Night of Joy is a hard ticket
event, meaning that it requires a separate ticket to gain admission into a
theme park other than the standard day pass. There are several other
hard ticket events that take place in Orlando's theme parks and below is a
description of some of the most popular.Disney's Grad Nites (Magic Kingdom)
Grad Nites are the granddaddy of all of Disney's hard ticket
events. Originally held at Disneyland during the 1960s for
graduating high school seniors, the event was so popular it also started
being held at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom in 1972. The event
takes place after hours in the Magic Kingdom. Guests must arrive by
sanctioned school buses with chaperones, and must be in proper dress
(shirt, tie, parts for men, dresses for women). There are usually a
few bands during each event. Grad Nites take place during may of
every year. Starting in 2009, just like Night of Joy this event was
moved to Disney's Hollywood Studios. Unfortunately, after a one year
move back to the Magic Kingdom, Disney has decided to cancel this long
standing tradition with 2011 being the last year.
Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party (Magic Kingdom)
Mickey's Very Merry Christmas is held after hours at Disney's Magic
Kingdom during late November through the end of January. Exact dates
very every year but it is usually held for a few day each week of the
Christmas season. There are special Christmas stage shows, character
greetings with characters in their winter finest, a Christmas parade, and
even snow on Main Street.
Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party (Magic Kingdom)
Mickey's not so scary Halloween party is an after hours event that is
based on a child's idea of Halloween. There are special stage shows
such as a villains gathering on Cinderella's Castle, character meet and
greets with both characters dressed up for Halloween as well as some of
the more unusual characters from Disney's lineup, a very special fireworks
show called HalloWishes, and a street parade that starts with the ride of
the headless horseman. All guests are given a bag to go Trick or
Treating around the Magic Kingdom. The event is held in both
September and October of each year (This event was one of the reasons
Night of Joy was moved to Disney's Hollywood Studios).
Halloween Horror Nights (Universal Studios)
This is the most popular Halloween event in Orlando. Usually
taking place at Universal Studios Florida (though it has been held at
Islands of Adventure) this event is one of the scariest of any theme
park. During the event all of the theme park is transformed into different
scare zones with actors walking around the park scaring guests.
There are also stage shows, sideshow acts, and during some years a
parade. The biggest draw for this event however is the haunted
mazes. These mazes are walk through haunted houses, each with a
different theme. Themes for 2009 include characters taken from the
silver screen including Jigsaw from the Saw movie franchise, Chucky for
the Child's Play franchise, and the classic Universal monster the Wolfman.
This event is not for all ages, and no costumes are allowed during the
event.