Halloween season at the parks is already underway, and if you’re staying with us this fall, you’re minutes from two completely different ways to celebrate it.
Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party is running now through October 31 at Magic Kingdom. It’s Disney’s family-friendly take on the season, trick-or-treating throughout the park, the Boo-to-You Halloween Parade, the Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular stage show, and Disney’s Not-So-Spooky Spectacular fireworks hosted by Jack Skellington himself. It’s a separately ticketed after-hours event, and it’s genuinely great for younger children who want the fun of Halloween without anything actually scary.
Halloween Horror Nights runs at Universal Studios Florida through November 1, marking the event’s 35th year, the earliest start in its history. This one’s a different experience entirely: haunted houses, scare zones, and an atmosphere built for guests looking for a real scare. It’s not recommended for young children, but for teens and adults, it’s one of the best Halloween events in the country.
This year’s Halloween Horror Nights marks the event’s 35th anniversary, and Universal built the whole night around Jack the Clown and Dr. Oddfellow’s twisted carnival. Ten all-new haunted houses are running this year, including experiences based on Stranger Things, Hellraiser, Sinners, and Evil Dead Burn, along with four scare zones guests walk through between houses. It’s genuinely one of the most ambitious lineups the event has had in its 35-year history, and it’s part of why this particular Halloween season is worth planning a trip around if your group loves a good scare.
If you’re trying to decide which event fits your group, here’s a simple way to think about it: Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party works well for families with young children who want costumes, candy, and Disney magic without anything unsettling. Halloween Horror Nights is built for teens and adults who want their Halloween genuinely scary. Plenty of our guests do both on the same trip, a family-friendly night at Magic Kingdom earlier in the week, then a night out at Universal for the older members of the group once the children are settled in for the night back at the villa.
Both events sell tickets separately from general park admission, and dates do sell out, especially weekend nights close to Halloween itself. If you already know which night you want, it’s worth locking in tickets early rather than deciding once you’ve arrived.
However you spend your night at the parks, coming back to the villa is its own kind of Halloween fun. Guests have carved pumpkins poolside, run a horror movie marathon in the home theater, and turned family game night in the arcade room into its own Halloween tradition. The villa doesn’t have to compete with the parks for the spooky season spotlight, it just gets to be part of it.
Whichever one your group picks, or both, you’re close enough that neither has to eat up your whole day. We’re about 15 minutes from Magic Kingdom and about 30 minutes from Universal Orlando Resort, so there’s no reason to rush your morning or lose half a day to traffic.
And after a night of screams or scares, coming home actually gets to be part of the fun too. Every villa has a private heated pool and a home theater, so whether you want to wind down with a movie or just float in the pool and talk about the parade you just saw, that part of the night is already taken care of.
Ready to plan your stay? Browse our four themed villas or head back to more things to do near Disney and Universal to keep planning your trip.
Clean, Comfortable, Close to the Magic.
— Sherry, Florida Theme Park Villas