1st October to 2nd November 2014
The most Maleficent month
From 1st October, Disneyland Paris celebrates a most Maleficent month of ghoulish adventures, chilling escapades and frightful fun with the Disney characters and their villain foes.
Since its launch in 1997, Disney's Halloween Festival has become an annual staple of the Disneyland Park calendar. Returning every year with new twists, turns and artistic decisions, the most recent years have seen the festival finally find a stable footing with higher quality decorations and entertainments. Most notably, last year's 2013 season saw the introduction of new dedicated floats for Mickey's Halloween Celebration, a fantastic mini cavalcade along the park's parade route with a catchy, upbeat theme song and colourful, original "Harvest" festival style.
This year, the success of Disney's live-action Maleficent film has not been ignored, with new events centred around the timelessly formidable character and her fellow "Halloween Gang" of animated Disney villains. Alongside another new, original float in the main cavalcade and an expanded Nightmare Before Christmas meet 'n' greet area, this makes the 2014 Disney's Halloween Festival perhaps the strongest season in its history and a real must-visit. Even if you've already seen Disneyland Paris this year, you've not seen it quite like this...
NEW Character encounter on Central Plaza
The Maleficent Disney Villains Promenade
With Maleficent in the leading role, the Disney Villains will be the frightful stars of Disney's Halloween Festival.
Scheduled to take place every day throughout the season, this deadly dedicated encounter with Disney's venerable cast list of baddies is a new addition for 2014, promising unique photo opportunities as Maleficent and her compatriots stride around Central Plaza, no doubt leaving a trail of mayhem — and tears — in their wake.
• Every day on Central Plaza, at the heart of Disneyland Park
NEW Spooky spectacle on Castle Courtyard in Fantasyland
Maleficent's Court
Maleficent casts a dark and deadly spell over Sleeping Beauty Castle, entwining its Castle Courtyard with thorny brambles for her villainous cohorts to lurk within.
Building on the success of the live-action feature film, the Castle Courtyard has become entwined with a giant, thorny briar, providing Disney villain meet 'n' greet opportunities with the Halloween"gang" of villains. This towering centrepiece provides a different, more traditionally "scary" feel than the wholesome Harvest approach on Main Street.
• Check back here or on DLP Today for more news of this brand new event
Daily parade with Mickey and friends
Mickey's Halloween Celebration
Celebrate the colour and creativity of Halloween in this vibrant Harvest festival cavalcade hosted by Mickey and his classic farmyard friends.
Considered the main daily event of Disney's Halloween Festival, the character-filled cavalcade has at last become its own standalone event rather than a segment of the main parade, growing each year with its own unique floats. Eschewing the all-too-often gory and dark European vision of Halloween, the event leads with a burst of yellow and orange colour, led by some rare characters from old Disney shorts.
New this year is a "Raise the Rafters!" float starring rarities the The Little Pigs, Clarabelle and — new to Disneyland Paris — Horace Horsecollar. Meanwhile the full gang of Donald and Daisy plus nephews Huey, Dewey and Louie ensure an umissable event for character spotters (and duck fans).
• Several times daily on the Disneyland Park parade route
Decorations and atmosphere in Main Street, U.S.A.
Ghosts transform Main Street
Former residents return to haunt this small turn of the 20th Century town. From the ghostly mayor of City Hall to the Gibson Girl herself, fun decorations on every landmark give an extra "Disney" cartoon touch to the season.
If you remember the Pumpkin Men and their stick-on orange paint splots, you'll remember the Halloween tranformation of Main Street, U.S.A. being more ghastly than ghostly. Luckily, recent years have seen a welcome investment in a new and certainly more "Disney" style for the season, with softer cartoon ghosts atop the buildings and a bright, warm Harvest festival theme of flowers and pumpkins more befitting the old American period.
There's lots to see in every corner and countless exclusive photo opportunities. Even if you know the usual day-to-day Main Street, it's a brand new experience all around.
• For character fun, don't miss Goofy Bonbons and Halloween Costume Corner
Character encounter near Casey's Corner in Main Street, U.S.A.
Halloween Costume Corner
Minnie Mouse and Stitch take Halloween fashion to new heights — or is that frights? — in this wickedly colourful encounter.
Taking over the popular meet 'n' greet area next to Casey's Corner, Minnie Mouse enjoys her own spot for Halloween — or rather, lots of them. The classic red and white polka dots are exchanged for black and orange, with green and purple details. At alternatate times, her protégé Stitch takes residence wearing one of her creations.
If the colours (or the queue to meet her) are all too much, take a breather amongst the giant Disney character pumpkins on Central Plaza.
• Check the Programme for daily meet 'n' greet times
Character encounter near Town Square in Main Street, U.S.A.
Goofy Bonbons
Goofy rolls into town with a weird and wonderful candy-making machine on wheels, for tricks and treats with his adoring fans.
Situated just off Town Square opposite Discovery Arcade, this fun photo location is Disney's answer to the Halloween tradition of sweets. Featuring frequent appearances by Goofy in a unique — and uniquely goofy — inventor's outfit, it provides a great backdrop for a souvenir photo — and a free handful of Haribo sweets.
• Check the Programme for daily meet 'n' greet times
Decorations and atmosphere in Frontierland
Pumpkins take over Frontierland Harvest festival
The Old West town of Thunder Mesa celebrates its own Harvest festival with pumpkins on every doorstep, each one seeming to have its own personality... funny, that.
With not a splash of orange paint in sight, the Pumpkin Men live on. These pumpkin-shaped people continue to take on a life of their own, as they become the cowboys and outlaws, sheriffs, showmen and proprietors of the town itself. This fun seasonal overlay of the Frontier landscape sees giant sunflowers sprouting out of the ground and flowers in warm autumnal shades decorating the terraces.
Throughout the land there are some great seasonal photo opportunities amongst the classic landmarks, thankfully now mostly embellished by the orange invasion.
• Revisit Frontierland after nightfall for an even spookier atmosphere!
Nightmare Before Christmas encounter in Frontierland
Jack and Sally's Cemetery
Known "throughout England and France", Tim Burton's most famous couple make Disneyland Paris their home for the Halloween season.
You won't find a Haunted Mansion Holiday in Paris, with a Nightmare Before Christmas story inside the mansion itself, but you will find Jack Skellington and Sally rising from the eerie tombstones around Phantom Manor to meet visitors.
Since its introduction this has become one of the most popular features of the festival.
• Check the Programme for daily meet 'n' greet times