Disney World (After Hours at Magic Kingdom)

It’s true. Magic Kingdom is incredibly magical… if you know when to go.

In the Fall and Winter Magic Kingdom holds two different After Hours events for Halloween and Christmas: Boo Bash and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. Boo Bash begins Labor Day Weekend and commences in November. Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party picks up where Boo Bash leaves off and runs through December. They both begin after the park closes to general guests and are separately ticketed events.

And this is what makes them so special. The crowd levels are way lower and you can often walk onto rides with no wait. As in, there is no line. Like you walk over to where the ride is located and then just go on the ride. If you’ve ever waited in line three hours for Dumbo the Flying Elephant with a screaming toddler in 90 degree heat, you know why this is a massively huge deal.

You’re also allowed into the park around an hour before it closes to the other guests and can stay until around midnight. It’s dark and moody and all the special decorations seem that much more magical at night. For Boo Bash there’s trick or treating stations and special parades, halloween-themed treats that aren’t available during the day, fireworks… Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas is the same situation except swap out Christmas for Halloween.

Now, I will say, every single time we’ve gone to one of these things, it rained. I mean, poured, at one point or another. If you live in Florida, like we do, it typically thunderstorms once a day in the late afternoon during hurricane season so this is to be expected if you go to an after hours event in September or October. It lasts around an hour and then stops. But the storm we encountered at the Christmas Party took place at 9pm and was so severe that they shut it down and handed out vouchers.

The key is to know your way in and out of the park. And to always pack rain gear. No exceptions. Make sure your stroller has a rain cover and every human in your party has either a poncho or a rain coat. We literally improvised with a clear plastic garbage bag for my husband the last time we went because we forgot his jacket and it made for great photos but was not effective. He walked around soaked. Pack extra socks and even extra sneakers if walking around with wet soggy feet will bother you. The good news is, it’s usually 80 degrees when this occurs so you won’t be cold.

Below is Camilla and Shane on the monorail to Magic Kingdom after walking miles in the parking lot through the pouring rain. It is the only way to get to Magic Kingdom. You will walk a ton before you even get to the monorail that brings you to the park entrance. So if you get caught in a storm you’ll be glad you came prepared.

Thats’s them in the park still having an awesome time despite the inclement weather. How can you not have an awesome time when surrounded by pumpkin lanterns and everything autumn? It’s truly so much fun.

Also, a not so fun fact, Disney does not allow stroller wagons inside. Universal does. But Disney does not. So if you have two kids you either need two strollers or a double stroller or one is walking, or you can improvise and stick one on the others lap.

That initial walk down a glowing festive Main Street as the sun sets ending in the Castle was my personal favorite part of Boo Bash last year. We also loved riding The Haunted Mansion. It really set the tone for Halloween. And Camilla adored the free treats and fireworks. Kroy was super into the parades… His eyes lit up when Mickey came strolling down in costume.

So if you’re planning on going to Magic Kingdom September through December, I highly recommend going to one of the After Hours Events in lieu of during the day. It is completely worth it. As my husband says, “I’ll never go during the day again.”