From Trick or Treat to Terrorific
Take a deep breath
. Is the air clear and crisp? Is the sky an almost luminous shade of blue? That means its fall again in Paris. So what can you do here on a glorious sunny day in the fall? Go to Disneyland Paris! Why? There are two reasons. First, because NO ONE IS THERE. Honestly, if you go during the week, you can sometimes walk straight on to rides. Weekends are a little busier but nothing to compare to the "swarm of locusts" numbers that descend during the summer months. Walking through a "Magic Kingdom" devoid of suffocating crowds is an amazing experience. Second, October 1st starts Disney's month long Halloween celebrations, and this is something you shouldn't miss, particularly if you have kids. This year, the festivities include no less than 3 differently themed Halloween parties, 2 Halloween "shows" and a plethora of opportunities to meet with the (normally absent) Disney villains.
Disneyland Paris' Month Long Halloween Festival
From October 1st to October 31st, the villains rule the roost at Disneyland Paris, where they can be found wandering the park and signing autographs
. In between villain sightings, you can watch one of the two new Halloween themed shows that are on the daily roster. The first is "Disney's Maleficious Halloween Party" at the Central Plaza Stage. This will include the traditional "favorite" villain, Maleficent, and the new evil upstart, Dr. Facilier. The second show is "Mickey's Halloween Treat in the Street" on the Royal Castle Stage. It will feature Mickey, Minnie, Donald and others in their new Halloween attire... dancing,singing and showering the audience with candy!
The Disney Halloween Party Triumvirate: Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween, Walt Disney Studios' Terrorific Night and Disney's Halloween Party
The night events are not included with your daily park admission ticket and a separate party ticket must be purchased for each event, which allows you to enter the park after closing on the day of the night party These parties also buck the "no one is here" trend of the fall
. They are popular events, and with good reason, so the rides that are open will not be line free. But you should attend for the ambiance and the fun. Rides you can do anytime. Halloween is once a year.
Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween:
Dates: October 7, 14, 21 & 28
Time: 8:00 pm to 11: 00 pm
Cost: 22 Euros per person ( for those over 3)
Costumes allowed
This is the Halloween event that is aimed at the younger crowd, or at least the younger crowd that can stay awake until 10 or 11 pm. It's a trick or treat bonanza, with kids (and adults) in costume, face painting, villains, parades and shows including a big Halloween "finale". To add even more fun and mystery, this year Disney is apparently changing the entertainment schedule and being a bit "hush hush" about it. But rumors have it that there will be characters that are not normally seen at Disneyland Paris. All this cloak and dagger just adds to the atmosphere
. Because it is so kid friendly, this is the event that sells out the quickest so, if you have any inclination to attend, you should buy tickets now. You should also know that, while the park is open, not every ride is open. But given the full roster of entertainment, you should not let this dissuade you from attending.
Walt Disney Studios Terrorific Night
Dates: October 29 & 30
Time: 8:30 pm to 1:00 am
Cost: 32 Euros per person ( not recommended for anyone under the age of 12)
Costumes NOT allowed
This event is pretty much the polar opposite of "Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween". It is aimed more at the teen and young adult crowd....the ones that actually enjoy horror movies. When Disney says it is not for children under the age of 12, they are understating it. To give you an example, last year the "Studio Tram Tour" was turned into the "Terrorfic Tram Tour" and included demons / zombies that crawled into your car and tried to snatch you. The characters that made appearances in the studio was a "who's who" of movie villains including Hannibal Lector, Freddie Kruger, Leatherface and even Tim Curry's "Prince of Darkness" from "Legend". Clearly this is not "family" fare. If you enjoy a good scare, this is event for you. However, if you are considering attending, you might also want to make an honest assessment of your own "fight or flight" response. Getting scared and having a good scream is one thing, elbowing a Disney cast member in the face is another. They won't thank you for that.
Disney's Halloween Party
Dates: October 31
Time: 9:00 pm to 1:00 am
Cost: 35 Euros per person (for those over 3)
Costumes Allowed
This is Disney's "Halloween Night" party. From a scare factor, it lies somewhere between the "Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween" and the "Terrorific Night". The event itself actually leans more toward the "Not so Scary" side. It's the costumed adults attending the park that jack up the scare factor. Suffice it to say that this is not the best choice for young kids. But it's great for a "date night" and gives adults a chance to "trick or treat". Last year, the "Nightmare Before Christmas" was very well represented but Disney makes changes every year. One thing you can be sure of is that there will be some exciting spectacles and a great finale.
In addition to all of the above, a few of Disney's regular rides have a special glamor at Halloween The Haunted Mansion is always dressed up for October, but look for the Pirates of the Caribbean and Snow White to get a bit more emphasis as well. So, to sum up, less people, fun parties, happy kids...more than enough reason to have a Happy Mickey Halloween.
Halloween at Disneyland Paris
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Paris, Île-de-France, France
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Comments

2025-02-10
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MaDonna
2011-10-05
Hi, just wanted to let you know that I linked up this article with mine. I thought you gave great insights here!
Cheers!
MaDonna
selenapan9
2011-10-06
Thanks! What's the address of your site?