Bonjour! Or should I say “bonsoir?” I’m never sure, and to be quite honest I’m not a hundred percent confident whether it’s daytime or nighttime, as I got back from a trip to Disneyland Paris a couple days ago and am still adjusting to the time change and extreme jet lag! Regardless, I can say with absolute certainty that the European Disney resort does Halloween right, and it does Halloween thoroughly as well, much to my surprise.
You see, I always thought Halloween was never really a thing for our friends across the Atlantic oceans– it being more of a made-up American holiday. I know, I know– all holidays are made up, but I digress. Still, there may be even more to see and do at Disneyland Paris during the Halloween season than there is at the original Disneyland here in Southern California. But as Lieutenant Commander Geordi La Forge says, “Don’t take my word for it!” Check out the videos below for complete coverage of all the eerie goings-on during the spookiest time of year at the destination formerly known as Euro Disney.
Watch Main Street, USA Halloween decorations at Disneyland Paris:
Above, I take a leisurely stroll down Main Street, USA to check out all the ghosties and jack o’lanterns that populate the entrance and hub areas of Disneyland Paris. And directly underneath this text you can catch a glimpse of the weirdo pumpkin families who hang out in Frontierland. They’re something else!
Watch Frontierland Halloween / Dia de los Muertos decorations at Disneyland Paris:
The biggest and most popular Halloween show at Disneyland Paris is called “Mickey’s Halloween Celebration,” and I found out the hard way that’s it’s not really a parade, and also not really a show. It’s something in-between and something far more entertaining in person than the sum of those parts. Unfortunately, it’s also really difficult to shoot, because the entertainment happens at like five different spots around what the Parisians call Central Plaza. But I think the video below is a fair representation of what the experience is like, anyway.
Watch “Mickey’s Halloween Celebration” parade / show at Disneyland Paris:
Then, you can meander your way over to the right hand side of Sleeping Beauty Castle (they have a bigger, better version than the one Walt built back in 1955, but can you blame them?) to catch “Are You Brave Enough?” which stars an oddly off-putting Ursula alongside a cavalcade of Disney Villains, each of whom take the spotlight for their own songs and some others representing characters who aren’t even on stage. Weird!
Watch “Are You Brave Enough?” Halloween Villains show at Disneyland Paris:
For a more casual taste of Halloween fun-times on Main Street, hang out in front of Town Square’s gazebo, where a band will perform classic earworm hits such as “This is Halloween,” “Grim Grinning Ghosts,” “Cruella de Vil,” and more.
Watch Halloween Band at Disneyland Paris:
And don’t forget to stop by the meet-and-greet locations for your favorite characters, all of whom have donned their Halloween costumes in time to have their photos taken with their adoring public. I think Goofy is supposed to be some sort of weird steampunk gumball machine? I dunno.
Watch Goofy, Max, and Stitch’s Halloween costumes at Disneyland Paris:
I know it doesn’t sound right when you first hear it, but Disneyland Paris is actually a pretty swell place to spend some time during the Halloween season, especially if you’re into Disney-style decorations and musical productions. For more up-close views of all that and more, check out the the fairly comprehensive photo gallery below.
Photo Gallery:
Disney’s Halloween Festival runs from now through Sunday, November 3 at Disneyland Paris. For more information and advance ticketing resources, be sure to visit the resort’s official website.