about. We’d love to see them celebrate the villains represented by the park (such as Scar from Lion King, Charles F. Muntz from Up or even Governor Ratcliffe from Pocahontas).
There are no special Disney World Halloween events planned for Animal Kingdom.
You aren’t going to see any any villains on the flotillas that glide through the rivers of Animal Kingdom. But, you can head over to Dinoland USA to see if Donald and his friends are sporting any Halloween costumes. You might spot Chip and Dale wearing their dinosaur costumes to celebrate the holiday.
Each year the Scar cupcake makes an appearance at several locations throughout the park. If you’re thirsty, head over to Flame Tree Barbecue for specialty Disney Halloween drinks.
Look for more Scar merchandise and some other general Halloween merchandise to fill your basic Halloween needs.
Related Article: Complete Guide to the Best time to Visit Disney World
Disney Springs is a fun place to visit during the Halloween Season at Walt Disney World. The Disney Springs Halloween decorations rival those in Magic Kingdom providing plenty of photo opportunities for you and your family.
Look for late night concerts and dance parties to celebrate the Disney World Halloween season, as well as special photo opportunities for the whole family. Don’t forget to visit the Disney PhotoPass Studio for one-of-a-kind Halloween photos. Downtown Disney Halloween night can be a fun place for the adults to come play on October 31 as plenty of the bars and restaurants will have fun drinks and entertainment. We are sure if you are visiting during the spooky season, there will be plenty of Disney Springs Halloween activities.
Disney Springs often has lots of talented street performers wandering around bringing life to the area. During Halloween season, you may find them playing more Halloween-themed music (like the Monster Mash) or dressed in their own Halloween attire. Disney Springs has not had characters in the past.
Disney Springs is already known for having specialty treats for just about every holiday there is. So, be prepared for lots of specialty treats from places like Gideon’s Bake House, Amorette’s Patisserie, and The Ganachery just to name a few. Make sure your sweet tooth is ready to be indulged!
With the largest Disney store in the world at Disney Springs, you’re sure to find whatever Disney Halloween merchandise you desire in the World of Disney store.
Most resorts decorate and have fun activities for their guests staying there to celebrate Halloween at Disney World. However we do have one resort that we love to recommend everyone at least visit (if not stay there) during the Halloween season. We believe Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground is the best Disney resort for Halloween.
The thing that makes this resort the best place for your Disney Halloween stay is not necessarily what Disney does, it’s what the guests do! It’s been a long-standing tradition that the campers at Fort Wilderness go ALL OUT in their Halloween décor at their campsites. You’ll see tons of “scary” Halloween decorations at most of the campsites. From giant inflatable Mickey Mouse vampires to actual haunted houses you can walk through.
The guests also often give out candy to any trick or treaters on Halloween night providing some of the best trick or treating at Disney World resorts. Even if you’re not staying at Fort Wilderness, we recommend hopping over there one evening and doing a tour of all the campers’ decorations.
Other resorts also have fun with Halloween so let’s look at some of the Halloween events you can find at just about every Disney resort.
From Halloween-y type of movies being shown at night to Halloween-based games at the pools and sometimes even actual trick or treating, your kids especially will find some fun Halloween activities to participate in at your resort.
One thing you can do at your Disney World resort that you can’t do anywhere else is provide your own Halloween decorations at Disney. You can make Halloween at Disney World 2022 the bet yet by decorating your windows and interior all you want (following Disney guidelines for how you affix your décor). Whether you bring decorations from home or purchase it using Disney’s In-Room Celebrations packages, you’re sure to make your stay even more special.
Characters aren’t a guaranteed event at any resort, since the pandemic started. We’ve seen more characters making random socially-distanced appearances at all the resorts, including value resorts.
Head to your resort’s quick service food option to find fun desserts themed around the holiday.
A: Disney is awesome at being magical about its seasonal decorations. You can be in Magic Kingdom one day with no decorations and show up the next day to having all of Disney World decorated for Halloween! In general, you’ll start to see the Disney World Halloween decorations in August.
A: As quickly as they go up, the Walt Disney World Halloween decorations come down! While they may hang around for a few days after Oct 31, don’t expect to see them too far into November.
Boo Bash After Hours party is the new Magic Kingdom ticketed event in 2021. Tickets are still available for purchase and can be bought here! We do not know if Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween party will be returning for 2022.
A:Very simply the Magic Kingdom park is the absolute best park when visiting Disney World during Halloween. The main reason is the 2022 Boo Bash after hour Halloween event. Magic Kingdom does have the best Halloween decorations and theming of all of the Disney World theme parks in general.
A: Aug. 10 – Oct. 31, from 9pm-midnight
Our Disney Crowd Calendar is the best tool to help you get the most out of your time in the parks. We break down park crowds, park hours of operation, ticket prices, and average temperature. We also break down the best time to visit Disney World based on specific times of the year and special events.
Are you planning a trip to Walt Disney World? Be sure to speak with a Disney World Travel Agent for the most recent deals and promotions. The Park Prodigy will provide a Free Quote for all Disney World Vacation Packages.
The Park Prodigy can also help you save up to $20 per ticket when purchasing your Walt Disney World Tickets, and we offer promotional discounts for special events such as Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party Tickets and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party Tickets.
If you’re brand new to Disney vacation planning we recommend our Walt Disney World Planning Page! Learn more about Disney hotels by reading our Walt Disney World Hotels Review page.
Last but not least if you’re also planning a trip to Universal Studios, be sure to check out the best time to visit Universal Studios and our Universal Orlando Tickets! All Park Prodigy Universal Orlando tickets come with Universal Studios Early Park Admission.
Will you visit Walt Disney World this Halloween? If you are, let us help you find the best of the best Halloween experiences for you to enjoy while you’re there!