Halloween is here, and we are doing ALL the fun and spooky things in Disney World.
We’ve checked out all the Halloween decorations in Magic Kingdom. We’ve already been to Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party. We’ve also eaten a TON of Halloween snacks (and we have ZERO regrets). But now, we’re going to have some fun at one of Disney World’s resorts: Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground.
So you may not know about it, but there’s a fun tradition that takes place at Fort Wilderness every Halloween season. It’s a golf cart parade, but these are not like golf carts you’ve seen anywhere else. These golf carts have been decked out in FULL costumes and they take a ride around the resort for guests to enjoy.
Here’s what happens: the golf carts are rented out by guests and then they put their creative skills to good use to decorate them. So much fun, right?
We spoke with Cast Members at Fort Wilderness who have a hand in making this parade possible each year and they stressed to us that this is all “guest-led”. Although the parade has been officially running with Disney for the past 13 years, it was all started by campground guests looking to have some fun.
The parade starts at the hitching area right by the front entrance and follows the longer (straighter) stretch of road through the Meadow section…
… where they’ll eventually be routed past the judge’s tent and scored points in categories based on creativity and theme.
The parade kicks off with Grand Marshalls (just like the parade in Magic Kingdom) flanked by horses from the Tri-Circle D Ranch on site. These Grand Marshalls are typically cast members.
Just look at how creative some of these golf carts are!
Some are almost unrecognizable — we loved this Haunted Mansion stretching room one!
Does this design look familiar? It’s the Mayor’s car from The Nightmare Before Christmas and also the popcorn bucket from this year’s Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party!
Some folks get really into this, like Cruella. Every time she saw a puppy she stopped, checked for spots, and would keep moving past.
Who are youuu?
The judges will deliberate with each other and narrow the hundreds of entries down to just 6. These finalists will then be judged by others staying at the campground and one will go on to be crowned the winner.
If you’re wondering how to get in to be considered for next year’s event here’s how to do it! First, you’ll need to be staying at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground as only these folks are allowed to participate. Then, about a week before the parade starts, visit the Bike Barn to get on the official lineup and receive your order number. All that’s left is to stick to the rules and regulations that Disney provides participants to ensure safety.
If you’re looking to spectate at this event, well… that gets a bit tricky. Because of its immense popularity among resort campers and day spectators, this parade is limited to those who are actual guests of the campground — meaning, if you don’t have a resort reservation, you won’t be able to come over to watch.
However, this isn’t Fort Wilderness’ only golf cart extravaganza — they offer parades for holidays like the 4th of July, Christmas, and most recently Halfway to Halloween.
We really enjoy seeing what people come up with each year for the golf cart parade, and we highly suggest you check it out if you get a chance!
Stay tuned to DFB for more!
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IT'S SPOOK-TACULAR!
Get ready for the spookiest season of the year at Disney World with our guide -- Halloween at Disney World: DFB's Spook-tacular Guide!
From the thrills of Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party to the enchanting resort decorations that'll send shivers down your spine, our guide is packed with tips and tricks to help you squeeze every ounce of ghoulish fun out of your visit. Plus, we've got the inside scoop on all the limited-time-only bone-chilling activities happening across the parks!
Get the Halloween at Disney World: DFB's Spook-tacular Guide to make your frightfully delightful adventure even more magical!
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Have you ever seen or participated in the Fort Wilderness Halloween Golf Cart parade? Let us know in the comments!
Disclosure: In nearly all circumstances, Disney Food Blog writers and photographers pay full price for their own travel, hotel, food, beverage, and event tickets. We do this because it’s important to us as journalists to ensure not only that we give you unbiased opinions, but also that you can trust us to do so since we’re paying our own way. On rare occasions, when we are invited by a company to attend a preview as media, and when we choose to accept that invitation, we will always make you, our readers, aware of that situation. Today, we were invited by Disney World to attend their media preview of the golf cart parade. Note that when we attend events as media we are 1) Not required to review that event/food on any of our channels, and 2) Not required to review that event/food favorably. You can always count on DFB to give you a 100% unbiased and honest review of any event that we attend, food that we eat, or beverage that we drink. You can see more in our Disclosure Policy. Thank you for reading. — AJ
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