Disney’s After Hours Boo Bash Tips
Disney’s After Hours Boo Bash event is a magical, family friendly way to experience Halloween at Walt Disney World! Trick or treat stations, exclusive character sightings, and Halloween cavalcades make this event an extra special experience during your Disney vacation!
Disney’s After Hours Boo Bash is the newest, most exciting hard ticket event at Walt Disney World. Walt Disney World is known for offering guests hard ticket events during the Halloween and Christmas seasons, and Boo Bash is no exception!
What is an “after hours” event at Walt Disney World?
An “After Hours Event” at Walt Disney World is exactly as it sounds. This is exclusive access to Magic Kingdom park after it closes to day guests for the evening. A typical after hours event has VERY low attendance, as well as special offerings. After Hours events are not new to Walt Disney World. We have seen After Hours events at Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom in the past.
An After Hours event operates all of the attractions in the park with little to no wait. Attractions are literally a “walk on”, and you can easily move through the park. A typical after hours event lasts about 3 hours.
The After Hours events are known for not only low crowds, but also free food offerings. Guests who have an After Hours ticket are entitled to free food at kiosks and carts that are set up in various places throughout the park. SOME quick service and snack locations remain open, but not many. Guests can help themselves to soda, water, popcorn, and ice cream treats included with their after hours ticket.
What can we expect from Disney’s After Hours Boo Bash?
Guests can expect to enter the Magic Kingdom as early as 7PM, and the after hours event will start at 9PM, or 9:30 depending on the evening. As you are looking at Magic Kingdom to the right are the tapstiles for guests entering with an after hours ticket.
Around 9PM, the day guests will start to filter down MainStreet USA and out of the park. This empties the park quickly, so the After Hours guests can enjoy the empty park!
Guests can expect the Halloween decor to be amazing! Also, the castle lights in different colors during the event. The Haunted Mansion is especially eerie, and worth visiting during Boo Bash! Be on the lookout for exclusive decor in Tomorrowland, as you walk over the bridge. You may see spiders and webs projected on the rocks!
After Hours Boo Bash has character cavalcades AND character sightings! You can see your favorites in the various cavalcades. Winnie the Pooh and friends greet guests from the Crystal Palace porch, Goofy is near Pirates, and so many more! Chip and Dale greet guests in Frontierland, along with a fun performance by the Cadaver Dans!
Exclusive food offerings are found at Disney’s After Hours Boo Bash as well. These are seasonal. They range from a Malificient themed churro, the Prince John Sucker Frozen Drink, to the Foolish Mortal Funnel Cake.
What is the Best use of time at Disney’s After Hours Boo Bash?
The most important piece of advice is to enter the park at 7PM. Guests with a Boo Bash ticket can enter at 7PM. This is a great time to grab a Quick Service dinner, perhaps catch the fireworks show that evening, and pick up your wristband for Boo Bash. When you are given your wristbands, you will also be handed a map/guide for the evening. Grab a snack, or your dinner, and look over the guide to make a game plan!
Prioritize the special offerings. Is there a snack you must try? Do you want to catch the cavalcades? Is Haunted Mansion on your list? The special snacks, as well as the characters in their Halloween costumes are only out for Boo Bash. So those may be something you want to make sure you enjoy.
Plan to pick up snacks and drinks at the kiosks around the park, while you are trick or treating. The trick or treat stations are set up to flow nicely with the complimentary food carts.
While waiting for the cavalcades, visit the Photopass photographers near you for the exclusive Magic Shots. If you are on Main Street for the cavalcades, there are plenty of photographers to be found there! Or, if you are in Frontierland, there is one just outside the Hall of Presidents in Liberty Square, as well as one across from Haunted Mansion. While waiting, take advantage of these photo shots!
Choose a land to focus on for attractions. The waits are SO short, that it is easy to move between attractions, one right to the next. Haunted Mansion is always a “must” during spooky season, so try to ride that during a cavalcade or toward the end of the evening to minimize the wait time.
Best Overall tips for enjoying Boo Bash:
Don’t go into the event tired. This is a good day to sleep in, and have a “resort day” so you are not tired from being in a theme park.
Eat dinner before the event starts. While you are offered free snacks and drinks, having a good meal in you is smart so you can enjoy the first hour or so without stopping for food. This can be a QS location inside Magic Kingdom, or even at your resort before you go.
The castle will be lit up in different colors throughout the evening. Keep your eyes on that!
They sell exclusive merchandise during Boo Bash. Star Traders and The Emporium will have the Halloween merchandise. Try to shop toward the end of the evening so you are not carrying it with you all night.
Choose fun, yet comfortable costumes for your family. It can still be rather warm in the evenings, and remember you need to walk through a theme park and board attractions. Keep it fun but simple!
Will your family be visiting Boo Bash? I hope so!
