Get ready — we’re about to get a song stuck in your head! *Ba-dee-ya, say, do you remember? Ba-dee-ya, dancin’ in September* Why are we singing, you ask? Well, we don’t ever really need a reason to sing Earth, Wind, & Fire, but we are right now because it’s finally September, y’all!
Can you even believe it?! We’re already into the 9th month of the year, which means fall festivities, Halloween celebrations, and everything pumpkin in Disney World. If you’re going to the parks this month, we’re here to tell you the BEST things to do in Disney World in September!
Dine at Returned Character Meals
More character meals are coming BACK to Disney World this month! Starting September 20th, The Crystal Palace: A Buffet with Characters featuring Winnie the Pooh and Friends is coming back to Magic Kingdom! You will once again be able to meet and greet Winnie the Pooh, Piglet, Eeyore, and Tigger at this restaurant. The character dining buffet will serve lunch and dinner, and reservations are open right now!
Characters are also returning to breakfast at ‘Ohana at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort! Lilo and Stitch will be back at the iconic restaurant on September 27th for the ‘Ohana Best Friends Breakfast. Reservations are also open now for this meal! Both of these experiences are pretty popular, so we wouldn’t wait to book if you have an upcoming trip.
In addition, Minnie’s Halloween Dine party has also returned to Hollywood & Vine in Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
This is one of the restaurants seasonal dining events and the characters are all dressed up in their Halloween costumes. This meal is also a buffet.
Click here to see our FULL REVIEW of this Halloween character meal!
Celebrate the Irish Music Festival
Over at Disney Springs this month is Raglan Road Irish Pub & Restaurant’s 10th Annual Great Irish Hooley Music Fest! It’s happening from September 2nd through the 5th.
The band Téada is headlining the festival, and other performers include One for the Foxes, Celtic Croí (Heart), and Gobhán. There will also be Raglan Road Irish Dancers there to lead guests in a Ceili dance as well as complimentary face painting!
The best part? The event itself is FREE! Yep, you can attend the festival without paying a dime. But, the pub’s normal all-day menu will be available to purchase, and brunch will be served from 10AM-3PM throughout the weekend and on Monday (Labor Day). There will also be new whiskeys featured at the even and a special Hooley brew — De Fesht.
Reservations ARE recommended for this event, so go ahead and make them by calling the restaurant at 407-938-0300!
Click here to learn more about the festival!
Participate in Disney+ Day
Disney+ Day is on September 8th and OF COURSE celebrations are happening in Disney World! Seriously, does Disney ever pass up the opportunity to celebrate? If you don’t know, Disney+ Day is basically day to celebrate the streaming service. Last year, it took place in November, and there were a TON of announcements about new content coming to the service, so expect more this year!
In addition to some announcements, there will also be festivities in the parks! If you’re a Disney+ subscriber, you can get into he parks 30 minutes before they open, giving you some extra time in the parks. And, if you’re staying at select Disney World hotels, you can get into the park a whole HOUR before they open! Note that this is for ALL eligible hotel guests, not just those with a Disney+ subscription.
Disney+ subscribers can also get free Disney PhotoPass downloads at select photo spots in Disney’s Hollywood Studios on this day. And, there will be special character meet-and-greets and a cavalcade along with other “surprises” in the park.
That’s not all, though! Disney+ movies will also be screened during the Movies Under the Stars offering that happens at select Disney World hotels. Make sure you check with your hotel to see if they’re offering the perk!
Last year for Disney+ Day, we saw the blue carpet be rolled out along with a bunch of decorations around Hollywood Studios. There were also FREE hats and buttons offered at some of the parks and some of the park icons were lit up blue! So, we can hopefully expect similar celebrations in the parks this year.
Click here to see what we can expect from this year’s Disney+ Day!
Get Spooky for Halloween
Halloween kicked off back in August in Disney World, which means you have the WHOLE month of September to celebrate! One of the most popular things to do is attend Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party (seriously, it’s almost sold out for September!). The party is filled with all kind of entertainment, like a parade, fireworks, and a stage show.
There’s also some special ride overlays you can enjoy that are only available during the party, as well as exclusive merchandise, special photo ops, rare character meet and greets, and trick-or-treating!
But, that’s not all — there’s a ton of food exclusive to the party as well! We’ve tried out all of the eats and treats, like the fun cake that looks like corn (yeah, really) and the hot dog topped with purple (!!) mustard. You can check out our reviews of the food right here!
Remember, this is a separately ticketed event that takes place on select nights in Magic Kingdom from now until October 31st. This means that Magic Kingdom closes to regular guests during the event and only people with a ticket to the party get to take part in all of the celebrations. You can check out more info on tickets right here!
How to Maximize Your Time at Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party
The party isn’t the only way to celebrate Halloween in Disney World! There is also food that you can get during the day, like an evil witches brew. We’ve seen a bunch of spooky merchandise in the parks as well, and pumpkin decorations up and down Main Street, U.S.A.
And, starting September 29th, you can take part in Pluto’s Pumpkin Pursuit at EPCOT’s Food and Wine Festival! It’s a scavenger hunt where you look for hidden pumpkins decorated like Disney characters.
Once you complete the scavenger hunt, you’ll get a spooky prize!
Click here to take a look at a similar scavenger hunt we did in Disneyland last year!
Get a Great Deal During a Magical Dining Event
Orlando’s Magical Dining Event is happening from now until October 2nd, which means it’s going on throughout the whole month of September and a few Disney World restaurants are part of the event! This is a special dining experience that lets you enjoy a three-course, prix-fixe dinner for just $40 per person. Let’s check out which Disney World restaurants are participating!
Todd English’s bluezoo at the Walt Disney World Dolphin Hotel will let you choose between 3 appetizers, 3 main courses, and 3 desserts on Thursdays through Sundays during the event.
Il Mulino New York Trattoria at the Walt Disney World Swan Hotel is also letting guests choose between 3 appetizers, main courses, and desserts on their menu for the event.
Over in Disney Springs, Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill will also off a choice between 3 appetizers, 3 main courses, and 3 desserts, as well as 3 potential upgrades/enhancements.
Finally, at Jaleo in Disney Springs, their special menu has a variety of options you can choose from for this event.
Reservations could fill up quickly, so don’t wait to make yours if you want to take advantage of this limited-time deal!
Click here to learn more about Orlando’s Magical Dining Event!
For more on what’s going on around Disney World, check out the news about the popular brand used in Disney World’s hotel that’s being retired, how the new MagicBand+ works, and the big changes that just happened to the Park Pass Reservation system.
Stay tuned to DFB for more Disney World news and updates!
These Will Be the Hardest Disney World Dining Reservations to Get in 2023
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