On the 31st of October Disneyland Paris throws the biggest Halloween party ever and, this year it was full of surprises. Unlike Florida where there are several parties starting in August, Paris only gets the one but, they definitely pulled out all the tricks and treats this year.
Disneyland Paris Halloween Soirée 2018
When entering the park, the atmosphere was fantastic. We walked in as Illuminations was running and, the music definitely felt amplified walking through Town Square. We got ushered into the backstage area on Main Street which, was amazing to see and we got to hear Boo To You and other great Halloween songs as we walked through to Discoveryland.
There were lots of projections around the park too, the Castle looked brilliant and there were even projections on Big Thunder Mountain. It definitely was on par with MNSS.
Disney Channel’s Descendants Singalong
The first announcement for this years Soirée was the debut of Disney Channel’s Descendant’s. For the first time ever they will be represented in a Disney park. When I heard this, I knew I had to go as my favourite character Mal.
We were introduced to a video on the screen showing lots of old Disney Channel movies including High School Musical. At first, we thought the show would just be in the waiting area in the Discoveryland Theatre. The Cast Member was getting us all excited and telling us to move forward. This, however, was a preshow before we went inside.
They started to film us as they taught us the dance moves to the hit Chillin’ Like a Villain which, was very exciting and embarrassing as I cannot dance! At first, I was disappointed it wasn’t them as it was more people representing the characters however, they put on a show that I won’t forget.
Lots of high energy with live versions of the songs from both movies and getting us up to dance. This really set the mood for what was to come that evening.
Big Hero 6 Yokai’s Revenge
Another show for this year was Yokai’s Revenge in Videopolis which features all of your favourite Big Hero 6 Characters! I wasn’t so sure on how this show would go down but, it left me very impressed and in awe of all the effects used. Especially with the lasers. It was also interesting to see Baymax in his hero suit and normal look too. It was also great seeing Hiro with him. Seeing Baymax fly off the stage was incredible and I do hope this show makes a return. I will say that I wish it was slightly longer with the hero’s but it was a fantastic addition to this years Soirée.
It’s Good to Be Bad
This year the Villains put on a special performance featuring Hades and Yzma as well as a certain Mouse for his 90th Birthday. Mickey made an appearance and it was a great surprise. Seeing this show in the dark was brilliant and it really felt spooky.
Dance Parties
The dance parties were fantastic this year. Frontierland usually has Dr. Facilier as the host but this time, however, it was Max and Goofy who seem to be overtaking events recently, such as FanDaze. They proved to be a big hit and I could have stayed here for hours. Lots of dancers about too entertaining the guests.
Don Diablo was over in Discoveryland taking over Buzz Lightyear. He was a lot of fun and lasted until 2 am. The only downfall to these parties was that it was cash only at most of the bar stands.
Improvements for next year
Allow all guests to pick up wristbands from hotels. It was announced the day before that if you’re staying at a Disney Hotel you could pick up your wristbands from reception. However, only if you bought your ticket at the time of booking and not separately. This was a massive downfall and meant a lot of trips to and from the Hotel if you were getting ready later in the day as you could enter the park from 5 pm but the party itself didn’t start until 8:30 pm. Annoyingly, as we walked into the park, they were handing out the wristbands then too. It was a bit of a mess and hopefully next year we can all just pick them up from the Hotel we’re staying in and better communication.
Having card machines at all dance parties would be a huge benefit too, and maybe a few more rare character meets on the night.
The only things I regret not seeing was the yearly parade and the Scare Maze. I heard new characters like the Hyenas were added to this year’s parade. Also, the brand new float ‘Mickey’s Illusion Manor’. However, I didn’t feel let down by missing these as everything else was amazing and felt that there were enough new things to experience as in previous years the parade was the big hit of the night.
I was very impressed that we weren’t rushed out of the park and were the last on Main Street until around half 2 in the morning. It felt very relaxed all evening and definitely worth the price increase.
Overall, this was a frightful evening and very impressed with Disneyland Paris for putting on a big party this year. I can’t wait for next years treats!
