Walt Disney World is bringing a new hard-ticket Halloween event to Magic Kingdom this fall. "Disney After Hours BOO BASH" will run select nights after park close from August 10th through October 31st.
This Disney After Hours event effectively replaces the Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, which Disney canceled last year due to the pandemic. Disney has not been running its upcharge Disney After Hours events since reopening last summer, either, so this marks the first announced return for those events.
For Boo Bash, Disney World is promising "party music, decorations and character cavalcades galore" at the three-hour event, during which "guests young, old and immortal can dress in costume for the occasion and get their fill of Halloween candy, exclusive culinary offerings, spooktacular entertainment, favorite attractions, and more."
Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party ran annually from 1995 through 2019, featuring unlimited, all-ages trick-or-treat candy giveaways, plus Halloween-themed entertainment and meet and greets with Disney characters, including some only seen in the parks for Halloween. Disney's description for its Boo Bash suggests that some of those elements, including the candy giveaways, will carry over for this special event.
Stay tuned for more information about tickets, including sale dates and prices.
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I’m a bit at a loss here. At this point, I believe Disney is simply being cheap. That’s all there is. They already limit party capacity. To think by fall they cannot run a parade and fireworks is truly disappointing. My only hope is that there will be 50th fireworks and parade and that this event will happen after that each night.
If not, then Disney is cheap…that’s it.
I mean, after the last year+ we've all had, I can't blame Disney for starting small in a return to after-hours events. Maybe MNSSHP can return in all its glory next year, but I can't fault Disney for not jumping right back in to the deep end of the pool.
I certainly hope that things get back to the old normal next year, but at least this is a small step towards that. We cannot expect everything to get back to normal right away, especially until more people get vaccinated.
I seriously cannot wait until things are back to normal, especially now that I'm fully vaccinated, but I also understand that I have no CHOICE but to wait for now. And under the circumstances, I get it. It's a pandemic, not a personal inconvenience.
I'm sure Disney could really use the revenue and cash flow that selling way-in-advance tickets to these after hours events would bring, but I think this MNSSHP-lite event is pretty bogus. Given the rate that conditions are improving in this country, I don't understand why Disney can't just wait a couple of months to see if they can instead offer a more normal MNSSHP (with the iconic parade, fireworks, and character meets). I understand people visiting WDW plan their trips eons in advance, particularly if they're coming for WDW50, but not being able to purchase after hours event tickets right now won't dissuade anyone from booking trips today, and being able to purchase tickets to an obviously trimmed down event (that will inevitably be just as, if not more, expensive as a traditional MNSSHP) won't bring any more visitors to WDW.
This is such a strange move from a company that I thought had learned to be a bit more nimble, but is falling back on old habits.
I think this is actually fine at this point. Disney can always add to the event instead of promising something and taking it away. Nowhere in the announcement did they say NO fireworks. With cavalcades, it seems to spell doom for the Boo to You Parade, but they can easily bring it back. Better to set expectations rather than promise something they can't deliver.
I also do not think its the guests that they are worried about. I think its the CMs. From what I have heard, CMs generally have had very hard times getting vaccines. FL seems to have done well vaccinating the elderly (very important), but made the rest of the population a large grab bag. I do not think Disney can safely put on performances until the end of the Summer at the earliest.....right when this event starts
I understand about the situation with the pandemic but, they shouldn't charge an arm and a leg for a down graded party.
I heard tix might start at 129.00, the price the after hours party usually are. I hope and pray that is not true. To me it wouldn't be worth it. Bringing grandkids down in Sept. Keeping my eyes and ears open for when the prices are released.
@Anthony - That's a good point, but Disney doesn't have to start selling tickets right now for an event that doesn't start for another 3 months. Disney can just as easily wait to see how things develop over the next month or 2, and then release more concrete plans for the Halloween Party. I really grew tired of Disney continuously pushing the early planning even further and further in advance, and had hoped the uncertainty presented by the pandemic would force Disney to pull back their obsession for getting guests to reserve things so far in advance.
I understand Disney, particularly WDW, thrives on the excitement created by the build up to an Orlando vacation. The incremental releases of tickets, hotel reservations, ADRs, FP+, and other activities help to build anticipation for the pending trip. However, all that planning comes at a cost that I feel has diminished the overall experience. The layers of intricacy needed to plan a WDW vacation these days has gotten out of control, and the elimination of FP+ during the pandemic represented a HUGE weight lifted from guests' shoulders. However, Disney is going right back to layering these reservations back in, first with Park Pass and now with the return of after hours events and shows. It's just disappointing to see Disney go right back to old habits instead of learning that most people didn't enjoy the obsessive planning needed to visit WDW.
I am happy to read this news. I am so excited to join this programme but how to go there. due to the pandemic, what is the guide lines. get Facebook photo likes you can share it on Facebook to connect with more audience.
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Hopefully this is only temporary for this year, if not, bad decision! MNSSHP was fantastic particularly the "Boo To You" parade, my favourite Disney parade, bar none. It will be interesting to see how much Disney will charge for this 3-hour special event when you think you had 5-6 hours at Halloween Party. Fingers-crossed this is a one-off owing to the state of the world and that Halloween Party returns in 2022.