The parade features many different Halloween themed floats as well as Halloween style music. Some of these floats are recycled and repurposed from older parades. The parade was revamped in 2014 by changing several units, and eliminating some elements. The 2019 season saw the addition of a Tomorrowland unit featuring elements based around The Incredibles and Buzz Lightyear. As with Disney-themed parks, a parade and a fireworks show are the centerpieces of the event. The holiday-themed parade, entitled "Mickey's Boo To You Halloween Parade", features a pre-parade ride by The Headless Horseman from The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad featuring the song "Villains-a-Go-Go".
The parade, which runs in place of the regular nighttime parade (SpectroMagic, or Main Street Electrical Parade), features various Disney characters (Mickey and Minnie, Donald and Daisy, Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, and their friends) in Halloween costumes and a live-action version of the three hitchhiking ghosts from the Haunted Mansion attraction. The villains are also in the parade with a unit of their own. Besides the Haunted Mansion dancers, Hitchhiking Ghosts, the hoedown dancers, and the barn unit, the parade and soundtrack were changed in 2005.
In 2021, following Walt Disney World's reopening, Magic Kingdom announced that Mickey's Boo-to-You Halloween Parade would not return for Disney After Hours: BOO Bash; however, some of the elements from the parade are now shown in an updated version of the mini-parade entitled Mickey's Happy Halloween Cavalcade, Disney Villains Halloween Cavalcade, Jack's Nightmare Cavalcade and Maleficent's Fiery Prowl.
In 2022, following Walt Disney World Resort's reopening, Magic Kingdom announced that an updated version of the parade show will return for the classic Halloween event, Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, as part of Walt Disney World's 50th anniversary celebration.
Parade Units
Pre-Parade
Set to the "Flight of the Valkyries", the Headless Horseman rides down the parade route ahead of the rest of the show.
Starting from the middle of Main Street USA to the end of the parade route, a group of performers called the "Creepa Crew" would dance down the street to hype guests up for the actual parade, occasionally stopping to hand out candy as well. In 2013, Phineas and Ferb would join the Crew.
In 2016, with the popularity of the movie Zootopia, the Creepa Crew was renamed the "Zootopia Party Patrol", and Phineas and Ferb were replaced by Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps.
Opening
The opening unit of the parade has Mickey, Minnie, and a number of Disney characters celebrating a costume party at a fall gazebo with a number of characters dancing with masquerade ball style masks. The gazebo was also originally accompanied by an additional Winnie the Pooh float, giving the residents of the 100 Acre Wood their own spotlight, though this was retired after 2013 in favor of having the Pooh characters simply join Mickey's party.
The unit was originally divided into a pirate ship crewed by Captain Hook and Mr. Smee that was chased by a large Tick-Tock the Crocodile minifloat and a treasure hoard that held Captain Jack Sparrow and Hector Barbossa. In 2018, a new treasure chest float was introduced as the leader, featuring Tinker Bell riding atop the chest and the Peter Pan characters now in front of it, while Sparrow and Barbossa took over the pirate ship. Accompanying pirate acts have included flag twirling pirates as well as pirates dancing with wenches.
The Haunted Mansion
Set to "Grim Grinning Ghosts", The Haunted Mansion unit is lead by the Caretaker and a group of zombie gravediggers dancing with shovels, scraping the pavement to create sparks. After a minifloat featuring tombstones from the graveyard, a ghostly waltz takes place on the streets while the Hitchhiking Ghosts can be seen aboard the main Haunted Mansion float.
Halloween Hoedown
Based around Frontierland, the Halloween Hoedown is focused around two floats consisting of a silo and barn serving as a backdrop for a square dance featuring characters from Splash Mountain and the Country Bear Jamboree set to "Ghost Riders in the Sky" and the parade main theme. Since 2013, Clarabelle Cow has become the voiced host of the Hoedown, while Clara Cluck can be seen clucking along to the music at the top of the barn float.
Tomorrowland
Introduced in 2019, this Tomorrowland based unit features characters from The Incredibles as well as Toy Story's Buzz Lightyear and the Little Green Men, using the "Monster Mash" and "Witch Doctor" as musical themes. While Mr. Incredible and Elastigirl ride down the route on futuristic vehicles, Buzz Lightyear rides aboard an alien landscape that appears to be repurposed from the former Pirates Treasure Hoard float and is joined by a small LGM flying saucer recycled from the Pixar Play Parade.
Trick or Treat
The Trick or Treat unit celebrates all things candy. It was originally placed at the end of the parade and based around the "Goofy's Candy Company" brand of treats sold within the park with Pluto riding in a delivery truck and Goofy riding a whimsical Candy Making Machine while cast members would pass out candy to guests in the audience.
In 2014, the unit traded places with the final villain unit and was rethemed to Sugar Rush from Wreck-It Ralph. The Goofy's Candy Company truck was rebranded as a "Sugar Rush Delivery" truck and featured Ralph riding on it, while Vanellope von Schweetz took Goofy's place aboard the Candy Making Machine. In between the two floats are a group of baton twirling Sugar Rush Racers led by Taffyta Muttonfudge.
Between 1999 and 2005, there was a Pumpkin Trick or Treat Basket at the end of the parade. This was removed the following year and replaced by the Candy Making Machine unit.
Villains-a-Go-Go
The finale is a procession of Disney Villains accompanied by a skeleton band playing a peppy tune celebrating evil called "Villains-a-Go-Go". On the band's moving stage are Pain and Panic dancing in cages. The stage is accompanied by the Villain float from the Celebrate A Dream Come True Parade with Maleficent, Jafar and the Evil Queen aboard, which serves as the current ending of the parade.
