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Disney Enchanted Christmas is the most magical celebration at Disneyland Paris, with gorgeous decorations, a special parade and shows, and the opportunity to meet Santa (or Santa Stitch if you prefer).
The seasonal event runs from early November to early January and is included in the park ticket.
We loved our trip there in January. It still feels Christmassy after Christmas, and we even got lucky with snow—just magical!
In this post, I share what to expect at Disneyland Paris at Christmas, and my top tips for making the most of your trip.
Contents
Christmas at Disneyland Paris Dates in 2026
The next Disney Enchanted Christmas at Disneyland Paris will run from 7 November 2026 to 6 January 2027.
This is the typical time frame for the Christmas festivities.
Note that not all the events run for the whole season, although the decorations, parade and main show do.
Last year, the Princess shows didn’t start until 15 November, the Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony started on 21 November, and the Advent Calendar show ran from 1-25 December.
You can also only meet Santa until Christmas Eve—although Santa Stitch makes a great replacement if you visit at the end of the festivities, as we did.
Tips for Visiting Disneyland Paris at Christmas
- Expect crowds – This is a popular time to visit the park. Avoid weekends and the school holidays if you can. The quietest times to visit are weekdays in November and early January (although it wasn’t as quiet as we expected in January).
- Allow at least 2 days – If you want to do it all. It’s hard to see all the entertainment in one day, and more time gives flexibility in case of weather cancellations.
- Check the Disneyland Paris app – Show and parade times vary, so check the app when the schedule is released 1-2 months in advance. Decide your priorities and add them to your calendar, and set reminders on your phone.
- Dress warmly – Bring more layers than you think you’ll need as it gets cold. See below for what we wore.
See my Disneyland Paris Tips and Tricks post for lots more advice on planning your trip.
Christmas Decorations at Disneyland Paris
Disneyland Paris is even more beautiful than usual at Christmas with festive trees, garlands, light projections, and other decorations.
At the entrance, you are greeted with a Mickey ears Happy Holidays sign.
The first area you come to is Town Square at the top of Main Street. This is the heart of the festive decor, with a 24-metre-high Christmas tree, plus smaller trees and characters.
Continuing on, Main Street USA is a highlight. Garlands are strung across the street, shops are decorated, and festive music plays (they even had Muppet Christmas Carol music!).
At night, it becomes even more magical with colourful projections on the buildings (this was new in 2025, and I hope it stays)—you can see silhouettes of people dancing inside.
There’s also realistic-feeling fake snow a couple of times a day (for us, during the evening parade).
Happily, we didn’t need it on our first day, as we had loads of real snow, which was just incredible! We could not have asked for a more festive scene. Read my Snow at Disneyland Paris post for more photos of its snowy beauty.
There weren’t any decorations in Central Plaza (in front of the castle) or on Sleeping Beauty Castle itself.
We did find a cute sleigh near Plaza Gardens Restaurant, and the nearby fountain froze on our visit, which added to the festive vibes!
The Castle Stage to the right of the castle looked Christmassy too. This is where an Advent countdown happens in December, but we could still see the decorations in January.
There aren’t decorations in other areas of the park (my one complaint), except for inside restaurants—most of them have trees and garlands.
When Do Christmas Decorations Come Down at Disneyland Paris?
We visited for the last two days of the Christmas season (5 and 6 January) and stayed into the non-Christmas period. We were worried the decorations would disappear overnight.
This did not happen, and almost all the decorations (except the Advent scene and sign at the front) were still up two days later. This was also true in the Disneyland Hotel.
The takedown could have been delayed by the snow we had, though. I believe the tree is usually taken down a day after the season ends.
Of course, the parade, shows, Main Street projections, and Christmas menus are not available after the official end date.
Christmas Parade and Entertainment
These are all the shows and entertainment you can expect during the Disneyland Paris Christmas season.
Things may change in 2026 (and I’ll update this post when details are announced), but the parade and Let’s Sing Christmas show are regulars.
Disneyland Paris does not have Christmas attraction overlays, and the evening show, Disney Tales of Magic, remains the same. There are special fireworks on New Year’s Eve.
Mickey’s Dazzling Christmas Parade
Mickey’s Dazzling Christmas Parade is a seasonal parade that replaces the usual afternoon parade (Disney Stars on Parade).
There are two parades a day—one in late afternoon (3.55pm on our visit) and one after dark (5.45pm for us).
We watched both on the same day and didn’t regret it. Although they have the same floats, the night parade is extra magical as it’s all lit up and syncs with the tree lights. We also had fake snow on Main Street.
The afternoon parade is quieter, though, and it’s easier to get a good spot.
The parade route is from It’s a Small World, past the castle, up Main Street, and around Town Square (where the Christmas Tree is) and out by the big gates here (on the left as you face the park entrance).
