It’s The Great Pumpkin, Mickey Mouse. Disney Has Turned Halloween Into a Cash Cow

For years, there were always certain times of the year when there were smaller crowds at Walt Disney World in Central Florida and Disneyland in Southern California. Traditionally, fall was one of those times. By mid-August, all of the southern states had their kids back in school, and the crowds lightened up.

Related: After Languishing All Summer, Disney World Hopes Fall Brings the Guests Back

As fall progressed, kids everywhere went back to school, and with that, Disney World would empty out. The Disney parks would be virtually empty on weekdays by mid-September, almost like an adults-only park.

But that was the past. Disney, needing to meet the demand of rabid stockholders, has created special events to ensure its parks remained packed through the usually slim fall months.

With their Halloween events, Disney has created a demand at a time when there was never one before. At Disneyland in Anaheim, the “Oogie Boogie Bash” was so popular that the tickets sold out on the first day they were available. The demand was so high that there was trouble joining the virtual queues, and the website even crashed.

At the Walt Disney World Resort, the Halloween season starts in mid-August, or right around the time when Florida students head back to school. Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party starts on August 11, closer to the Fourth of July than Halloween. It doesn’t matter that it’s still in the 90s with high humidity; Disney World guests will still come.

And not even the price matters. The tickets for Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party at the Magic Kingdom range from $210 to $189 for adults. And even with that high cost, the special event sold out on all its dates except for November 1. That means the Magic Kingdom event sold out 37 of its 38 dates.

And these events have become huge moneymakers for the Walt Disney Company. According to Market Watch, Disney makes $3.3 million per night for Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party. That’s around $125 million for the entire season. And the way that Disney sets up the party allows them to double charge guests. Guests with event tickets are only allowed to enter the Magic Kingdom after 4 p.m. Most guests will buy an additional ticket to spend the entire day at the park or one of the other parks at Disney World.

What’s Makes This So Popular?

So, what makes this event so popular for Disney guests? There is the candy. Guests will have the only opportunity to Trick or Treat around the Magic Kingdom. Guests get to walk through the Enchanted Tiki Room and Country Bear Jamboree to collect gobs of candy. Cast members hand out the Halloween candy by the scoop full. It’s a fantastic opportunity.

This is also one of the few chances guests will have to meet some of Disney’s iconic villains. Besides Jafar, guests can meet Jack and Sally from Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas. Some shows and parades are not available to the general public.

It is also the only time when all guests, including adults, can wear a Halloween costume in a Disney theme park. And we cannot forget about the special effects that come out around the Haunted Mansion. It becomes even creepier for your foolish mortals.

And then there’s the food. Disney World offers special food only available to guests at the Disney Halloween event. This year, Disney challenged guests’ tastebuds with mostly spicy offerings, and even the faint of heart had to try them.

Mickey’s Halloween party has become so popular that even Universal Orlando and SeaWorld have followed suit with Halloween events of their own.

Disney bet big on their Halloween event, and it’s paying off big for the company. They have found a way to keep crowds rolling in after the summer rush and before the Christmas season. Halloween time is now the moneymaker that Disney World desperately needed after a slower-than-expected summer season.

We will continue to update this story at Disney Fanatic.