It's Really Not-So-Scary... The Costumes

It's mid-August in Orlando, and you know what that means... Halloween is upon us ;), but seriously! Fall decor is up at Magic Kingdom and there’s something more crisp about the 90 degree humidity that makes you believe fall is coming... at some point :)

With fall comes our favorite event at Disney, Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party! This event is such an amazing immersive experience, and the people watching is top notch! These party goers are SO creative with their costume designs, which makes the event fresh every year no matter if the actual party content has changed.

In this post I’m sharing some tips on what to consider when choosing an outfit for Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party. Let the spooktacular fun begin!

Colette, Remy and Linguini from Ratatouille

In case you aren’t familiar with Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, it's a special ticketed event at Magic Kingdom that takes place every fall. Since it is a special event, only people who purchased tickets to that specific event night can go, which is nice from a crowd standpoint. Most rides are open and lines tend to be shorter, but what we love about this party most of all is the event-only parade (it‘s amazing and the pre-parade is definitely worth getting there early for), the trick-or-treating around the park, special character greetings, and our personal favorite - people watching!!

“People are SOO creative with their costumes, and we've noticed that there are more costumed party guests the closer the [Not-So-Scary] party date is to Halloween”

One of the things I look forward to every year is coming up with costume ideas! Michael and I brainstorm for what seems like months until we land on our costume selection for the year. I have to say that Michael is such a trooper to rock the outfits we pick since I’m significantly more excited about the prospects of wearing a costume to the park then he is. But he would tell you, the interactions you have with fellow guests when you put together a creative costume make the party a million times more fun! We have progressively gotten more “into“ our costume development each year, and 2018 made for a wonderfully sweet challenge to create a trio look.

I know it may sound kind of silly for us to spend that much time in the brainstorming process, but it’s so worth it to pick not only a fun costume but one that will make your party experience all the more enjoyable. Here are our recommendations of things to consider when making your costume selection :)

• They have to be relatively comfortable - more power to the folks who can walk the parks in heels, but I'm not one of them. We try to find fashionable ways to give the characters the right looks while still being comfortable to walk the 4ish miles we walk on park days. I’ve made the mistake of buying cheap shoes that fit the look of the costumes we wore... so not worth it! We ended the night more cranky than we should have been with blisters galore. I definitely recommend trying the shoes before the event and wearing quality shoes that you won’t regret when you’re in the back of Storybook Circus on the treat trail thinking “how am I going to walk all the way to my car with these blisters?” Definitely go for fashionable comfort :)

Ron Stoppable and Kim Possible from Kim Possible

• They have to be easily recognizable - one of our favorite things about the party is getting to interact with fellow party guests and admire their costumes. Since most people only see each other for a moment, it's helpful to have easily recognizable costumes.

Prince Eric and Ariel from The Little Mermaid (Our OG Not So Scary costumes)

• But not too recognizable - we love to come up with costumes that are as clearly tied as possible to the characters we're portraying, but we love the challenge of picking characters that are not usually the stars of the show, or if they are, we like to wear outfits that aren't their primary looks. It makes it fun for us, and usually makes people pretty excited when they figure out who you're portraying.

Kronk and Yzma from The Emperor's New Groove

• Lastly, consider the weather - Although most costumes aren't versitle enough for every weather condition, I always have to remind myself that it's probably going to still be hot during the party. October is deceiving in Orlando. I think it should be cool (and sometimes it is), but more than likely, you'll be toasty in the park even at night. So we like to pick outfits that have some breathability. Some years we planned better than others ;) When it came to Tallulah’s outfit, she was only 3 months old so it was a bit of a challenge to find the type of costume we were looking for to begin with. Once we found it, I made a few adjustments but also made sure to pack both short and long sleeves so she would be the perfect temperature no matter what.

Tink and Rufio from Hook

I can't wait to see the costumes you come up with for this year's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party! Share your Disney costume photos or inspo in the comment section :)