The afternoon parade comes in this direction, and the evening parade does it in reverse. Bear that in mind when choosing a spot.
The parade features five huge floats with many characters, including Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Clarabelle, various Disney Princesses, Chip & Dale, Winnie the Pooh, and more. Dancers are on the ground between the floats.
There was even a subtle, surprise appearance of Duffy the Bear for Tokyo DisneySea fans.
The final float is Santa Claus and Tinker Bell.
If you want a front-row spot for the parade, you’ll probably need to turn up 45 minutes early.
My plan was to watch the afternoon parade in Central Plaza, where characters stop to perform on the podiums, and the evening parade opposite the Christmas Tree.
In the end, we were too cold, so we just turned up 5-10 minutes in advance. We got a front-row spot outside Main Street Station in the afternoon and a second-row spot (not ideal for photos, but we could see okay) on Main Street for the evening show.
I definitely recommend Main Street for the evening show to see the projections, tree and (hopefully) snow.
Tip: To escape the crowds after the parade, cut through a shop on Main Street into Liberty Arcade and out into Frontierland.
Let’s Sing Christmas Show
The Let’s Sing Christmas musical show has been a highlight of the festive season for years.
It features characters, including Mickey and Minnie, in festive outfits singing Christmas songs. Most of the songs are in English, but they sang Jingle Bells in French, which was fun. Words appear on the screen if you want to sing along.
On some weekends, a community choir joins the characters.
It’s a really cute show that’s sure to get you into the Christmas spirit, so do prioritise it.
It’s also the only indoor, seated Christmas show (in Videopolis in Discoveryland), so it’s a good break.
Although to guarantee entry, you’ll need to turn up 30 minutes ahead (45 minutes for a better seat or during the holidays) and wait outside until about 10 minutes before.
The show usually runs 3-4 times a day. For us, it was on at 2.45pm, 3.45pm, and 6.20pm, but times will vary, so check the app.
Holiday Gathering
The Holiday Gathering is a 10-minute outdoor show and mini parade featuring Mickey and friends. It’s not a must-see, but it’s cute and worth doing if you can.
It takes place once a day (for us, at 1pm) in Town Square (near the park entrance at the top of Main Street).
It starts with Mickie, Minnie, and Santa appearing on the Railroad Station balcony to greet everyone.
Then open-top cars emerge from the gates near the entrance to the Discovery Arcade, carrying characters such as Max, Clarice, Stitch, and Donald and Daisy.
More characters walk and dance between the cars—Goofy and Pluto, Chip ‘n’ Dale, Pinocchio, Clarabelle, and some festive Gingerbread men and other dancers, who also perform in the Christmas Parade.
The vehicles loop around Town Square, and then some characters perform a show in front of the station, and others are in the pavilion.
It’s difficult to find a spot that lets you see everything. I would suggest standing in front of the station so you can see the Mickey and Minnie greeting and the street show.
Other Character Shows
There are several other 10-minute outdoor shows throughout the park. We didn’t get to see these as they were cancelled due to snow.
- Disney Princess Holiday Season Celebration – See an array of princesses (Rapunzel, Belle, Cinderella, Snow White and more) in their winter finery. They arrive in carriages and then sing and dance on the podiums in front of the castle. It happens once a day (1.15pm on our visit).
- Princess Aurora Magical Wishes – Princess Aurora, Prince Phillip, and the fairy godmothers appear in the courtyard and on the balcony at the back of the castle in Fantasyland. It takes place once a day (2.25pm for us).
- A Sweet Moment with Mrs Claus – This opportunity to see Mrs Claus was new in 2025. It takes place at various times from 9.05am to 1.50pm in the Town Square pavilion.
Note that the princess shows started later than other events in 2025, on 15 November, and then had a few days without running before adopting a more reliable schedule from 27 November.
Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony
The Magical Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony takes place once each evening (at 7.35pm for us) at the big Christmas Tree in Town Square.
The tree lights up in different colours. It usually includes Christmas carol singers in the Pavilion (so stand somewhere with a view of that) and Mickey, Minnie, Santa Goofy, and other characters on the station balcony. It’s like a mini version of Let’s Sing Christmas.
Unfortunately, we had a scaled-down version without any performers due to the snow.
In 2025, the lighting ceremony started late on 21 November.
Tinker Bell’s Enchanted Calendar
Tinker Bell’s Enchanted Calendar is a real-life advent calendar experience that takes place each evening from 1 to 25 December (so we missed it).
There’s a large calendar on the Castle Stage, and Tinker Bell opens a window each night to reveal surprises.
The time isn’t announced in advance, but it’s usually just after the second Christmas Parade.
Character Meet and Greets
You can meet several characters wearing festive outfits, including Stitch, Goofy, Chip ‘n’ Dale, and Winnie the Pooh.
