Sister and I revived our annual girls “blitz” trip to Disney World last week, spending two nights and three full days reveling in the magic! We were thrilled to attend one of the first Boo Bash After Hours Events and I am excited to share all the details.
The special ticketed event takes place on select nights in Magic Kingdom. The evening we attended ran from 9:30 PM – 12:30 AM. You really need to be night owls to make the most of the evening. If you don’t have a Magic Kingdom park reservation for the day or a park hopper ticket, your party ticket grants you access to the park as early as 7 PM.
We arrived at Magic Kingdom just as the first booms from Happily Ever After were sounding off. While there are no special Halloween fireworks as part of the After Hours Events, both day guests and event guests get to see the regular show.
Costumes
I didn’t see as many guests in costumes as I did in the Not So Scary Halloween Party of yore. Despite that, I think dressing up is part of the spooky fun!! Sister and I chose characters from the Jungle Cruise, with me as a skipper and Sister as Trader Sam. We got stopped countless times during the night by cast members and guests admiring our attire. See… FUN! (We started our evening at Trader Sam’s at Polynesian. It’s a favorite adult-only spot. FULL REVIEW HERE.)
Halloween Decor
Right at 9:30 PM, the park came alive with spooky music and lighting. It really sets the tone for Halloween fun.
Extremely LOW Crowds
The real benefit of this event, in my honest opinion, is the LOW LOW LOW crowd levels. Coming to the park with this few people is nearly unheard of (outside of our trips last summer and previous after hours events). The old Halloween Party drew hoards of people and the attendance cap was much higher than for After Hours. We walked on to every single attraction, with the exception of Jungle Cruise that had about a 10 minute wait. We even walked on to Seven Dwarfs at the end of the night.
Trick or Treat
I love trick or treating throughout the park and loading up with Halloween candy! In addition to trick or treating lines, soft drinks, bottled water, popcorn and Mickey ice cream was all included in as much as you care to enjoy quantities. It was a HOT night so we sucked down water like it was going out of style.
Halloween Cavalcades
In lieu of a full parade, the event had four different Halloween Cavalcades. Three were what you saw in 2020 during regular park hours: Jack & Sally, Vilnians and Mickey & Friends. The beloved Maleficent Dragon was new for the event. These ran at scheduled times so you could be sure to see them. There are not Halloween cavalcades during regular park hours this year.
Character Appearances
I did a terrible job of documenting them (spooky lighting = bad photos), but characters were out and about throughout the park. We saw Pooh and friends in Halloween attire at Crystal Palace and the Cadaver Dans in Frontierland. My favorite of all was Carlotta’s sister at Haunted Mansion. She’s a hoot.
PhotoPass Magic Shots
There are a variety of Magic Shots exclusive to the party all over the park. These will be included in your regular PhotoPass purchase. They are always some of my favorites!
Boo Bash Review
If you go into Boo Bash with the expectations of a Halloween Party, you will leave disappointed. The main “attraction” of the event is the attractions! I kid you not when I say that every thing we wanted to do was a walk on. The park was virtually empty, as you can see from the photos. The cavalcades were cute and the included snacks are a nice perk. It didn’t feel quite as festive as the old parties without special fireworks, parades and shows. Overall, I’m really glad it was an experience Sister and I got to enjoy. We had a great time and she is looking forward to bringing her family back in October.
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I personally visit the Walt Disney World theme parks at least once per month and continue to be blown away by the thoughtful, practical and comprehensive precautions Disney has in place to safely welcome guests and cast members. I don’t have all of the words to convey how special it feels to be back. We laughed, we played, we ate too much, and we felt a level of happiness we hadn’t had in too long. I can assure you, magic is there!
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Wow….I was amazed by the low crowds in your pics! I had no idea they had already started this event. I have always wanted to go to the Disney Halloween events and although its more scaled back than previous years it looks fun. Perhaps with many kids just starting back to school the crowds were low. Btw…you and your sister really rocked your costumes.