Get Into the Magic Kingdom Early

With your party ticket, you can get into the Magic Kingdom starting at 4 p.m. If you're doing Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween [6] Party in the middle of your holiday, party night might be a great day to hang out at your resort or check out Disney Springs before heading to Magic Kingdom so you can get a bit of rest in.

The Park Will Be Crowded at First

Since party guests can start arriving at 4 p.m., and regular day guests don't have to leave until 7 p.m., the park can seem extra crowded for those three hours. You're best bet is to head to the back of the park and go on a few attractions to stay away from the crowds on Main Street.

What To Do From 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Not in the mood for rides? You'll need another way to spend the three hours in Magic Kindom while you're waiting for those crowds to clear. During this time we suggest your family grab something for dinner at the park, make a plan of attack for the party, and if you're interested in a very popular character like Jack Skellington and Sally, getting in line as soon as possible.

Plan Out Your Night

If you get to the Magic Kingdom before the party starts at 7 p.m., try planning out your night using the time guides and maps available at the park entrance. This is a major time-saver in the long run, as you won't be walking around the Magic Kingdom not knowing where to be at what time.

Don't Trick-or-Treat First

The later in the night you stop at the different trick-or-treat locations around the park, the more candy you're likely to get. Cast members tend to only give out a small handful of candy at the beginning of the party, but toward the end of the night, you can hit up one location with multiple buckets and fill your candy bag quickly. The lines for candy at the end of the night are also much shorter since most guests are watching the parade or a show.

Where To See Popular Characters

We know how much your kids love getting photos with Mickey and his pals dressed in their Halloween [7] best, so we've rounded up all of the characters you can see at Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party and their locations.

Main Street U.S.A.
Mickey Mouse in his Halloween outfit at Town Square Theatre
Jack Skellington and Sally at Town Square Theatre (Starts meeting around 4:30)

Fantasyland
Anastasia and Drizella near the castle
Seven Dwarfs in the Storybook Circus Tent
Rapunzel inside Princess Fairytale Hall
Queen of Hearts, Alice, Tweedle-Dee, Tweedle-Dum, and Mad Hatter near the Mad Tea Party
Pooh, Eeyore, Piglet, and Tigger (dressed in Halloween costumes) near The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
Ariel and Eric near Under the Sea — Journey of the Little Mermaid
Belle and Gaston near Gaston's Tavern
Minnie Mouse dressed in her Halloween costume inside Storybook Circus
Daisy Duck dressed in her Halloween costume inside Storybook Circus
Goofy dressed in his Halloween costume inside Storybook Circus
Donald Duck dressed in his Halloween costume inside Storybook Circus
Cinderella inside Princess Fairytale Hall
Cruella DeVil roaming around Fantasyland
Princess Tiana inside Princess Fairytale Hall
Princess Elena inside Princess Fairytale Hall

Tomorrowland
Lots-o'-Huggin' Bear near the exit of Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin
Stitch dressed in his Elvis costume inside the normal Stitch Meet and Greet

Adventureland
Tarzan, Jane, and Terk near the Swiss Family Tree House
Moana near the Swiss Family Tree House
Captain Jack Sparrow near Pirates of the Caribbean
Aladdin and Abu alternate with Genie and Jasmine near the Magic Carpets of Aladdin
Jafar near the Magic Carpets of Aladdin

Plus: There Are Allergy Friendly Treats

If you or someone in your family is in need of an allergy-friendly [8] treats, stop by the Main Street Theatre to get teal tokens which you can turn in at treat locations. With your tokens you can get specialty candy, cookies, GoGo Squeez applesauce packs, and more — that are safe for those with food allergies. But as always, be sure to carefully read the labels to confirm.

Watch the Fireworks and Stage Show Back-to-Back

If you can, try to watch the new fireworks show, Mickey's Not So Spooky Spectacular and the Hocus Pocus [9] Villains Spelltacular back to back. Watching from the hub of Main Street USA next to the Partners statue is a great spot for the fireworks, then as guests start to clear out, move closer to the stage for the Hocus Pocus Villains Spelltacular. If you try to wait for the midnight showing of the Hocus Pocus Villains Spelltacular, it could get rained out, especially at parties in August or September.

Catch the Second Showing of Boo to You!

The first showing of Mickey's Boo to You! Halloween [10] parade is always the busiest. Unless it looks like rain is coming, try to catch the second showing. The parade takes the same route from Frontierland to Main Street USA as Disney's Festival of Fantasy Parade. Anywhere along the route is a great spot. For great photos, line up along Main Street USA, and for fewer crowds, line up in Frontierland.

There Are New Ride Layovers This Year

Unlike Disneyland, Walt Disney World usually doesn't get ride layovers for Fall, but this year, only at Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween [11] Party, some attractions will be getting spooky layovers. The Mad Tea Party will have new lighting and effects that will transform guests until the dancing lights. Pirates of the Caribbean will have live actors on the attraction sets interacting with guests on the search for Gunpowder Pete. Space Mountain will have a new soundtrack and special effects for party night. Over at the Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor they are bringing in a trick-or-treat trail and allowing guests to interact with the monsters while getting candy!