Jack Skellington as Sandy Claws also makes a special appearance at this time of year.
Meeting Santa Claus is a highlight for kids, but it’s only possible until Christmas Eve.
Check the app for meet-and-greet times and expect long queues.
Some popular characters are only available with a virtual queue in the app. These are usually released at 9.45am and 2pm and sell out in under a minute, so be ready ahead of time.
On our visit (and this will vary), Stitch and Jack Skellington required a virtual queue.
We managed to get one for Santa Stitch at exactly 9.45am. We were given an estimated time in the app (ours was 62 minutes), and then we were warned about 25 minutes in advance to go over to the area.
It takes place at an arcade in Videopolis—Santa is here before Christmas, and Stitch moves in afterwards.
Once our time was called, we waited in line for about 20 minutes. There’s a PhotoPass photographer (you can choose later whether to buy—one photo costs €17), but we also gave them our phone.
It was our first-ever character meeting, so we were a little nervous, but Stitch made it fun and easy.
Christmas Merchandise
You can expect an array of Christmas merchandise, including tree decorations, ears and hats, sweaters and capes, bags, cushions, plushies, mugs, glasses, and more.
Emporium on Main Street has the biggest array of Christmas merch. The hotels also have a decent selection, but we found limited stuff in other stores (this may be because it was January).
In January, we weren’t sure how much would still be available. I’m sure they sold out of some things, but there was still plenty to buy. A few items were discounted up to 50% (the sale began on 17 December).
La Boutique du Château, inside the castle, is another excellent spot at this time of year.
It’s a dedicated Christmas shop where you can buy ornaments all year, but there’s even more on offer during the festive period. It has some different items from the Emporium.
Food and Drink
Chalets Gourmet Stalls
The Chalets Gourmet stalls appear at Disney Paris at various times throughout the year. At Christmas, they feature some seasonal treats.
The stalls are always a highlight, and the food is usually better than the rest of the park (which we find average).
You can find them in Fantasyland, as well as in Place de Rémy (outside the Ratatouille Ride) in the second park.
We really enjoyed the mulled wine (it will be at the stall with the longest line!)—perfect for warming up as you wander or wait for the parade.
The same stall also does excellent cheese pretzels, hot chocolate (similar to what you find everywhere in the park, which is pretty good), and gingerbread (I wasn’t a fan, but Simon thought it was ok).
Other stalls have similar offerings as other times of year—crepes and galettes (the goats cheese one is delicious), waffles, tartiflette, and sweets.
Sweet Treats
The festive sweet treat designs vary each year, but you’ll usually find similar offerings—gingerbread, cookies, cupcakes, cake pops, etc.
Gingerbread
The highlight for us was undoubtedly the Gingerbread Biscuits (cutely called Jinglebread) shaped like Mickie and Minnie faces.
These come plastic-wrapped so you could take them home, although ours didn’t survive the journey in one piece.
Our struggle was finding them. They are available at various outdoor stands—Old Mill and L’Arbre Enchante in Fantasyland, and Cool Post and Café de la Brousse in Adventureland.
All these stands closed in the snow and only reopened after the Christmas celebration had ended. Luckily, L’Arbre Enchante still had a few left on our final morning.
These spots also offer festive treats like cupcakes, cake pops, and shortbread, but they were long gone by January. Even in the heart of the season, they can be available sporadically.
Sleigh Delight
Disneyland Paris offers a seasonal dessert available at many restaurants across both parks. It’s included in festive set menus, or you can buy it separately.
In 2025, it was Sleigh Delight, a red, dome-shaped vanilla mousse on a shortbread base with raspberry and white chocolate. It was delicious, not too large, and not overly sweet.
Main Street Treats
Main Street is the other place to go for Christmassy sweet treats.
- Market House Deli has a Stitch Brookie, which we found just ok (their treats always disappoint us, to be honest).
- Cookie Kitchen, accessible inside or outside Cable Car Bake Shop, usually has an array of Christmas donuts, but by January, only the star-shaped Christmas Wish Donut remained. With a white chocolate filling, it was pretty good.
- Boardwalk Candy Palace has some festive biscuits, but they didn’t get the best reviews, so we skipped them.
- Victoria’s Home-Style Restaurant is a table service restaurant (without reservations so you’ll have to queue) with seasonal sweet treats and hot drinks. We didn’t visit because they’d sold out of the Jack Skellington pastry we wanted to try.
Savoury Winter Dishes
There are a few seasonal savoury dishes in various restaurants, although they aren’t particularly Christmassy (burger, venison cassolette), and none are vegetarian, so we didn’t try them.
On Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve, many table-service restaurants offer special menus. You’ll need to book these months in advance.
Christmas at Disney Adventure World
The second Disney Paris park, Walt Disney Studios Park, will transform into Disney Adventure World on 29 March 2026 when World of Frozen opens.
