In case you haven’t already heard the great news — Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party is BACK in Magic Kingdom for the first time since 2019! This Halloween party has been a very popular event in years past, and many dates have already sold out for this year.

Although we noticed that ride wait times were fairly low during the party and crowds weren’t overwhelming most of the time, there were still some people-y moments, such as when everyone went to watch the Boo-to-You Parade or when we all gathered for fireworks. And one of the MOST people-y times was right at the beginning when everyone was waiting to enter Magic Kingdom for the event. If you’re going to Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, exactly how early do you need to arrive in order to maximize your party time and minimize your waiting-in-line time? We’ve got the answer!

Although Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party officially kicks off at 7PM, guests with a ticket to the party can enter Magic Kingdom beginning at 4PM. Of course, if you have a Magic Kingdom park ticket and park pass reservation for the day of the party, you may be inside Magic Kingdom already, in which case you can just stay in the park. We recommend getting there much earlier than 4PM if that’s the case so that you avoid the opening crowds altogether.

On the first night of the party, we arrived at the front gates around 3:30PM, and a decent line of people waiting to get in had already formed. Cast Members started letting people in at 4PM, and we were in the park by around 4:20PM.

As that was opening night, it makes sense that there were a lot of people who were eagerly awaiting the return of the party.

However, we saw a similar situation before the next party, a couple of days later. When we arrived at Magic Kingdom around 3:55PM, there were BIG crowds waiting outside the gate. Once the line started moving at 4PM, though, it only took us about 10 minutes to get through and into the park. How quickly a line moves depends on many factors, so wait time can vary by a lot.

So there is going to be a long line to get into Magic Kingdom at 4PM, but how early should you arrive if you don’t want to wait at all? We’d recommend being at Magic Kingdom 45 minutes to an hour early if you want to avoid that line. Plan on being at the gate by 3PM or 3:15PM, and don’t forget to factor in travel time!

If you’re driving, you’ll still need to get from the TTC to Magic Kingdom once you’ve parked. And if you’re using Disney buses remember that those can sometimes be a bit unpredictable — they’ll get you where you need to go, but you may need to wait a while before one arrives at the bus stop. And there may be a lot of people traveling from your hotel to Magic Kingdom at that time, so it’s a good idea to get to the bus stop even earlier in order to avoid long lines there. The buses can only take so many people at a time, which could mean you have to wait for one or more buses to arrive, fill up with people, leave, and return before you can get on.

If you make it to Magic Kingdom by 3-ish, you will likely beat the worst of the crowds and be able to enter the park close to 4PM. But remember that the party doesn’t officially begin until 7PM! There are still plenty of things to do in the meantime, but some of the party-exclusive merchandise, snacks, and ride layovers won’t be available for a few hours. And the Boo-to-You Parade and fireworks don’t happen until later on in the evening.

Between 4PM and 7PM, you can try some of the Halloween treats available around the park. A few treats don’t come out until the party starts at 7PM, but there are several that you can get during the day. You can also check out the themed photo ops, including a Hocus Pocus one that can be found in Liberty Square. Or head to some rides if wait times are fairly low. Remember that wait times tend to drop once the party starts and the day guests have left, so if a ride has a long line before 7PM, you may want to wait and see if it drops later on.

A quick word of warning: we know that a lot of people bring kids to this event, and some parents on our team wanted to mention that it could be a better idea to arrive late to the party if you’re traveling with little ones. That way you can save the time that your kids are happy and feeling awake for when the party is really going (from 7PM to midnight). If you show up around 5PM or 6PM instead of before 4PM, you might avoid the long line to get inside and have happier kids later on when the party is really going. Of course, it’s up to you to decide what’s best for your group!

Here are some other important times for Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party that you may want to keep in mind:

• The Boo-to-You Parade runs twice — once at 9:15PM and again at 11:15PM each night (weather permitting)
• Mickey’s Not-So-Spooky Spectacular fireworks show happens at 10:15PM at the Cinderella Castle
• The Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular show takes place at the Cinderella Castle at 8:35PM, 10:45PM, and midnight. Those times will change to 7:40PM, 8:35PM, 10:45PM, and midnight for parties in October.
• The Cadaver Dans can be found in Frontierland at 7PM, 7:45PM, 8:30PM, 9:50PM, and 10:30PM.

We’ll continue to watch for more updates and changes with Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, so stay tuned with DFB for all the latest news!

Click here to see our full guide to Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party.

Are you going to Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party in Disney World this year? Let us know in the comments!

The post Why You Need to Arrive EARLY for Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party in Disney World first appeared on the disney food blog.