Does Disneyland Paris Hate Halloween Now? Celebrating the history of Halloween at Disneyland Paris

Ash: Hello everyone, I'm Ash.

Holly: And I'm Holly and you're listening to...

Ash: Arcades and avenues. Hello everyone and welcome to another episode of Arcades and Avenues, the podcast dedicated to Dizda Paris, where we look at contemporary news in the parks as well as look at what makes DLP unique. I'm Ash with my co pilot, Holly, how you doing?

Holly: Good, happy Halloween!

Ash: Happy Halloween, I'm loving the the two thousands golf look. Out, out.

Holly: Thanks. That's what I feel like.

Ash: Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's not a phase, mom.

Holly: I need one of them shirts with flames up it. No, boy, need to wear some discos.

Ash: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Exactly.

Holly: Some fingerless gloves.

Ash: Yeah, yeah, Guy Fereri type of look. Boom. This tastes this tastes gangster. Love it.

Holly: Yeah.

Ash: Love it. How's how's your week be? How's the life going?

Holly: Life's been life-ing. Again, I say this

Ash: That's been lifing.

Holly: every month. I don't have anything to update you guys on, but I did go... I do have

Ash: Yeah.

Holly: one thing. I did go to London, to the Shard, and I went for a Peter Pan themed afternoon tea with my cousin,

Ash: yes, you did.

Holly: which was really fun actually.

Ash: Yeah, is it worth it?

Holly: Mmm.

Ash: Ha ha ha.

Holly: I'd never been to the Shard before so that was a fun experience. I really did enjoy that and I'll be honest

Ash: Mm.

Holly: across the board now afternoon tea is super expensive. It doesn't really matter where you go, especially if you're doing a themed one. So it was like 70 pounds, 75 pounds and it was very theatrical. Like it came out on like a Big Ben and then the desserts came out on like a smoking ship that looked like it was flying and the the savoury food was all really nice. The cakes were just weird apart

Ash: Yeah.

Holly: from the scones. there was one that was like a chocolate mousse but it had mushrooms in it and I'm like why have you got to do that? Why have you done that? Yeah a Battenberg cake that was

Ash: Yeah. This is trying too hard. Trying too hard. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Trying to be different.

Holly: smoked coconut or something and it was like that sounds all right it was rank absolutely rank but we

Ash: Yeah.

Holly: had a great time. So if you fancy doing something a little bit spinny for the views alone, was, was seven. think it was 70 or 75 each.

Ash: How much was it, if you don't mind me asking? Was it really spending? Yeah, that's pretty average in London.

Holly: But for the view that you get of London Bridge and everything,

Ash: Yeah. Yeah.

Holly: I think if you've never been to the shop before, it's worth it for that.

Ash: Okay. That's good. A view, you're

Holly: if you're feeling.

Ash: just looking out the window or do you get a walk around?

Holly: no, you just look out the window. But I loved it because I'm like, well, what's going

Ash: right, okay, fine. Yeah.

Holly: on down there? You see like the Tower

Ash: Yeah, yeah. Okay.

Holly: of London and things like that. yeah, so was quite, you know, it was a nice experience. I'd say if you've

Ash: Yeah.

Holly: never done anything like that, I'd never would I do it again? No, I've done it now. So, but it was yeah.

Ash: Hmm. It's like going on the London Eye but with food, basically.

Holly: I've never done that.

Ash: Yeah, don't. It's shit.

Holly: Have you ever done it?

Ash: Yeah, once. Yeah.

Holly: Yeah.

Ash: It was awful. And it's I don't know why it exists, if I'll be honest with you. It's just a big fairy surreal, but people like it, so there we are.

Holly: Yeah, what about you? What you been up to?

Ash: Yeah, nothing much. so I was gonna go out so I was gonna take Asio out to what to see the nineties exhibition at Tate, Britain.

Holly: yeah.

Ash: And so I woke up feeling a little bit snuffin'. I'm like, mm, I'm not too great, but it's not gonna be bad. It was pissing it down.

Holly: Mm.

Ash: but I thought, you know what, I said we were gonna do it, so we're gonna do it. and then IBS attack happened. I was like, Okay, fine, I've got that out of the window. Take some Memodium, I'll be fine. We go out w we go to the train station. The tube sta the tube's like twenty minute wait for a train which in London is outrageous 'cause it's like every three minutes but apparently.