Details of the 2026 Christmas season haven’t been announced yet, but I really hope they do more in the park this year.
When we visited, Studios Park had barely any Christmas decorations and no entertainment. The best area was Place de Rémy (near Ratatouille), which had a few decorations and the Chalets Gourmet food stalls.
The main Disneyland Paris park is definitely the most Christmassy of the two parks.
Christmas at Disneyland Paris Hotels
All the on-site Disney Paris hotels are decorated for Christmas, but these two hotels are considered the most festive.
Disneyland Hotel
Disneyland Hotel is outrageously expensive, but we couldn’t resist a second stay here at Christmas.
It’s magical at any time, but the lobby at Christmas is just stunning! Garlands decorate the grand staircase, and there’s a huge, beautiful tree and a roaring fire.
You also can’t beat the location (under two minutes from our room to the park gates), so we always had a place to warm up.
At Christmas, the usual La Troupe Royal show was replaced with The Keeper of Time and The Light of Winter. It’s aimed at kids, but we enjoyed seeing various princesses as we walked through the lobby when it was on.
Note that non-guests can’t access the hotel anymore (unless you have a restaurant reservation).
Read my Disneyland Hotel Paris review for more details on this lovely hotel.
Sequoia Lodge
Sequoia Lodge is a 15-minute walk from the park gates.
The rustic, American wilderness lodge vibe, with wooden buildings surrounded by trees, is considered the most Christmassy by many.
We walked over to enjoy the snow and see the common areas. We didn’t find the lobby as impressive as the Disneyland Hotel (no big tree), but the Redwood Bar has couches around a large fire that would be lovely. We mistimed it as the bar doesn’t open until 4pm.
The shop had a good array of Christmas merch.
What to Wear
Paris is cold during the festive season with average highs of 11ºC (52ºF) in November, 8ºC (46ºF) in December, and 7ºC (45ºF) in January.
It can get colder than that, though, especially in the mornings and at night. We visited during a cold snap in January with temperatures as low as -5ºC (23ºF).
Snow is rare at Disneyland Paris, appearing only a few days a year, and it doesn’t usually last long.
We got lucky with lots of snow on two days in early January, and it was absolutely magical! I’m glad we had warm clothes so we could really enjoy it.
Unfortunately, rain is more likely, so waterproof shoes are a must either way.
Layers are the way to go when packing for winter at Disneyland Paris. You will spend a lot of time outdoors, and being cold will make your trip miserable.
I was worried I’d overheat in all my layers when we went inside shops and ride queues, but that was not the case. I only took my coat off in restaurants.
Here’s what I wore on the coldest days:
Tops
- Merino wool t-shirt
- Merino wool long-sleeve base layer (Icebreaker 200 Oasis)
- Cashmere sweater
- Thick wool jumper
- Coat
On the warmer days (4ºC) I didn’t need the t-shirt, and if it had been any warmer than that, I would have left off the cashmere mid layer.
Bottoms
- Thermal leggings (a must!)
- Jeans
Accessories
- Scarf (the bigger the better)
- Fleece headband under a Disney Christmas hat (we got ours in Tokyo)
- Gloves (bring two pairs)
- Thick merino socks (Icebreaker Mountaineer)
- Chelsea Boots
As you can see, we’re big fans of merino wool as it’s warm, wicks moisture, and resists odour, so you can wear it multiple times.
Christmas at Disneyland Paris Compared to Other Disney Parks
We’ve visited Tokyo Disneyland and Walt Disney World in Orlando during the Christmas seasons and Disneyland Paris compares favourably.
Tokyo Disneyland is still my favourite. There’s more entertainment (including two brilliant parades), two seasonal ride overlays, some unique (and affordable) merchandise, and the decorations feel more extensive beyond Main Street.
See my Tokyo Disneyland Christmas guide for full details.
That said, Disneyland Paris is much more accessible for Europeans, and we will never be able to top our snowy Christmas trip!
As much as I love Walt Disney World, I prefer Paris for Christmas. Its seasonal offerings are free (in Orlando, you have to pay a lot for after-hours Christmas parties), and the weather just feels more festive (although 25ºC in November may be what you’re looking for).
Is Christmas at Disneyland Paris Worth it?
Christmas at Disneyland Paris is the most magical time of the year.
It’s worth braving the colder weather for the joy of strolling Main Street at night with its decorations and lights, a hot chocolate in hand, and a soundtrack of Christmas carols.
The parade, shows, and decorations are wonderful and visiting the park is a great way to get into the spirit of the season, or as we did, prolong it.
It’s a busy time to visit (especially Christmas week and New Year’s), but I think it’s worth it.
I hope my Christmas at Disneyland Paris review has given you a good idea of what to expect. Leave a comment below if you have any questions.
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