Hi all,

With the Halloween Season drawing closer, I thought I would post some hints and tips regarding the Halloween Parties at the Magic Kingdom.

The Halloween parties have become rather stagnant over the last few years, with no real new characters or shows. So everything I tell you will probably still be good in ten years from now!

Characters are normally as follows:

Main Street - "Candy Company" Goofy. Maybe the Pooh Characters this year will appear to the left of City Hall due to the Fantasyland construction.
Adventureland - at the Terrace area, Tarzan, Terk, Jane Porter (the Tarzan trio tend to switch out, so be sure to check back for the ones you want), Rafiki and Baloo (maybe Timon switches with Rafiki - I'm not sure). At the Bazaar area - Aladdin and Jasmine, they switch out with Genie and Abu. We have heard Tarzan and Jane are not appearing this year. It COULD be Mowgli, but that is as yet unconfirmed.
Frontierland / Liberty Sq - Woody, Jessie and Bullseye are said to be appearing this year at the Horseshoe Stage. Tiana and Naveen at the Glade behind Liberty Sq.
Fantasyland - with the construction going on this could all have changed, but previously - Snow White and ALL Seven Dwarfs in one meet, probably near the old Skyway this year. Lines are long from the start, but move pretty fast as you are allowed only one group shot, and no autographs due to their popularity (and the time it would take to get 8 signatures). Also Pooh, Tigger, Piglet and Eeyore tend to hang around near their ride, in special outfits. This may move to Town Sq this year though. In the past these have varied, but have included Pirate Tigger, Super Sleuth Pooh, Butterfly Piglet and Clown Eeyore. Also in the past there have been dance parties at the Scuttle's landing area... but that is now gone to make way for the expansion. If there is still a dance party in that area (which I would hope they would stil ldo it near by), you can normally meet Donald, Chip and Dale in the Halloween outfits. They are dancing and interacting, but normally pose for a photo if you ask. The Hag / Snow Witch is rumoured to make appearances at the Snow White attraction.
Mickey's Toontown Fair - At Mickey's house, Mickey himself in his Halloween finest. Same with Minnie and her house. In the Princess Hall of Fame, the princesses are there with their princes, and switch out. Princesses aren't obviously rare being it's the Princess room, but the Princes are. On the back path from Toontown Station to Tomorrowland (past Donald's Boat) - Alice, the Tweedles, Mr Walrus (though we have heard he will not appear this year), Hatter, Queen of Hearts and the White Rabbit.
Tomorrowland - Lilo and Stitch dance the night away at the dance party at Cosmic Ray's. Annoyingly, Stitch is normally up on a stage, and you can't get to him, but Lilo hangs around on the dance floor, so maybe can get pics with her. It is rumoured that this year they will use the newer Rocket Tower Plaza Stage. Some other Fab 5 Characters may also be in attendance.

The Boo To You parade is well worth the time to watch. They normally run it twice per party, and probably it is worth seeing twice, if you get the time. The best place is right in front of Expo Hall on the right side of Town Sq as you enter the park. The lighting around there is much better, and the street much wider, giving you a better chance to get pics. If you stand in front of Expo Hall, the Headless Horseman will normally come from Frontierland and enter Town Sq from Main Street, to the right if you are facing across to City Hall. He does not go slow either! He will bolt round the square, so be sure to catch him! I think, from what I remember, they normally warn you or make an announcement right before he arrives. You will know also because the Cast Members are all on edge and making sure EVERYONE and EVERYTHING is out of the street. The rider rides blind, and relies on the horse's own training to take him to the backstage safe house. He will exit to the right of the fire house, next to the barber shop.

The fireworks are neat. They are worth seeing I suppose. Having been before, I would probably use my time doing other things such as characters, but for a first timer, they are good. Apparently very similar to California's Halloween fireworks, with the exception of a Jack Skellington sequence that is missing from Florida's.

The last thing I can recommend is the Villains Mix and Mingle. It is a short show at the Castle stage, and happens only two or three times - I think probably three times. It lasts about 7 minutes, but the villains do come down after for VERY brief meets - and as far as I recall, NOT for the first show. So basically you have one or two opportunity after the second show to meet the villains. You will need to check which shows, as I'd hate to tell you the wrong one!
Villains normally are: Maleficent, the Queen, Queen of Hearts, Jafar, Cruella, Hook and Frollo... don't think there are any more, but maybe. We have heard that one of the villains - possibly Frollo - is being replaced by Facilier this year! But I guess we'll have to wait and see.

There are a lot of neat decorations - look out for the MASSIVE inflatable Stitch!! And sometimes some other random entertainment too. We have in the past seen stilt walkers and masquerade bands playing (not sure that's the right way of describing them LOL. Bands with masks on, kinda like a Zorro style...)

Also during the parties there are some unique photo opportunities, including some special Disney PhotoPass locations. If you get any PhotoPass pictures taken during the party, you can claim a discount on the photo products you order from that event. The photos will also have special borders and things you can add to them on the website that are party related, much like the normal PhotoPass.

Here are some links that may help with planning:

Mickey's Not So Scary Party set on my flickr
Jon doesn't have a set, but here is a link to the correct search on his stream
Mickey's Not So Scary page on our website
Boo To You Parade page on our website
Villains Mix and Mingle page on our website

All this information of course is subject to alteration by Disney, and nothing is guaranteed, even after the Parties have started. We will try to keep you updated the best we can!

Hope that this helps everyone for now though.

Dan.