Holly: Yeah, I was gonna say that's a hell of a long wait.

Ash: and then like a donor I go to Tate Modden instead of Tate Britain. And then I'm start s

Holly: Easy to get muddled up.

Ash: screaming out with Why have you got the almost two separate names? It's stupid Well I should have just looked

Holly: No, but it is true!

Ash: at where I'm going, but And so

Holly: So which one was it at? The tape model or the tape written?

Ash: sat at Tate Britain and I went to Tate Modern. And so I was like, well

Holly: would have done the same thing if i'm being honest. so i don't think i've been to the Tate Britain, i've been to the Tate Modern which is like on the 10th.

Ash: I've been yeah, yeah, yeah, so I was just outraged. I was just fuming. And then

Holly: Did you get to go though?

Ash: well then we had a re we had a restaurant booking. So we was either gonna be late for the restaurant booking or and we was already late for the thingy. So we're like, well let's just go to the restaurant and go there early and then we can

Holly: Mm.

Ash: go to the thingy afterwards, the exhibition afterwards. We go to the restaurant, it was overpriced really and it wasn't what we thought it would be, so that was money down, the drain. and then it was still pissing it down and by that time I was tired. And I still was having wasn't feeling great. So that was money down the drain. 'Cause they don't even do e exchanges or refunds for the tape, so which

Holly: Ugh.

Ash: is a bit crazy 'cause I still wanna go. I just wanna go another day, so I don't know why they wouldn't accommodate that, but there we are.

Holly: so annoying. and i feel like you're... i don't mean... if anyone listening suffers of ibs, i do, ash does as well, it's almost like your body knows when you're about to do something. don't you think that? like whenever we go to dlp,

Ash: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. You guys.

Holly: right, i'll get on the train to sub pancras,

Ash: Yeah.

Holly: by two stops away from sub pancras i'm thinking... nah i'm not all right actually. i'm gonna have to

Ash: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Holly: run to the bathroom the second i get off this train. So I do that. Then I have to go into boots next door and buy a couple of packs of modium and spend the next few days at DLP fighting for my life, knocking back a modium like, actually

Ash: The thing is

Holly: any holiday, any holiday I have to do this. And it's like, and then, yeah.

Ash: I had a feeling it would be a bad day. I had a feeling. And then my stepmother was like, Nope, you don't wanna do this. Don't leave the house. I'm I'm warning ya. I'm warning ya. I was like Yeah

Holly: If you don't want to go, say less. Because guess what? You need to use the toilet right now.

Ash: I'm warning you, Ash. Don't do it. I'm like, no, I'm gonna go anyway. They're going, alright, alright. Don't don't don't say I didn't tell ya. Don't say I didn't warn you. And just completely done me in. So look, it was just complete failure of the day. But I suppose that's what happened in my week. That's noteworthy if it is noteworthy.

Holly: Yep. Solidarity. Do

Ash: yeah, you know, it has been a bit of a struggle trying to figure out what's going on with DLP and what to talk about. But we managed to scrape through some of the few news items that are happening and as well as our main topic of the day later on. but let's start with the news. I'll kick it off with A Burge. So let's start with

Holly: Yes.

Ash: a Burge, a Burge de Cindrion, 'cause that's recent actually. That just at the time of this episode was released a few days. A new menu. A new wonderful expensive menu at a Burge de

Holly: Yeah, very expensive.

Ash: Cidrion. But the menu doesn't reflect or match the aesthetics of the restaurant. Well, not from the outside anyway. It's covered with tarp. and so that's quite

Holly: Not currently. covered in tar.

Ash: interesting. Yeah, like Plaza Gardens covered in tarp, but yeah. but it I mean What actually when is the last time you went to a bridge?

Holly: I have never been to Auberge and I don't plan on it.

Ash: Have you never been? I went i I went ten years ago

Holly: Yeah.

Ash: and CZ the mouse was flirting with me. That was the only thing I can remember from it. And that was

Holly: sure.

Ash: I don't know if I I don't know if I will say that as a highlight, because that will say more about me than anything else, but it was it was very memorable. But the food was

Holly: Good, I'm happy for you.

Ash: is very, very French. overwhelmingly French really, so if you're not into that then probably best to avoid it. But yeah, it was it was fun. It was fun. I remember Snow White being miserable. I

Holly: Yeah, I'm sure you did.

Ash: remember Snow White being miserable. But

Holly: Really?

