When you run a nighttime race at Walt Disney World, the fun doesn’t just end there…there’s an after party to go to!! This is such a fun way to celebrate your accomplishment, show off your new bling and just let loose! Jenn is back this week (you might remember her tips on prepping for a night race vs. a morning race) to share all the fun from The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror 10-Miler after party, The Villain’s Bash! It looks like she had a terrifyingly good time 
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You’ve just run 10 miles! You are exhilarated, your muscles are sore…so now what are you going to do? Obvious answers might be: “collapse,” “sleep,” or “eat my weight in doughnuts.” My answer? I’m going to the Villain’s Bash!
But… what exactly is a Villain’s Bash? I truly wasn’t sure what to expect from this event. I imagined that some Villain’s would show up at the party, and I expected a DJ and some rides. But in my mind, I definitely didn’t do it justice.
The Villain’s Bash is truly the perfect ending to this themed race. As you may know, The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror 10-Miler is the absolute best race for those people who are fans of the, well, wicked side of Disney. All along the race route there are photo ops with a variety of Disney’s best bad guys. Dr. Facilier, the Hyenas, the Big Bad Wolf, the Queen of Hearts, and the Evil Queen in witch form are only a sampling of who you can meet along the route. It’s a Villain-lover’s dream (nightmare?)!
But that was just the beginning! The Villain’s Bash totally upped the ante – but I’m getting ahead of myself. After the race, we claimed our medals and our snacks, and then began the rather lengthy trek back to Hollywood Studios. The path then diverged, one side heading to bag claim and the other straight to the Villain’s Bash. Although I was extremely excited for the after-party, my husband and I first made the obligatory detour to bag claim. We had stashed a little go-bag inside of the clear race bags with energy drinks, means to “freshen up”, and room for uneaten snacks; once we had this in hand, we was ready to go!
It is worth noting that there were conveniently located changing stations near Echo Lake for runners use; traffic flow took us directly past this area on the way back to the festivities. I realized that this was a very good thing, since the women’s bathroom lines elsewhere were extremely long.
Party time! As you can imagine, there were people everywhere. The area on Sunset Boulevard near where they sell Toluca Turkey Legs was packed with people snacking on their post-race boxes. It was also packed because the rides were open! As you might imagine, we headed for the Tower of Terror, which happens to be our favorite ride. What can be better than riding the Tower with your Tower 10 Miler medal? Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster was also open, and I later discovered that other rides, including Toy Story Midway Mania and Star Tours, were also open. Of course, this is a big draw to the Villain’s Bash. But believe it or not, the rides were not the focus of the party.
I began to realize this as we left the Tower and headed toward the heart of the party. We noticed that the shops were open, and we headed in to check out the merchandise. Of course, in keeping with the evening’s theme, we paused in the store specializing in Villain’s merchandise; it also happens to sell some delectable sweets – guilt-free of course, since you’ve just run 10 miles!
We also passed two wet bars on the way to the Sorcerer’s Hat, available for those participants wishing to indulge in an adult beverage after the race. This was certainly a detour from what I normally see in the Studios! Music from a live DJ permeated the immediate vicinity, and there were several people enjoying the music – even dancing, if you can believe it! Even after 10 miles, the festive atmosphere was energizing enough to overcome our tired muscles.
We were taking it all in (and be-bopping to the music), when I noticed two lines off to the side.
As it turns out, the Villain’s Bash truly hosts a multitude of – you guessed it – Villains! Cruella de Vil was at that time welcoming her fans. I have never had the pleasure of seeing Cruella in person, and it was fascinating to watch her in action. I was informed by the Cast Member that Cruella was toward the end of her greeting period, but that the Queen would soon be coming in her stead; she would then return later in the evening. It seems the two were alternating on and off throughout the event. I decided to beat the rush and get in the line for the Queen, another larger-than-live Villain who I had yet to see! Since I had just managed to get a picture with the “old hag” version of the Queen, I thought it fitting to get her Majesty’s picture as well!
I was so excited about the photo ops that I headed off in search of more! I headed back up Sunset Boulevard, and I located meet and greets with Gaston and Shan Yu (from Mulan). I have seen Gaston before, but never Shan Yu. This was one of the most fun character interactions I’ve had. I was amazed at how short the line was! Shan Yu is pretty much never out, so I decided to take full advantage of the photo op. Since Gaston was on his “off” period, I headed over to the opposite side of the Studios, near the old Soundstage and Star Tours.
Next up, I found Pain & Panic from Hercules.
As I left the line after my picture, I noticed another little merchandise area selling some apparel from the event.
Then, I continued my journey in the pursuit of Villain pictures. I ventured over to Star Tours, and found, as you may guess, Darth Vader and two Storm Troopers. I have to say that I saw some of the best poses here before I had my turn. My favorite was the group who got on their knees with hands behind their heads, pretending they’d been taken hostage by the Sith lord and his cronies. As I continued on my journey, I also noticed that Boba Fett was receiving visitors nearby.
Much of the Street of America was quiet, as was Pixar Place – even Toy Story Mania’s line was relatively short! Of course, at this point it was after 3 am, and things were starting to wind down. And I will admit, fatigue was most definitely setting in. Since we were walking back to our resort (a short walk, but I can honestly say it felt much longer!), we did a quick tour of the remaining shops and headed for the exit.
The event was wonderful, and I had such fun getting my picture with so many infamous Disney Villains! The face characters were especially entertaining, but I have to say that all of the characters really did a fabulous job acting their … well, worst! Although there is currently no 10-Miler scheduled for next year, I truly hope the event will return so I can take part in it again!
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Jenn has been a lifelong Disney fan. Her passion for the Mouse has only increased throughout the years. She visits Disney Parks 2-3 times per year, often in conjunction with Disney Races. In addition to being a fan, she plans Disney travel for others, hoping to share the Magic with everyone. Through Disney-themed blog & Facebook pages, she regularly tracks new and exciting changes to the Disney parks so she can share them with others. Check out Jenn’s blog DISining Memories and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram!