ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) - Walt Disney World canceled it’s annual after-hours Halloween party at Magic Kingdom that typically begins in mid-August, and announced the popular food and wine festival will begin when Epcot reopens in July.
Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party is an extra ticket event that runs a couple of nights per week from August through the beginning of November. It features trick-or-treating, Mickey’s Boo-to-You Halloween Parade, character meet-and-greets with villains and other popular characters, and holiday-themed fireworks.
Disney closed it theme parks in Florida and California in mid-March to help stop the spread of the coronavirus. Disney officials announced earlier that the parks will reopen in mid-July with COVID-19 guidelines, a month after Universal Orlando and SeaWorld reopened to the public. Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom will open July 11 followed by Epcot and Hollywood Studios on July 15. Guests and Disney employees will undergo temperature checks and be required to wear masks once the parks reopen.
“While assessing … Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, we determined that many of its hallmarks – stage shows, parades and fireworks – are unable to take place in this new, unprecedented environment,” Disney said in an announcement on its blog on Thursday night. “With that in mind, we have made the difficult decision to cancel this year’s Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party.”
Epcot will reopen with A Taste of the Epcot International Food and Wine Festival, park officials said. The food and wine festival usually begins in September and runs through November. However, the festival’s Eat to the Beat concert series won’t return in 2020.
Disney officials have not yet announced a decision on the after-hours Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party at Magic Kingdom or the Epcot International Festival of the Holidays, which typically begin once the fall festivals end.
Halloween Horror nights, a popular extra-ticket event at Universal Orlando, is still scheduled to run select nights beginning in September and running through Nov. 1.
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