Ash: yeah, she was just like like she needed

Holly: She had a bad day.

Ash: to go home. Yeah, I think she just had a bad day. But Susie made up for it. She made

Holly: Go back to the door. Okay.

Ash: she made she more than made up for it. Actually sounds a bit weird. No, it it wasn't anything like that.

Holly: sounds creepy.

Ash: It means yeah, yeah. I mean that she it was a She went above and beyond.

Holly: She slipped you a number.

Ash: The more I try and explain myself out of it. So no no no, it doesn't sound creepy. What I mean is it it sounds even creepier, so I'm just gonna stop there. But it was it but the food is very French, that's what I'm gonna say. Yeah. Yeah. The food was very Yeah,

Holly: Draw a line underneath it. What like escargot french menu.

Ash: it was just mushroomy like sauce or like you know, like the creamy sauce that they usually have in French food or wine sauce or things like that, like

Holly: Rock for...

Ash: Unless you are raised in that culture or just Francophile, then it's gotta be like, Mm, okay, this is interesting. And you may like it, but a lot of people, I can understand may not, so it's just something to be aware

Holly: Yeah.

Ash: of.

Holly: up until Regal View opening it was literally the only place you could meet princesses and have a meal wasn't it? Like there was no other like princess dining option.

Ash: Yeah. Yeah, yeah, that's right. Yeah, that's right. I mean inventions at that time, but you know, that was many means ago, wasn't it? So

Holly: But that was still the main five, was it not? God that's a throwback. Inventions. Gosh. Better times. Didn't we...

Ash: Yeah, and then they would have other things having I know, I know. Good old inventions.

Holly: like I swear you shared a menu of that to me not that long ago and it was like 40 euros to eat inventions for like...

Ash: Nah, it was s sixty or something like that. And at that that time we were like,

Holly: Okay, still, it's still way cheaper.

Ash: Ooh, sixty sixty, so euros. Well, alright, we'll push the boat out of you

Holly: That's top euro, special occasion.

Ash: Little did we know. Little Little did we know. gosh.

Holly: But yeah.

Ash: Yeah, what else is happening in the news?

Holly: Well, the castle bridge is still not done.

Ash: Almost November.

Holly: do you know what's so funny to me? It's like fine, take as long as you need or whatever but why they never seem to be able to get the timelines right. Okay fine

Ash: Deadlines. Yeah.

Holly: things happen it happens but they released some images inside ears members had like released some images over the last couple of weeks of like the castle bridge and it's new it's been judged up essentially. There's nothing inherently different. It's not like, there's nothing inherently different. It looks the same, just fresh. But I can't remember what account it was. Someone wrote, yeah, the Castle Bridge is almost ready for its 35th celebration. It's been, it's like something on lines like, it has been done for the 35th celebration. I'm like, they're just clutching at straws now.

Ash: Yeah, it's not. It's not. Yeah, I think yeah, we were speaking about that as well last time and I was like, nah. Yeah, yeah. They weren't doing that for that.

Holly: Because it was literally falling apart. It was falling apart. So it's not been done for the 30th. But hopefully, fingers crossed, by Christmas. Or the Christmas period. Yeah,

Ash: You would want to see it. Yeah.

Holly: I would like to, I would like, I don't go until like, beginning of December. So I would like it to be finished by then. But who knows, anything can happen.

Ash: Anything can happen. Yeah, exactly.

Holly: Yeah, could be next year.

Ash: You told me this n bit of news as well. candy c candy jars, right?

Holly: Yeah, well, wait, wait, how would you call it? A jar?

Ash: call it to be honest with you. It looks cool. Ps.

Holly: It looks amazing.

Ash: Yeah. Main Street trash cans. They are now selling them as candy jars, candy storage, whatever it is, for ten euros. Six euros if you buy the candy to put inside. yeah. Yeah.

Holly: I think that's a bargain. I think that's a great little bit of merch. I'd have it here on my desk. Actually.

Ash: Yeah, I would have it as like an I yeah.

Holly: I'd get one for my desk to go with my little...

Ash: Ooh.

Holly: Main Street, D23.

Ash: Where did you get right? Where did you get that from?

Holly: So it was on Disney store. Well, I didn't actually get it from the Disney store. They were on the Disney store just after D23. You can sit here with me. Just after D23, it was the day I was going on my cruise and I wasn't quick enough. They sold out, but our lovely friend K to the kingdom on TikTok,

Ash: Mm.

