Parks Magic
Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party 2026 Lands: 38 Nights, August 7 Start, and Stitch Hosts a New Dance Party in Tomorrowland
News

Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party 2026 Lands: 38 Nights, August 7 Start, and Stitch Hosts a New Dance Party in Tomorrowland

Michael Travels
·
Published
·
Updated

Top WDW news, Tuesday April 28, 2026. Two days after Disney teased Halfway to Halloween with cobwebs and Mickey-shaped tarot cards, the actual reveal landed today on the Disney Parks Blog. Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party 2026 is set, and there is a lot to dig through.

The headline numbers:

  • 38 select nights, running August 7 through October 31, 2026. August 7 is the earliest start date in recent memory, more than a week earlier than 2025's August 15 and earlier than any opener since the party returned in 2022.
  • Tickets $119 to $229 plus tax, holding flat from 2025.
  • Tickets on sale May 5 for select Walt Disney World Resort hotel guests, Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin guests, and Shades of Green guests, then May 12 for the general public.
  • $10 off for Walt Disney World Annual Passholders and Disney Vacation Club Members on event nights from August 7 through October 2.
  • Party hours are 7 p.m. to midnight, with ticketed early entry into Magic Kingdom as early as 4 p.m.
Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party 2026 official key art with Cinderella Castle in pink and purple Halloween lighting.
The official 2026 MNSSHP key art Disney dropped this morning. Image: Disney Parks Blog.

The new bit you actually want to know about

Stitch is taking over the Rockettower Plaza Stage in Tomorrowland this year. Disney's words:

"New this year, Stitch is hosting an ever-changing dance party at the Rockettower Plaza Stage in Tomorrowland with the help of his friends Lilo and Angel. After getting his paws on Lilo's Costume Trunk, every accessory he tries on will spark a theme swap and keep the party playfully unpredictable all night long."

So Lilo, Stitch, and Angel (Experiment 624, the pink one) are all in the rotation. Angel has been a beloved deep-cut for years; this is her biggest party-night spotlight to date. The "costume trunk drives the theme swap" mechanic is the genuinely fun part. The set list will reportedly shift on the fly depending on what Stitch pulls out next.

What's coming back

The headliners that anchored 2025 are all returning:

  • Mickey's "Boo-to-You" Halloween Parade, with the Headless Horseman riding ahead of the parade route as the opener.
  • Disney's Not-So-Spooky Spectacular, the Jack Skellington-hosted fireworks and castle-projection show.
  • Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular on the Cinderella Castle Forecourt Stage.
  • Trick-or-treat trails, costume permission for adults, the Space Mountain Halloween overlay, and a fresh batch of rare characters in their party costumes.
Costumed performers and Disney Villains marching down Main Street USA during Mickey's Boo-to-You Halloween Parade at Magic Kingdom.
Mickey's "Boo-to-You" Halloween Parade is back. Image: Disney Parks Blog.

The August 7 thing

The earliest-ever start date is the operationally interesting beat here. Disney has crept the calendar earlier almost every year (2023 started August 11, 2024 started August 9, 2025 started August 15). Pulling 2026 back to August 7 lets Disney run a full first weekend of party nights before kids start heading back to school in much of the South, while still capturing the back-to-school traveler segment that hits Florida in mid-to-late August.

For planners: opening-weekend Fridays in August have historically landed near the lower end of MNSSHP's per-date pricing tiers. Disney has not yet published this year's date-by-date breakdown, but $119 plus tax is the floor and August nights typically sit closest to it.

Disney's Not-So-Spooky Spectacular fireworks burst over Cinderella Castle, with Jack Skellington projected onto the castle facade.
Disney's Not-So-Spooky Spectacular returns. Image: Disney Parks Blog.

Quick planner tips

  • Set a calendar alert for the morning of May 5 if you're a resort guest. Disney has not yet posted an official sale time for 2026; based on past years, premium dates (mid-October weekends, Halloween night) have historically moved fast on opening day.
  • The $10 AP/DVC discount cuts off October 2. If you're using the discount, the entire calendar from August 7 through October 2 is fair game; from October 3 onward you pay full price.
  • 4 p.m. ticketed early entry with no separate park reservation is a 3-hour pre-party head start. Book a 4 p.m. dinner reservation and you basically get a full park day on a party ticket.

Sources

Image credits. All images: Disney Parks Blog.

