Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse dressed for Halloween

Eerie lighting, fall décor and Mickey Mouse-shaped Jack-O-Lanterns set the stage at Magic Kingdom for Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party. The family-friendly after-hours event offers trick-or-treating, meet and greets with favorite characters in costume, plus the must-see “Mickey’s Boo-to-You Halloween Parade” and “Happy HalloWishes” fireworks display. Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party is a special ticket event and takes place on select nights each fall at Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. (Matt Stroshane, photographer)

There are more nights and new reasons to celebrate the spooky season this year during Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party. This special-ticket event runs select nights Aug. 17-Oct. 31, 2018, at Magic Kingdom Park – the earliest it has ever started.

Space Mountain

Explorers visiting Space Mountain during Mickey’s-So-Scary Halloween Party at Magic Kingdom Park in 2018 will hurtle through deep space as a new soundtrack and more transform the adventure. The family-friendly after-hours event offers trick-or-treating, meet and greets with favorite characters in costume, plus the must-see “Mickey’s Boo-to-You Halloween Parade” and “Happy HalloWishes” fireworks display. Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party is a special ticket event and takes place on select nights each fall at Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. (Matt Stroshane, photographer)

New twists and treats this year include:

  • On Pirates of the Caribbean, guests will interact with new live pirates who encourage everyone to be on the lookout for Gunpowder Pete, a scoundrel with an eye on the same treasure sought by Captain Jack Sparrow.
  • The Mad Tea Party will take guests on a colorful teacup ride, as special lighting and other effects put a glowing new spin on the attraction at night.
  • Explorers visiting Space Mountain will hurtle through the blackness of deep space to the riffs of a new hard-rockin’ soundtrack.
  • Storybook Circus welcomes the new Storybook Circus Disney Junior Jam, a dance party featuring favorite Disney Junior characters, including Doc McStuffins and Timon from “The Lion Guard.”
  • New this year in Frontierland, prospector Cactus-Flower Cate rounds up youngsters for the Frontierland Costume Promenade, encouraging them to show off their costumes in a quest for the greatest treasure in the land – candy!

This year also marks the 25th anniversary of Walt Disney Pictures’ “Hocus Pocus.” What better way to celebrate the film than with the spellbinding Hocus Pocus Villain Spectacular on the Cinderella Castle Forecourt stage, where the Sanderson Sisters and Disney villains will “put a spell on you.”

Mad Tea Party

During Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party at Magic Kingdom Park in 2018 the Mad Tea Party will take guests on a colorful teacup ride as special lighting and other effects put a glowing new spin on the night. The family-friendly after-hours event offers trick-or-treating, meet and greets with favorite characters in costume, plus the must-see “Mickey’s Boo-to-You Halloween Parade” and “Happy HalloWishes” fireworks display. Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party is a special ticket event and takes place on select nights each fall at Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. (Steven Diaz, Disney)

As always, guests should keep their eyes open for dancing ghosts, the Headless Horseman, plus Mickey Mouse, Peter Pan and many more beloved Disney characters in the Mickey’s “Boo-To-You” Halloween Parade. There will also be plenty of sweets around the park for all trick-or-treaters, including allergy-friendly options. And each night during the party, the skies above an eerily lit Cinderella Castle come alive during Happy HalloWishes, a magical fireworks extravaganza that definitely goes bump in the night with spooky tunes from Disney villains.

Advance tickets start at $75 for adults and $70 for children ages 3-9 (plus tax). Day-of tickets start at $85 for adults and $80 for children ages 3-9 (plus tax). For a full list of event dates, visit MickeyHalloween.com. Guests are encouraged to purchase tickets in advance, as space each night is limited. For more information, call (407) WDISNEY (934-7639).

Guests visiting in August or September can take advantage of a Walt Disney World Resort hotel room offer with discounts of up to 25%. For details, click here or visit DisneyWorld.com. Guests visiting in October, can take advantage of resort hotel discounts of up to 20%. For details, click here or visit DisneyWorld.com.