Paris

What To Expect As A Family In Halloween At Disneyland Paris – All You Need To Know

Halloween + Disney?  Blissful!  A match made in heaven.  Fun fantasy combined with the mystical holiday leads to some special magic for the whole family.  We currently reside in Portugal, and Disneyland Paris is our “home” Disney.  While it’s a bit smaller than its US counterparts, I have a special place in my heart for Disneyland Paris.  We’ve made many magical memories there, and I’ll never turn down a trip to Paris.

Thankfully for us, Halloween IS celebrated at Disneyland Paris.  Unfortunately, it looks a little different than in the US in California and Florida.  Geared more towards adults, it varies between an extravagant costume party and a Villian Party.  Europe in general sees Halloween through a more gory lens than the US.  

Disneyland Paris does a great job in honoring this culture while making it the “cute” Halloween you might be used to in the US.  Plus, it’s Disney, so it’s always magical!

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What Is the Disneyland Paris Halloween Party Like With Kids?

We’ve been twice to Disneyland Paris for Halloween, and both times have been on the day of Halloween itself.  It was the best way to celebrate one of my favorite holidays in Europe.  When I looked up ways to celebrate in Europe, it came down to visiting Dracula’s Castle or Disneyland… While both sound appealing, I’ll go for Disney in almost all scenarios.

However, I went with some US expectations after attending Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party (now called the Oogie Boogie Bash) in California the year before.  These were not met.  I left slightly disappointed, but not enough to keep us from going back two years later!  I still love Disney in all forms and love dressing up for Halloween.

Overall, Disneyland Paris on Halloween night feels like an adult’s night out.  We saw some kids, but not nearly as many kids in costume as adults.  There are amazing costumes!  Seriously…the Paris designers spend a year in advance making costumes for this event, and they are spectacular.  My favorite was an Ursula gown with a fish globe in the train of the dress itself.  Wow.  

Many adults dress up, and the costumes tend to be a bit gory.  Lots of fake blood, zombie princesses, and more on the scary side.  This mirrors our experience living in Europe. School festivities for Halloween are scarce, but when they do happen, they are quite gory and intense.  Lots of Draculas, zombies, and the like.  My kids showed up with Disney costumes and were a bit made fun of.  This translates to the Disneyland Paris venue as well.  You’ll find some kids in Disney costumes, but not nearly as much as in the US.  The differences don’t end there either.

What Are the Differences Between US Disney Halloween Parties and Disneyland Paris?

The biggest difference between US Disney Halloween parties and the Paris Disney Halloween party:  there is no trick-or-treating!  We brought our bags, ready to collect candy, only to find there were no candy stations.

We quickly got over this disappointment and enjoyed the rides and delicious food, but take note.  You won’t be collecting any candy on your visit.  Europe has higher health standards in some areas, and this has made me tend to shy away from candy in general.  Candy obsession on Halloween is the norm in American culture, but it’s not prevalent in European culture.

The lines are short, and we were able to enjoy lots of rides on both of our visits.  Overall, Paris ride waits were not as long as in Florida on any of our visits.  On special Halloween party nights, the lines are even lighter.  

The food in Paris will impress you compared to the US.  While it’s not up to Paris standards overall, the food is still better in the Disney park in Paris than the Disney parks in California and Florida.  I especially love the Christmas Markets at Disneyland Paris, but Christmas is a whole different story!

When Does the Disneyland Paris Halloween Party Operate?

Typically, Disneyland Paris offers themed Halloween visits from October 1- November 3rd.  November 1st is a holiday in Europe, so it’s fun to go on October 31, as the park is often open until 2 am. 

This year, in 2024, it doesn’t look like Disneyland Paris is offering a special ticketed Halloween Party.  However, they decorate the park very cute, theme the parade, offer themed foods, and make it lots of fun.

Focus on Disney Villains at Disneyland Paris

In place of Mickey and your favorite princesses roaming the park, you’ll see all your favorite Disney Villains!  Snag an autograph from Captain Hook, trade tales with Mother Gothel, and snap a photo with Gaston.  They’ll shun you with appropriate distaste as you’d expect from any good villain.

Occasionally, there will be villain performances throughout the park.  Check the schedule for the day of your visit.

Trick-or-Treating at Disneyland Paris

As mentioned above, Disneyland Paris does not offer trick-or-treating.  In fact, I am not sure Europe, as a whole, offers much trick-or-treating.  Only once have we had our doorbell ring on Halloween in three years, and it was a bunch of teenage boys playing a joke.