Mentioned in this story

Magic Kingdom

Related News

PeopleMover Catches Fire at Magic Kingdom in Viral TikTok Video, Reopens Within 35 Minutes

PeopleMover Catches Fire at Magic Kingdom in Viral TikTok Video, Reopens Within 35 Minutes

A guest-shot TikTok video that went viral this week shows flames beneath at least one PeopleMover vehicle on the return side of the track at Magic Kingdom on Tuesday June 9. The guest alerted cast members; the attraction went down around midday and was running again roughly 35 minutes later. No injuries were reported, and Disney has not publicly addressed the video. WDW News Today broke the story on June 10.

June 11, 2026 News
Aerial Photos Show Universal Upgrading the Ultrasaur and Baby Stegosaurus Animatronics in the Jurassic Park River Adventure Refurb

Aerial Photos Show Universal Upgrading the Ultrasaur and Baby Stegosaurus Animatronics in the Jurassic Park River Adventure Refurb

Aerial photos by bioreconstruct, published by Orlando ParkStop on June 29, show Universal upgrading the original Ultrasaur and baby Stegosaurus animatronics inside Jurassic Park River Adventure at Islands of Adventure during the ride's 10-month refurb. A clean white armature has been installed for the Ultrasaur's neck and the baby Stego has had its face skin removed to upgrade the head's moving elements. Inside The Magic separately confirmed the entrance roof shingles (in place since 1999) and sections of the ride track are being replaced. The ride closed January 5, 2026 and is scheduled to reopen November 20, 2026.

June 29, 2026 News
Level99 Opens at Disney Springs Today with 63 Challenge Rooms in the Old NBA Experience and DisneyQuest Space

Level99 Opens at Disney Springs Today with 63 Challenge Rooms in the Old NBA Experience and DisneyQuest Space

Level99, the Massachusetts-born "Players Club" of physical-and-mental challenge rooms, opens its fourth and biggest location at Disney Springs West Side today, Monday, June 29, 2026. The 46,800-square-foot, two-story venue carries 63 mini-game challenge rooms, 40 plus original art installations, a two-story bar, Detroit-style pizza and wagyu burgers. Tickets start at $29.99 for 1.5 hours or $39.99 for 2.5 hours per player, with a $19.99 Premium Pass upgrade. The first 500 Players through the door today get a commemorative pin.

June 29, 2026 News
Universal Reveals Cybergoria, an Original Cryo-Future Haunted House for Halloween Horror Nights 35

Universal Reveals Cybergoria, an Original Cryo-Future Haunted House for Halloween Horror Nights 35

Universal Orlando announced Cybergoria, an original Halloween Horror Nights 35 haunted house with a cryo-future premise: a corporation called Bio Immortal Bionic Intelligent Systems once sold cryo-freezing as immortality, and thousands of years later the machines that took over are still pursuing the goal, even if it kills you. Announced Thursday, June 25, 2026, the house is the sixth of a reported ten HHN 35 houses to be revealed. Senior Show Director Matthew Flood (Universal Orlando Resort) leads the project. HHN 35 runs select nights August 28 through November 1, 2026.

June 29, 2026 News
Legoland Florida Unveils Its Biggest-Ever Red, White & BOOM! for July 4 with a 12-Minute Fireworks Finale Over Lake Eloise

Legoland Florida Unveils Its Biggest-Ever Red, White & BOOM! for July 4 with a 12-Minute Fireworks Finale Over Lake Eloise

Legoland Florida's 4th of July event, Red, White & BOOM!, returns Saturday, July 4, 2026 in its biggest form yet, tied to America's 250th birthday. Extended park hours (10 a.m. to 9 p.m.), a 12-minute lakefront fireworks finale over Lake Eloise, free LEGO-brick holographic viewing glasses distributed starting 7:45 p.m. while supplies last, a 6 p.m. DJ dance party, collaborative giant American-flag LEGO build stations, and a $30 VIP Fireworks Seating Package capped at 120 guests in South Ski Stadium. Single-day tickets start at $69 for a limited time.

June 29, 2026 News
Disney's Wilderness Lodge Battles a Days-Long AC Outage During a Central Florida Heat Wave

Disney's Wilderness Lodge Battles a Days-Long AC Outage During a Central Florida Heat Wave

A stay at one of Walt Disney World's flagship Deluxe resorts is not supposed to come with a box fan, but that has been the reality for some guests at Disney's Wilderness Lodge this week. The main building's central air conditioning has been down since Thursday, June 18, just as Central Florida sweltered under back-to-back heat advisories with feels-like temperatures topping 105 degrees. By Monday, June 22, Disney had trucked in temporary chillers and portable spot coolers and many guest rooms had cooled back down, though the Grand Lobby and some interior spaces stayed warm, and the central system was not yet fully restored. Disney has not commented publicly.

June 23, 2026 News