What happens at Disney World the night after Halloween
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How long does it take your family to pack away Halloween and decorate everything for the holidays? If you groaned and thought days, weeks or longer, you’re probably in good company. Heck, the Halloween sugar hangover itself can last at least a few days. And pumpkins totally work for all of November, yes?
While true in the real world, those sort of real-life issues don’t apply at Disney where magic — or at least the illusion of magic — prevails.
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When the final Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party of the season ends just after the clock strikes midnight after Nov. 1, Disney cast members will work some serious magic under the cover of darkness. Any traces of jack-o’-lanterns and all things spooky disappear and the halls are instead decked at Disney World with red and green trimmings. Lots of red and green trimmings.
The massive Disney World resort as a whole will unleash the rest of its holiday décor over the coming weeks, but the Magic Kingdom traditionally makes a big seasonal shift literally overnight before the park reopens to guests at 7 a.m. the next morning. Normally this happens the night of Oct. 31, though this year it will likely happen one day later due to a final Halloween party taking place on Nov. 1.
Related: TPG’s guide to maximizing a trip to Disney World
Last year on the morning of Nov. 1, one Disney park visitor noted that even though the décor was still being touched up, there was already Christmas music playing.
To give a sense of how massive the transition is, Disney’s Magic Kingdom alone is home to 590 garlands (measuring a total of 5,188 feet), 40 Christmas trees and 147 wreaths. The tallest tree in all of Disney World — measuring in at 70 feet — can be found at Disney’s Contemporary Resort, a monorail ride away from the Magic Kingdom.
Making the quick leap from Halloween to holiday is a big job that, according to Disney, requires 41 people’s full time attention year-round and an extra 90 cast members added this time of the year to get everything up (and down) quickly.
While Disney’s official Christmas festivities don’t commence until Nov. 8, when Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party kicks off, park-goers looking for a little holiday cheer “right this very minute” will be able to get a taste of the holidays just as soon as the pumpkins are packed away.
Featured photo by David Roark/Disney Parks.
Additional reporting by Haley Mellen.
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