Crowds at Disneyland Paris

Thankfully, the crowds at Disneyland Paris can pale in comparison to the US.  Try to visit on a weeknight, if possible, and you’ll likely be walking onto rides!  We love the Haunted Mansion ride (Phantom Manor in Paris) all year round, but especially at Halloween. We’ve never waited for more than 10 minutes at Disneyland Paris on Halloween night.

Our Favorite Rides at Disneyland Paris for Halloween

We love to partake in all our favorite classic rides and enjoy some unique rides to Disneyland Paris.  Rides especially suited for Halloween include:

• Blanche-Neige et les Sept Nains (Snow White, suitable for all ages, but the Wicked/Evil Queen is a bit scary for the littles)
• Alice’s Curious Labyrinth (Alice in Wonderland, suitable for all ages)
• La Tanière du Dragon.  This is my favorite part of Disneyland Paris, as it is completely unique to Paris!  Under the main castle, you can visit the dragon from Sleeping Beauty.  It’s VERY cool.  He moves a bit, and you can wander the mystical tunnels under the castle.
• Phantom Manor (Haunted Mansion).  Fabulous at Halloween.
• Twilight Zone Tower of Terror.  Fancy feeling your stomach in your throat?
• RC Racer.  This fun rollercoaster-type ride is unique to Paris and one of our favorites!

Where To Stay on Your Visit to Disneyland Paris

Disneyland Paris Hotel

Disneyland Paris uniquely offers the most Disney hotels of any of the resorts.  They have seven hotels directly tied to Disneyland at various price points.  We’ve stayed at the Art of Marvel Hotel and Disneyland Paris Hotel.  

The Disneyland Paris Hotel underwent a major remodel recently.  Considering it was spectacular on our first visit pre-remodel, I’m excited to see it sometime in the future.  The back of the hotel is actually inside of Magic Kingdom, so you can walk out into the park.  

Currently on the website, if you book the Disneyland Paris hotel in a Hotel + Tickets Package, you get access to both parks every day of your visit. That saves some money that can offset the high price of this luxurious hotel.

If you can swing a special room in one of their superior club rooms, a Castle Club Room or Suite, you’ll have access to the private Castle Club Lounge, breakfast in the company of Disney Princess Characters, and even a private lift to the Disneyland Park entrance!

Other Disneyland Paris Hotels

The Art of Marvel Hotel sits across a water feature from the Newport Hotel.  Both are located on the end of the Disney Springs walkway and just a few minutes by foot (maybe 4 minutes!) from the park entrances.  

Club suites are available at three other hotels besides the Disneyland Paris Hotel: The Art of Marvel, Newport Bay Club, and Sequoia Lodge.  You can read more about it here.

There are also nine partner hotels available for all budgets and tastes.

Other Tips for Disneyland Paris Halloween Party

• Accessing the park is easy on public transportation. There are suburban trains called the RER (Regional Express Network).  You’ll want Line A that terminates at Marne-la-Vallee.  This station is at the entrance to Disneyland Paris.
  • Children under four are free, but they cannot take a seat.  There are discounted prices for children 4-9 years old.  
  • Be sure to have tickets for everyone, as we’ve always seen the police checking on each of our visits.
  • Disneyland Paris is a surprisingly long way from the airport and expensive by Uber, so public transport is your best option.  However, be sure to note the time of the last train!  We lived it up at the Halloween Party until 1:30 am only to find that the train station was closed at that late hour.  We had to pay for a very spendy Uber back to our Airbnb in Paris proper.
• There are plentiful Airbnbs near Disneyland Paris that can be a great option if you have a rental car.
• Two days is usually enough to see all of Disneyland Paris.  You could even squeeze it into one long day.
• Disneyland Paris is split into two parks: Disneyland Park and Walt Disney Studios Park.  Both are fun, and it’s easy to walk between them.  However, if you rent a stroller from the parks, you cannot take these between parks and need your receipt to get a new one in the other park.
• For more tips about Disneyland Paris, see what we love and don’t love there. 

Enjoy, and Happy Halloween!

Leslie

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Need to rent a car to navigate the city? Visit Rentalcars.com / Europcar

Get insured while traveling with World Nomads / SafetyWing / TravelEx

Want to have a family photo shoot while traveling in Paris? Check out professional photographers from flytographer.

Capture your best travel memories in Paris as we do with a GoPro, Sony camera, or our favorite drones: DJI FPV, Air, and Mini.

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Additional Reading

Spending Halloween At Disneyland With Kids – What You Need To Know

Best Halloween Activities To Do In Utah With Kids – 2024

Spending Halloween in Hawaii