Walt Disney World has announced a new after hours event coming to Magic Kingdom for the Halloween season in 2021. Called Disney After Hours Boo Bash, the event will replace the popular Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party this year. In this post, we’ll give the details that we have so far on the Boo Bash and add in some of our commentary on why this changed happened.

Let’s start with the happy news of what’s coming, via the Disney Parks Blog. Disney After Hours Boo Bash will take place on select nights, August 10th through October 31st, from either 9 PM to midnight or 9:30 PM to 12:30 AM. Festivities will include Halloween-themed cavalcades, character sightings throughout the park, special performances by the Cadaver Dans, décor, lighting, music, treat stops with plenty of candy and more!

Tickets will go on sale sometime in June and will allow guests to enter Magic Kingdom beginning at 7 PM. For those that already have a WDW hotel reserved, there will be an early booking window to get tickets. Guests are allowed to wear costumes, although those over 14 can’t wear costume masks. On the other hand, if masks are still required it seems like a good opportunity to make them fit in with a potential costume!

For those that haven’t attended or read about a Disney World After Hours event, the emphasis is on the low attraction wait times. For this event, Magic Kingdom will have more than 20 of their classic attractions open and that should make for an easy way to get on a large amount of attractions in three hours. In the past, these events have offered unlimited food and drinks on select items but that has not been announced yet outside of the candy stops.

Taking this announcement for what it’s worth, this is far more of an After Hours event than it is a new version of Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party. Honestly, that’s disappointing strictly because we love the Halloween Party. Don’t mistake disappointing for nonsensical though, as this move is not surprising at all for 2021.

The Disney Parks are slowly getting back to normal after the pandemic-riddled year and, so far, haven’t added any extra events to the schedule. Since reopening last summer, Disney World has strictly gone with regular park days and no other frills. In a way, it’s kind of refreshing as the resort was a little overwrought with add-on charges. But now capacity is starting to increase and a sense of normalcy is starting to return. That means events will start to make their way back.

Unfortunately, it remains to be seen how entertainment will play a role in the next year. While it’s a matter of time before we’re all congregating on Main Street to oooh and awww over fireworks, we don’t know if that amount of time will be by August of 2021 or August of 2022. Disney is, rightfully, slow playing entertainment and promising an array of Not So Scary Party shows isn’t the right move. I love the party’s entertainment and that is clearly the biggest loss of the party not running this year.

There’s also the 50th anniversary to take into account which falls on October 1st, smack in the middle of Halloween Party season. If Disney has their way, the parks will feature a good amount of additions for the anniversary and the usual party dates may interfere. All of this makes for a perfect storm on why Magic Kingdom won’t be hosting Mickey’s Not So Scary this year. I’m hopeful that this is a one year change and if it is then this is nothing to get up in arms about. If not, then we’ll revisit this in a year!

As for what the Boo Bash brings to the table and if it’s an adequate replacement for the excellent party? Well, I’ve never thought much about the After Hours events because they cost so much. It’s one of those events that would be excellent if you’re willing to pay the price, as guests won’t encounter much in the way of lines. My biggest reason for not really considering them is because they don’t offer anything too special outside of the lower waits. Boo Bash could change that!

Depending on the characters brought out, the Halloween themed cavalcades and whatever other entertainment is offered, Boo Bash could prove to be an interesting option. I’m sure capacity will be limited compared to the usual Halloween Parties, which had become quite busy regardless of the time of year. While I’ve never gone to a holiday party because I wanted to get on more attractions, Boo Bash could provide a nice mix of Not So Scary and the usual After Hours events. I think that’s the best case scenario and, frankly, it’s a very good one for a somewhat disheveled year.

I expect more details to be announced in the coming months as the picture becomes a little clearer for what Magic Kingdom can offer. We’ll be sure to cover those details, along with the ticket prices and dates, whenever they’re available!

What do you think of the After Hours Boo Bash replacing Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party? Let us know your thoughts, along with any questions you might have, in the comments below. Planning a trip to Walt Disney World? Check out our WDW Trip Planning Guide to help you out. If you enjoy what you are reading here on Wandering in Disney please share this post with your friends and like our social media pages. You can also subscribe to the blog via WordPress or email. All of those links are on the right side of this page. Thank you for reading, we really appreciate it!