Walt Disney World Resort’s Magic Kingdom is embracing its darker side with the “Villains After Hours” party. Disney holds After Hours events at Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom, but Villains is the first themed party in the witching hours. The main draw for these After Hours parties is very low crowds, but the addition of the wicked twist makes Villains After Hours extra special. In 2020, the ticketed event kicks off on February 7 and runs through July 10 on select nights. Tickets are $145 per person plus tax.
Beyond Imagination Vacations travel planner Patty Vinci attended a Villains After Hours event last July with her 13-year-old daughter and shares her experience with you today! Read all about it below.
Villains After Hours officially starts at park close (10 p.m. when we attended), but you can enter the park any time after 7 p.m. After you check in for the event, you are given a wristband and a special map detailing all the activities, treats and merchandise related to the party.
Beyond Imagination Vacations travel planner Patty Vinci and her daughter attend one of the first Villains After Hours parties and live to tell the terrifying tale!
When my daughter and I first arrived at Magic Kingdom for the party, the park was still very crowded, so we spent the next couple of hours wandering around, looking in shops, trading pins and just generally soaking in the awesomeness that is the Magic Kingdom. We didn’t try to get on any attractions because the lines were still very long, and we knew we would have plenty of time for those once the park cleared out for the party.
When the party kicked off, the first attraction we hopped on was Pirates of the Caribbean. There was an interactive “overlay” that night which consisted of live actors in both the queue and one actor playing Captain Barbosa inside the ride itself. It was a similar overlay to the one we experienced during Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party last year, but the live pirates gave the ride an extra sinister feel.
Next we headed over to Space Mountain. It too had a special overlay for the evening. ALL the lights were turned off, and there was a special soundtrack of ominous music with some of Disney’s most evil villains speaking their iconic words of terror. You wouldn’t think that turning off the few lights that are normally on for the ride would make much of a difference, but it DOES!!! It was SO much scarier!!!
Throughout the night there was a DJ spinning tunes and orchestrating a dance party in front of Cinderella Castle. The music was blaring, and the space in front of the Castle was filled with people having fun. The music seemed to give the park an edgy feeling and added to the overall villainous ambience of the night. In fact, the entire park had special lighting and spine-tingling music playing all night.
The iconic Walt and Mickey Mouse statues in front of the DJ Dance Party at Villains After Hours
One of the main attractions of the party was the brand new stage show “Villains Unite the Night” at the Cinderella Castle Forecourt Stage. In the show, Hades and Meg from “Hercules” are waiting for the fulfillment of a prophesy that will give Hades control of the universe. His plans are derailed somewhat with the arrival of other evil characters: Jafar from Aladdin, Dr. Facilier from The Princess and The Frog, the Evil Queen and Maleficent. Throughout the show, dancers, acrobats and flame jugglers dazzle the audience with their moves. The show is campy and fun, and the Castle projections are amazing. There are three show times throughout the night, making it convenient to spend the 20 minutes allotted for this must-see spectacular.
Villains After Hours also transports Maleficent the Dragon from the daytime Festival of Fantasy Parade to Magic Kingdom at night. This was one of the coolest things my daughter and I have ever seen in the Magic Kingdom. Maleficent starts breathing fire in Frontierland, which is where we caught her, and roams the park. She creeps through the streets to her own special soundtrack surrounded by bird-people and creepy stilt-walkers. Maleficent comes out three times during the night so be sure to check your map for her times and route.
Maleficent is freed from her daytime Festival of Fantasy Parade restraints, breathing fire and roaming at night during the Villains After Hours party at Magic Kingdom
In conjunction with the Villains theme, Disney offers a medley of food and beverage specialties just for the party. From a purple cold noodle salad to a dry ice-induced bubbling strawberry concoction, there are multiple places around the park where you can find some wickedly good selections. The treats are an additional cost, but the price of party admission includes as-much-as-you-want bottled soda, water, popcorn and ice cream treats.
While there are no villainous meet-and-greets, there are special PhotoPass opportunities with themed backdrops and magical add-ons. There is also a place to get special villainous face-paint for an additional cost. Specialty party merch includes a t-shirt, tank top, cell phone case and tumbler featuring Hades.
As a special surprise at the end of the night, some of the villains you love to hate including Gaston, Cruella de Vil, the Queen of Hearts, the Big Bad Wolf, the Tremaine family and Captain Hook bid guests goodnight on the platform of the train station as we exited. A couple of the bad guys and gals even had microphones and were interacting with guests as they passed under the platform.
The Evil Queen, Gaston and the Tremaine Sisters from Cinderella bid guests adieu as they exit Magic Kingdom’s Villains After Hours
Although Villains After Hours runs for a limited time this summer, you still have the chance to experience the fiendish fun as the last party is scheduled for August 8. The cost per ticket is $139 per adult and child plus tax. Although the Disney website lists the party conclusion at 1 a.m., the event we attended actually ended at 2 a.m. And yes, Starbucks was open during the party to keep the party going!
Was Villains After Hours worth the cost? Absolutely!