This year has already been scarier than any horror movie, but if you’re still in the mood to mark the spooky season, the Mouse House is happy to accommodate you with socially distanced Halloween events at Walt Disney World. We were there on September 15 as the first day of Halloween 2020 celebrations kicked off at the Magic Kingdom, and we have brought you back a taste of the tricks and treats the world’s most popular theme park has in store.
Magic Kingdom Halloween 2020 Decorations
The first sign of the Halloween season that you’ll spot in the Magic Kingdom are these friendly pumpkin decorations shaped like Mickey Mouse’s face.
You’ll find them livening up the lampposts all along Main Street U.S.A.
Also along Main Street, look for seasonal merchandise displays in select shop windows.
Unfortunately, this is about all the Halloween decor you’ll find at the Magic Kingdom this year. Seasonal theming outside of Main Street is so minor as to be essentially nonexistent.
Halloween 2020 Character Cavalcades
While Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party has been canceled this year, you can still get a small sample of that event’s popular parade, thanks to the costumed character cavalcades that pop up throughout the day.
The most popular of the Magic Kingdom’s new Halloween 2020 cavalcades features Jack Skellington, Sally, and Oogie Boogie from Nightmare Before Christmas.
Another fan-favorite cavalcade features Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, and the rest of their pals wearing Halloween costumes. This procession also includes the musical soundtrack from the “Boo To You” parade.
On opening day, we noticed guests lining the curbs of Main Street U.S.A. in anticipation of watching the cavalcades. Keep in mind that performance times are not published, but a new one should start about every 10-15 minutes, so there’s really no need to stake out a viewing spot.
Main Street U.S.A. may provide the prettiest backdrop for photos of the cavalcade, but you can usually find more elbow room by watching from Frontierland.
Enjoy the Magic Kingdom’s Halloween character cavalcades from the comfort of home with this opening-day video:
Halloween 2020 Merchandise
Halloween seems to be second only to Christmas when it comes to motivating fans to purchase seasonal merchandise.
By the end of the day, a socially distanced queue to enter the Main Street Emporium stretched all the way past the entrance to Casey’s Corner.
Here’s a small sampling of the Halloween merchandise we spotted in the shops along Main Street U.S.A.
Halloween 2020 Snacks & Treats
Last but certainly not least, Disney has rolled out a deluge of seasonal Halloween snacks, exclusive edibles, and collectible treat containers across the Magic Kingdom park. This year’s Halloween headliners are the trio of collectible Hitchhiking Ghosts from the Haunted Mansion, which are available exclusively with select snack purchases.
We picked up Gus at Pecos Bill, where he comes paired with five cinnamon-sugar donut holes.
The donuts were a little dense, but they were warm and tasty. Luckily, they come served on the side, not stuffed inside the collectible figure.
Here’s a group shot of all three Hitchhiking Ghost collectibles.
In addition, nearly every popcorn cart around the park offers collectible buckets themed to Mickey Mouse or Oogie Boogie, along with seasonal cotton candy colors.
If you are thirsty, this Jack Skellington sipper cup is a tall drink of water (or soda).
At Storybook Treats, a long line formed for the cream cheese and raspberry ice cream float, which is inspired by Ursula from The Little Mermaid.
Over at Liberty Square Market near the Haunted Mansion, Constance the murderous bride is celebrating her latest wedding with an axe-topped cake.
And if you want to kick off your morning with something sweet, the Starbucks-branded Main Street Bakery has a Mickey-shaped cinnamon roll topped with orange and white icing.
Bonus Treat: TRON Construction
Looking forward to the future, let’s finish up with an updated peek at the TRON Lightcycle roller coaster currently under construction between Goofy’s Barnstormer and the back side of Space Mountain.
Although not due to open until 2021, you can see that the first piece of the canopy that will cover the outdoor coaster track has already been installed.
For all there is to see and do at Walt Disney World, check out The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World, or to plan your family’s trip to Orlando, check out The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World with Kids 2020. If you enjoyed this post, please subscribe to our YouTube channel and sign up for our newsletter here. Be sure to follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
