Park Watch: What’s Happening This Month
SEPTEMBER 2023
Winds in the east, mist coming in… like somethin’ is brewin’ and bout to begin.
Things are bubbling and brewing in September as both Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party and the EPCOT International Food and Wine festival continue in Disney World!
As for the wind well…September is the peak of Hurricane Season in Florida, so definitely check the weather and get the travel insurance for any September trips to the happiest place on earth.
Disney World
Epcot International Food & Wine Festival
The Epcot International Food & Wine Festival is in full swing and runs through November 18. This popular festival event includes an awesome variety of food with over 25 global marketplace booths, great wine selections, entertainment, and more.
Disney has released the full line-up for the popular Eat to the Beat Concert Series that includes Boyz II Men, Hanson, 98° and more! Eat to the Beat Dining Packages will go on sale July 6, so you’ll be able to setup MouseWatcher alerts to snag a seat for your favorite performances!
Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party
Spooky season in the Magic Kingdom is also in full swing as Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party continues on select nights in September and all through November 1. Many nights area sold out already, so be sure to check for party tickets before booking your trip.
August: 11, 15, 18, 22, 25, 29
September: 1, 4, 8, 10, 12, 15, 17, 19, 22, 24, 26, 28, 29
October: 1, 3, 5, 6, 9, 10, 12, 13, 15, 17, 19, 20, 22, 24, 26, 27, 29, 31
November: 1
Ticket prices range from $109 to $199 plus tax, depending on the date selected. Annual Passholders and Disney Vacation Club Members can save $10 per ticket to Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, valid for select event nights in August and September.
Party-exclusive entertainment and activities:
- Mickey’s Boo-To-You Halloween Parade
- Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular stage show
- Disney’s Not-So-Spooky Spectacular fireworks show hosted by Jack Skellington
- Meet-and-greets with characters in their Halloween costumes and rare character appearances
- Trick-or-Treat trails
- Access to most Magic Kingdom rides and NEW in 2023, guests will have a chance to join a Virtual Queue for the new TRON Lightcycle / Run in Tomorrowland
- Special Halloween ride overlays on many attractions including Halloween music on Space Mountain, live actors on Pirates of the Caribbean, spooky lights and music on the Mad Tea Party teacups, and the pièce de résistance – spooky lighting and special cast member costumes on the Haunted Mansion and live “ghostly” story tellers outside.
- Disney Junior Jam Dance Party at Storybook Circus and more character-themed dance parties
- Cadaver Dans Barbershop Quartet
- Party-exclusive snacks and merchandise
- Event-exclusive PhotoPass Magic Shots
Also returning this year, the Not-So-Spooky Spectacular Dessert Party at Tomorrowland Terrace, the Not-So-Spooky Spectacular Dessert Party with Plaza Garden Viewing, and the Not-So-Scary Halloween Party Dining Packages at Be Our Guest and Cinderella’s Royal Table.
Read more on Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party:
What to Expect at Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party
Disney100 Celebration at EPCOT
The Disney 100th Celebration is officially coming to Walt Disney World. This special event started in Disneyland in January and is now making its way to Disney World, with EPCOT as hosting park.
Mickey and Minnie will greet guests in special 100th anniversary platinum outs and Spaceship Earth will light up each night with a special show. The EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival and the Festival of the Holidays will also offer special Disney100 food and drink options.
The Disney100 Celebration will officially kick off on September 22 and run through December 31, 2023.
Disneyland
Halloween Time at the Disneyland Resort
Spooking Season officially begins in Disneyland on September 1 and goes through October 31.
Main Street becomes a pumpkin festival with hundreds of hand-carved pumpkins on display and guests can enjoy special seasonal entertainment, eats and drinks. There are also seasonal overlays to some of the rides, including the Haunted Mansion Holiday hosted by Jack Skellington.
The Halloween Screams show is now a projection and special effects show that will light up Disneyland Park most nights of the Halloween season. The show is enhanced with fireworks on select nights. (To make way for Halloween Screams, Wondrous Journeys will have its last performance of the year on Aug. 31.) You can book the Halloween Screams Dining Package at Plaza Inn to enjoy some spooky treats and reserved viewing area for the Halloween Screams Nighttime Spectacular. Reservations are highly recommended. Same-day reservations can be made on a limited basis and are subject to availability.
Things get spooky in Disney California Adventure Park too. Haul-O-Ween in Cars Land has the residents of Radiator Springs dressing in silly costumes and decorating their homes and shops. Luigi’s Honkin’ Haul-O-Ween and Mater’s Graveyard JamBOOree are two ride overlays in Cars Land. Guardians of the Galaxy — Mission Breakout! also gets a Halloween overlay, becoming Guardians of the Galaxy — Monsters After Dark.
Oogie Boogie Bash
On select nights during Halloween Time at the Disneyland Resort, Disney California Adventure hosts the Oogie Boogie Bash. This year’s event is already sold out and runs on select nights from Sept. 5 through Oct. 31.
September: 5, 7, 10, 12, 14, 17, 19, 21, 24, 26, 28
October: 1, 3, 5, 8, 10, 12, 15, 17, 19, 22, 24, 26, 29, 31
Oogie Boogie Bash activities include the the Frightfully Fun Parade, spooky immersive trick-or-treat trails, the Villains Grove Trail, and special character meet and greets. The party runs from 6:00 PM to 11:00 PM, but your ticket also lets you into Disney California Adventure Park as early as 3:00 PM.
You can enjoy premium reserved seating to watch the Frightfully Fun Parade at Oogie Boogie Bash by booking the Oogie Boogie Bash Dessert Party. You can also book the Oogie Boogie Bash Parade Dining Package at Wine Country Trattoria where you can enjoy a special 3-course meal before enjoying the parade from a reserved standing viewing area.
Tiana’s Palace Restaurant Opens
Tiana’s Palace Restaurant is scheduled to open in the New Orleans Square area of Disneyland on September 7, 2023. This reimagined quick-service style restaurant is inspired by the one Princess Tiana created in “The Princess and the Frog.”
Disney Imagineers also took inspiration from the film for the interior of the restaurant, which includes a large mural of the bayou. You will also see other references to Tiana’s story – lilies represented on numerous signs, plaques and light fixtures, frog porcelains, cookbooks Tiana has collected on little shelves, and her father’s favorite gumbo spoon proudly on display.
The menu is Cajun and Creole inspired, offering Tiana’s famous beignets, gumbo, muffulettas and po’boy sandwiches and more.