Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party tickets run $119 to $229 a person this year, and the remaining dates are sold out. If that stings a little, here’s the good news: some of the best spooktacular fun in Orlando doesn’t cost a dime to walk into. No party ticket, no park ticket, no reservation drama. Just show up. Sound good? Here are my suggestions!
Disney Springs: Fall into Magic (through November 9)
This is the big one. Disney Springs is free to enter, free to park, and it goes all in for Halloween with its Fall into Magic celebration running August 11 through November 9.
Wander through and you’ll find fall decor and photo ops everywhere, plus free roaming entertainment on select days: Harvest Skaters glide through Thursdays and Fridays, Farmhand Drummers bring the noise Fridays and Saturdays, Pumpkin Stilt Walkers tower over the crowds Saturdays and Sundays, and DJ Pumpkin spins nightly. Most of it happens around World of Disney, so plant yourself in that area and the entertainment tends to find you.
Don’t miss the Mickey’s Pumpkin Patch PhotoPass studio for your fall family photo (hay bales, pumpkins, zero park admission required), and World of Disney carries one of the largest Halloween merch collections on property if you want to browse. Hungry? Amorette’s Patisserie, The Ganachery, and Everglazed all have seasonal treats, and Jock Lindsey’s Hangar Bar transforms into the Halloween Hangar Bar with a full spooky overlay and themed menu.
The Fort Wilderness Campsite Loops
Ask any Disney regular where the best free Halloween display in Orlando is and they’ll point you across the water! Every October, the campers at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort decorate their sites with elaborate setups! Like life-size animatronics, Haunted Mansion scenes, Nightmare Before Christmas displays, music, the works. Some of these rival professional haunts!
It’s free to walk the loops (the 100 through 700 loops near the Settlement give you the best two-mile stroll), and in October Chip ‘n’ Dale’s campfire sing along and outdoor movie take on a spooky twist. One important heads-up: during Halloween week itself (October 26 through November 2), the resort closes to non-campers, so if you’re not staying there or don’t have a Hoop-Dee-Doo dinner reservation, go before that week.
Universal CityWalk: Wicked Oztacular Spectacular (October 24 only)
Universal is throwing a free one day Wicked party at CityWalk on Saturday, October 24, from noon to 7 p.m., and CityWalk doesn’t require park admission. Expect meet and greets with Glinda and Elphaba, stained glass photo stations, real costumes and props from the films on display, a DJ spinning Wicked songs on a yellow brick dance floor, and trivia with giveaways. Fair warning: it’s one day, no reservations, and it lands on a Saturday night during Halloween Horror Nights season, so the character lines will be long. If meeting Glinda and Elphaba is the goal, get there early.
More Free Fun at CityWalk
While you’re there, the Dead Coconut Club has transformed into a cosmic harvest celebration for the season, free admission, all ages welcome. And inside Universal’s Great Movie Escape, two bars are rocking a The Traitors: New Blood overlay with costumes and props from the show (no escape room ticket needed for the bars).
Swan and Dolphin Saturday Costume Contests
Staying at the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin? Every Saturday in October at 5 p.m. (October 10, 17, 24, and 31 still to come), the resort holds costume contests, plus trick-or-treating, face painting, a scavenger hunt, and an inflatable maze as Halloween weekend approaches. Show up to one of the sit down restaurants in costume and the chef sends out a special treat.
Bonus: Already Have a Park Ticket?
Even without a party ticket, regular daytime park admission still gets you Halloween treats across all four parks through October 31! Like pumpkin gelato on Main Street, a Maleficent funnel cake at Hollywood Studios, and a cookies-and-cream sundae topped with a sugar bone at Animal Kingdom, to name a few. How about S’mores at the Ganachery?
So which one are you trying first? I hope this helps with some ideas for a little extra Halloween fun! Stay tuned to The Main Street Mouse for more!
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