One of our favorite parts of attending Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party every year is seeing the Boo to You Parade. Halloween at Magic Kingdom is magical, to begin with, but add in this parade and we’re golden. This Disney Halloween Parade is the reason we return every year. So we wanted to share our best Boo To You Parade Tips to help get you the best experience possible too!
Contents
Boo To You Parade Details
Halloween at Walt Disney World is one of our favorite times of the year. We love it so much we’ve made this an annual tradition to visit the most magical place on earth. The combination of the Halloween Party, Food and Wine Festival, Free Dining, and sometimes milder weather is our idea of a fun, relaxing vacation away from it all. In this post we’ve rounded up the best Boo To You Parade Tips to help you go prepared.
- Boo to You Parade Times: 8:15 PM and 11:15 PM
- Location: Magic Kingdom Park
- Duration: About 25 minutes
- Only during Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party
We get it, you’re probably thinking- how many tips can a parade actually have? Well, you’d be surprised how your best efforts at picking the right parade, getting a good seat, taking pictures, and snacks to share can go awry. P.S. They can all go awry! Thankfully we’ve done a round-up of the Boo to You Parade Tips. Here’s our best advice on how to maximize this parade experience. If you’ve footed the bill for Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party at Walt Disney World, get ready for the main attraction. It’s this. The Boo to You Parade. Get the Disney Halloween Parade Lyrics so you can start memorizing the song.
What Times Can You See the Boo to You Parade at Magic Kingdom?
You can only see the Boo to You Parade at Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party. And believe us when we say, this is a big reason you buy the ticket! Boo to You Parade Times are 8:15 PM and 11:15 PM and we always recommend the second parade for ewer crowds.
Where Does the Disney Halloween Parade Go in Magic Kingdom?
Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party happens on the Parade Route in Magic Kingdom. The Boo to You Parade Route starts in Frontierland, moves through Liberty Square turning right at the Liberty Tree Tavern. Heading towards Cinderella’s Castle, the parade passes Sleepy Hollow and goes over the bridge. Take the roundabout in front of Cinderella’s Castle, the Boo To You Parade wraps the loop, and heads straight down Main Street USA, heading towards the train station. Looping the Main Street Town Square round about the parade exits the park at the Fire Station. One of the best Boo To You Parade Tips we can share is to realize that getting as close to the front of wherever is important. That goes the same for the Not So Spooky Spectacular Fireworks Show. For this reason, we like the spot in front of the Train Station, which hardly ever has anyone waiting, and you can sit on the sidewalk berm to see the floats up close.
Can you See the Headless Horseman Ride at Disney’s Boo to You Parade?
The Headless Horseman opens the Boo to You Parade with a ride from Frontierland all the way to the train station on Main Street USA. However, a lot of his ability to ride depends on the weather and the horse’s mood. If the weather is decent and the horse is cooperating then the Headless Horseman rides for the Boo to You Parade. Note that this is the FIRST thing that happens in the parade, so you don’t want to miss the beginning. You’ll hear the music start and that’s your sign to keep an eye out. The Headless Horseman at Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party rides before the dancers come out, so if you see the dancers, he either didn’t ride, or you missed him.
Where is the Best Spot to See the Boo To You Parade?
One of the biggest Boo To You Parade Tips is where to find the best spots to watch the parade. For us we like anywhere on Main Street. Which is great for a parade, but if you’re a photographer aim for the green space right in front of the Railway station. Because frankly, for pictures it’s all about the background right- and you want the castle there if you can get it. The other spot we really love is right in front of the Train Station. While you won’t have the castle, you get this great view of the floats as they turn the corner at Tony’s and it really can’t be beat.
The red dotted line on this map shows the Magic Kingdom parade route. We like these choices because the first one is usually less crowded than the front of the park, and you’re close to a snack shop with popcorn, goodies, and caramel apples for the parade. The second one on Main Street is great, but you will have to save your seat well ahead of time, about an hour.
Disney Pro Tip: if you see a Cast Member roping off the area by where you’re sitting, they may not tell you until the last minute that you will have to move. This sometimes happens when spaces are reserved for paid dinner event guests. Be proactive and ask them if it’s ok to stay where you are. It will be better than being told 2 minutes before the parade starts that you have to find somewhere else to go.
Skip the Daytime Park Ticket
Ready for one of the most important Boo To You Parade Tips? Skip the Day Ticket to the Parks and do something else instead. We talk about this in our Tips for Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party too. Why? Because of the crowds! While we don’t know what this will look like in the future lately it’s been really crowded! To what seemed to be unlimited guests attending Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party. That said give yourself a break and make your day extra easy, to begin with. Spend it at a resort, or Disney Springs, or cruising the monorail or Disney Skyliner. De-stress before the party. That way you can change into your Halloween outfit and head to the parks at 4 pm to check in with some ease.
Attend the Second Parade at 11:15 PM
The first parade is always the most crowded and Main street starts getting filled up for the Boo to You Parade around 7 pm. And while we love this parade, no one should be holding their spot on Main Street for 2 hours. It’s an expensive party, make the most of it! Attending the second parade, later in the evening, means you’re not battling for the best seats and can see the parade from a variety of places with GREAT VIEWS! Right in front of the train station inside Magic Kingdom is one of our new favorite spots.
Plan Rides and Characters during the First Parade
The first Boo To You Parade happens at 8:15 pm and lasts about 25 minutes. And since everyone will naturally be getting their spots for the parade about 30 minutes ahead of time, you have almost an hour from 7:45 PM- 8:45 PM to snag great spots in ride and character lines. Since everyone will be parade focused, you can make the most of fewer crowds during the first parade.
Don’t Miss the Beginning of the Parade
Did you know that the The Headless Horseman, from The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad, opens the parade? It’s by far the coolest thing when you see a man, headless, holding a lit pumpkin, trot along Main Street USA. As one of the best Boo To You Parade Tips, remember that on days when the horse, and weather, behaves you’ll get to see the horseman himself trot it out. It really is the coolest thing to see, but sorta scary for little ones… so keep that in mind. However, if the horse ain’t feeling it, or if its stormy, he may not make the ride. He does, however, open both parades of the night. You can see this in action in our Boo To You Parade Photo Tour!
Learn the Boo to You Parade Lyrics
The song for the Boo to You Parade is seriously the most fun thing and something you will be singing all Halloween Season. While this really doens’t lend to the Boo To You Parade Tips, believe us when we say, you’ll thank us for knowing this song ahead of time. Check out our Boo To You Lyrics Post for the entire Boo to You Parade script. Head to YouTube to listen to the soundtrack for the Boo To You Parade.
Grab snacks ahead of time
Another one of the important Boo To You Parade Tips, is to grab yourself a few snacks before you settle into your spot. You can make this fairly simple by grabbing something like popcorn or mickey bars from a cart on your way to your viewing spot. But if you’re hoping for some Starbucks send one person, about 30 minutes ahead of parade time. That way you can hold your viewing spot.
Hopefully this post has given you an idea of how to make the most of your parade time during Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party. As a party that costs well over $100 bucks, we love being able to maximize our party time to get the most out of it. Happy MNSSHP!
Rochelle Mariah is a writer, designer and photographer with an MLIS in Information Science and a B.S. in Arch and Design. Determined to make Planning a DIY Disney Vacation easier she makes lots of lists and drinks lots of coffee. When not designing apparel at Polka Dot Pixie Shop, she's watching old movies and planning the holidays. She has been traveling to Disney destinations since 2010.
Comments are closed.