Halloween isn’t all about big scares and horrifying haunts! It’s about fun and games as well, and Disney World, LEGOLAND and SeaWorld address this balance perfectly, especially when it comes to keeping younger children occupied!

Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party

We’ve already taken a look at the exciting events running during Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party over at Magic Kingdom.This Halloween party spectacular takes place in the park from 7pm and features some fantastic fireworks and light shows that are bound to be a favourite with all the family!

However, for younger children who might have an earlier bedtime, you might want to check out the events scheduled for Halloween at LEGOLAND and SeaWorld.

Brick or Treat

Over at LEGOLAND the annual Brick or Treat event returns during October, running each weekend in the month. With extended opening hours during the event, from 10am to 8pm rather than 10am to 6pm, there is plenty to see and do, as the event runs alongside the park’s regular operations (and is included in the regular admission price!). Make sure you visit all of the exciting lands and rides – especially THE LEGO MOVIE WORLD which only opened at the end of March this year!

Kids will love dressing up in their own Halloween costume, grabbing their special Brick-or-Treat bag, and taking part in the Brick-or-Treat Trail, where they follow the path in search of yummy sweets! Afterwards, work as a family to solve the Brick-or-Treat Scavenger Hunt and locate the LEGO Candy Corn!

As you explore the park, watch out for a whole host of special LEGO Halloween characters, including Rockin’ Frankenstein, Lord Vampyre and this year the LEGO Scarecrow over in DUPLO Valley! Kids will love having a photo taken with them, and the little nippers might even say fangs for all the special memories!

Make sure you get a good seat ahead of the action over at Pirate’s Cove, ready for The Tale of Pirates’ Cove Fireworks Spectacular! Watch on as Captain Dreadbeard battles against the Imperial Navy, and the evening comes to a close with a spectacular fireworks display over Lake Eloise – put on the supplied special glasses, and marvel as each explosion of light appears as a splash of tiny LEGO bricks!

A special treat for those children aged between 2 and 12 attending on the first weekend of the event (5th or 6th October) who are dressed in a pirate outfit – a complimentary ticket to visit the park before the end of the year! This is in honour of the LEGOLAND Pirate Island Hotel, which is rumoured to open in spring 2020.This could be ideal if you want to visit the park again before your holiday ends!

Event dates: October: 5, 6, 12, 13, 19, 20, 26, 27

10am – 8pm

Halloween Spooktacular

SeaWorld’s Halloween Spooktacular is another non-scary Halloween event that kids and adults alike are bound to love! Filled with plenty of SeaWorld underwater whimsy, and running on weekends from 21st September – 27th October, all of the fun is included in the regular park admission.

For anyone wishing to dress up, only those aged 12 and below are permitted to wear masks or hoods, other than that anything goes – as long as it would be acceptable under the regular park dress code! One other thing to note is that face painting isn’t permitted on guests, unless it has been done by a park artist.

Once the kids (and adults!) are all dressed up and ready to go, make sure you pick up a trick-or-treating bag! SeaWorld are keen to help protect the oceans by encouraging guests to bring reusable bags or buckets from home, alternatively they will have a selection of reusable bags priced from 99 cents and up, while stocks last. Pick up your special bag at SeaWorld Store, Children’s Gift, Lighthouse Cart, Exit Gift Shop, Sea Rescue, Shoppes of Waterfront or at the Bayside merchandise huts.

The kids can fill their bag with a selection of spooky sweets at candy stations along the trick-or-treat trail, including yummy treats like Swedish Fish, Airheads and Smarties! Along the trail make sure that they take the chance to meet with the park’s friendly mermaids and colourful fish, and grab a photo!

If the kids get a bit overactive after all the sugary treats, you’ll be thankful that they can burn off all that extra energy at the Halloween Dance Party! Here, along with their favourite underwater friends, they can take part in some line-dancing fun while bubbles blow around them!

Along with the trick-or-treating and dancing, SeaWorld has laid on a show especially for Halloween! Make sure that you head across to the Seaport Theater for a seasonal version of the family-favourite Pets Ahoy show. Filled with performing dogs, cats, ducks, doves, potbellied pigs and even a few surprise animal guests stars, this is a fun and quirky show that is suitable for everyone, whatever your age! I don’t know if your pets back home will be as well-trained as the animals in the show seem to be – especially the cats!

Event dates:

• September: 21, 22, 28, 29
• October: 5, 6, 12, 13, 19, 20, 26, 27

11am – 7pm

All of these family-friendly Halloween events – Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween party, LEGOLAND’s Brick-or-Treat and SeaWorld’s Halloween Spooktacular – offer the kids the opportunity to dress up for the event. Whereas other parks don’t allow Halloween costumes, you are actively encouraged to get your best outfit on and get involved in the trick or treating fun with the kids!

Have you travelled to Florida with small children for Halloween? We’d love to hear your thoughts of these seasonal events and whether you plan to visit this year! Get in touch with us using the usual social channels!

Image credits:

• ‘Happy Halloween’ at SeaWorld (main blog image): CC by Britt Reints
• Colourful fish at Halloween Spooktacular: CC by Leigh Caldwell