Going for Halloween and early November, some questions.

Crystal O_o

Mouseketeer
Joined
Dec 9, 2010
I have only been to Disneyland Paris once, for like 5 hours on my honeymoon. We did zero preparation and I barely remember much. With that said, we are heading back to Paris and London, almost 13 years later with our boys in tow. We are heading over on Halloween for the party then back on November 3rd. My question is, will they turn over to Christmas by November 1st like they do in Magic Kingdom?

Any tips on the party? I am not finding a lot about it. Also, I notice the last train back to Paris is earlier then 1am, so what time should we leave so we don't risk missing the last train?

Does anyone dress up? We decided not to, since we will most likely be wearing heavy jackets due to the cold.
 
Due to the cold costumes vary a lot, some people go all out, others stick to facepaint. I would suggest to buy your train tickets back somewhere during the day (keep them separate from your bank/credit cards), as the lines can get long at the machines.

I would be at the train station at least 15 minutes before the last train goes. Depending on where you are in the park and the speed of your group, it can take 5-15 minutes.

Short summary:
The rides are open, there is a Halloween parade (last year twice), Halloween show (4 or 5 times), characters in Halloween costume & villains (lines can get long) and DJ Parties.

The Halloween season is till the 3rd of November. Christmas starts the 9th, the turnover will be in the week inbetween.
 
Due to the cold costumes vary a lot, some people go all out, others stick to facepaint. I would suggest to buy your train tickets back somewhere during the day (keep them separate from your bank/credit cards), as the lines can get long at the machines.

I would be at the train station at least 15 minutes before the last train goes. Depending on where you are in the park and the speed of your group, it can take 5-15 minutes.

Short summary:
The rides are open, there is a Halloween parade (last year twice), Halloween show (4 or 5 times), characters in Halloween costume & villains (lines can get long) and DJ Parties.

The Halloween season is till the 3rd of November. Christmas starts the 9th, the turnover will be in the week inbetween.
Thanks

Why is there so little information available for Disneyland Paris?
 
Thanks

Why is there so little information available for Disneyland Paris?
I don't think they think of Halloween as an important festival. All their money is spend on promoting the Christmas season. The website of DLP contains all the information there is about Halloween.

And my personal opinion, probably because in Europe Halloween is less family friendly than in the US. When you watch the Halloween parade during the parties, the DLP Halloween parade is a lot scarier than the Boo to You Parade. Boo To You is quite happy and upbeat with all the characters dressed up, in DLP it's more about the villains and especially the dancers between the floats are creepy.
When I went last year there were quite a few people who didn't dress up, but face painted skulls, spiders, scars etc. on their cheeks. It's still not gruesome scary, but there is a noticeable difference between Europe & the US how Halloween is perceived. The mix of scary vs. family friendly also make it a hard event to promote.

I'm still in doubt to go during the Halloween season, as my main objective would be to catch the Castle Stage show with Ursula, the set looked really interesting. But I just had 2 visits in September, and I got a Disney overdosis.
I am definitely not going to do the party again as it was too crowded for my taste. I had fun, but not something for each year. But I'll wait for footage of the show and other entertainment to be released on youtube and then decide to squeeze in a visit or not.
 


I don't think they think of Halloween as an important festival. All their money is spend on promoting the Christmas season. The website of DLP contains all the information there is about Halloween.

And my personal opinion, probably because in Europe Halloween is less family friendly than in the US. When you watch the Halloween parade during the parties, the DLP Halloween parade is a lot scarier than the Boo to You Parade. Boo To You is quite happy and upbeat with all the characters dressed up, in DLP it's more about the villains and especially the dancers between the floats are creepy.
When I went last year there were quite a few people who didn't dress up, but face painted skulls, spiders, scars etc. on their cheeks. It's still not gruesome scary, but there is a noticeable difference between Europe & the US how Halloween is perceived. The mix of scary vs. family friendly also make it a hard event to promote.

I'm still in doubt to go during the Halloween season, as my main objective would be to catch the Castle Stage show with Ursula, the set looked really interesting. But I just had 2 visits in September, and I got a Disney overdosis.
I am definitely not going to do the party again as it was too crowded for my taste. I had fun, but not something for each year. But I'll wait for footage of the show and other entertainment to be released on youtube and then decide to squeeze in a visit or not.

Thanks for the info. My boys are actually looking forward to more scary than happy.

Do you know what time we are able to enter the park? Magic Kingdom was like 5pm but I can't find what time for Disneyland Paris.
 
Yes, when you look at the program you will see that Illuminations is scheduled each night at park closing, plus for Halloween an additional pre-show.
It's more projections and less fireworks than in US parks due to environmental regulations.

When there are severe weather conditions there is a chance it will be modified or cancelled. Cancellations will be announced shortly before showtime.
 


We were just at the Halloween party on Saturday night. There were 2 showings of the villains parade, a bunch of special character meet and greets, dance parties, special snacks/desserts and a special burger with a green bun which was served with a pumpkin shaped chocolate mousse. There was a mariachi band playing in front of the Mexican restaurant (and day of the dead themed decor). The haunted Mansion was lit up, not sure if that was special for the party or not though. The skull island/pirate ship area was filled with smoke and lit up in Halloween colors. They gave out the bracelets early in the day at our hotel and handed out a special park map with all the events listed.

My kids both dressed up in easy to pack costumes that we could easily put a coat or sweatshirt underneath- a black cat onesie and Hermione Granger. There were a ton of very elaborate costumes and face paint. At one point, we tried to line up to get pictures with Alice in wonderland, mad hatter, and Cheshire cat in front of Alice's labyrinth only to realize that they were just park visitors in costume taking their own photos 🤣

I did not see or experience anything that I would consider dark or spooky. It was very similar to Mickey's not so scary party in Orlando.

I hope you get nice weather- it was sunny nearly 70 for a high on Saturday, so perfect for staying out late. Either way, have fun!
 
Oh also, they've already started putting out Christmas decorations which we thought was kind of funny. We stayed at the Cheyenne and half the buildings had Christmas garlands up and there was a Christmas tree at the front of the main building. But there were also Halloween decorations here and there. I can't recall seeing any Christmas decor up in the parks or not, but the merch is definitely out.
 
Ha ha, I keep thinking of more things to say 😂 Be warned that the walkways are kept very dark at night. You will not be able to read your paper park map while walking around. That took us by surprise! And they shut down all/most of the rides in fantasy land during Iluminations and funnel everyone along one, extremely crowded path to leave the area. Not exactly sure what the reason was for that. It was pretty annoying. Other than that, the crowd level was very manageable all day, even though it was a beautiful sunny Saturday.
 

GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!










Top