Holly: they were still available on the Denmark Disney store. So she got me one.

Ash: bless. That's great. That's a lovely Yeah.

Holly: one isn't he cute or she don't want to assume it's so I'm gonna get one of the little candy things to go alongside this guy here

Ash: Because I've got a trash can from Epcot for food

Holly: Yeah.

Ash: and wine. I got the I got one of those. Well they're like salt and pepper shakers, but it still looks like the trash can. And I got that from from Epcot, yeah, last year. But I would like to get one from Disneyland Paris. So yeah, that looks pretty cool.

Holly: I'll hook you up, don't worry.

Ash: Yeah, well hopefully it'll still be there by the time you go. Cause you know what people are like. but yeah. Let's see.

Holly: We'll see.

Ash: Let us see. yeah.

Holly: what else have we got? Colonel Hatties has reopened. Thank god. I didn't even know it was going under refurbishment. When I was on my last trip, I was like, do you know what I really want? A Mickey pizza from Colonel Hatties. Walks all the way over.

Ash: Yeah. A a butter butter chicken

Holly: Let me stop you right there, sir. Don't get the butter chicken guys

Ash: Even able

Holly: don't get the butter chicken

Ash: Raving to put a chicken. Tasteless. Yeah.

Holly: you can get it. it's fine but it doesn't taste of anything. But I really wanted a Mickey pizza from there. side note, I love Colonel Hattie's as a quick service location almost as much as I love Last Chance Cafe because when you look around in there it's like an unofficial tiki room. It has like animatronic birds in the tree in the main dining area and I don't want them to ever change that unless they're gonna make it tiki themed. just leave it as it is. they've done is they've the self-service kiosks in the restaurant. Fine. That's fine. They're easy to use. It kind of makes

Ash: Exactly.

Holly: things a bit quicker.

Ash: Yeah, I suppose. a part of it is wondering, is it what what are they doing then with cast members? Does does it is it replacing cast members or is it just making it more efficient for cast members? But

Holly: Well the thing is, whenever I've been to Colonel Hathi's this year, just in this past year, there's always a ginormous queue because they only have one cast member working on the ordering kiosk and the rest are at like

Ash: Really? Okay. Because I can understand for visionarium, you know what I mean? Like I can understand Visionarium Visionarium Hyperion and Videopolis. Hello

Holly: Visionarium? Hyperion? Visionarium's been gone for years, bro.

Ash: Mate, it would never be gone for my heart. I tell ya that. never

Holly: No. Never forget.

Ash: forget Yeah. It's yeah it

Holly: those that don't know, The Visionarium was an attraction that is now known as Buzz Lightyear's laser blast or whatever it is.

Ash: Yeah, yeah. But yeah, I can understand there because there's just loads of people there getting

Holly: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Ash: burgers. But Kernel Hattie's I I don't I've never seen a massive queue. In fact I've never seen

Holly: I think.

Ash: except probably one or two families sitting out on like what seems to be thirty tables outside there.

Holly: See, I think it's definitely gotten more popular because...

Ash: That's it.

Holly: well, I just go there because I know they have the Mickey pizzas and that's what my children will eat and I also enjoy them and I don't want to fight for my life in Bella Notte because it's the same thing. Okay,

Ash: Mm. It's the same food, yeah.

Holly: Bella Notte also do pasta but like they... people act as if Bella Notte... they weave the pasta by hand and like make...

Ash: Yeah.

Holly: The pizza's like, it's like an original stone baked pizza, but it's really not that deep. It's just the same thing. Yeah, it's not.

Ash: I feel like I'm in it in it here. Yeah, it's not. It's not.

Holly: so I just choose to go to Connahthares because it's just like, you don't have to fight for your life in there and you can easily get a table. But I feel

Ash: Yeah, yeah, that's fair.

Holly: like going forward, Disneyland Paris are going to do this across most of the quick service locations where they can, where they've got the size too, because I don't know, it just makes things a bit more efficient, doesn't it? It removes language barrier. Well,

Ash: What about Casey's? Do you think

Holly: I don't know how they'd make that work in cases, but they need to do something. They need to do mobile ordering or something because there's always a queue out the door and it gets real bad. Yep.

Ash: 'Cause once it gets bad, it gets really bad. if there's a line in there, fine. I expect a line, but sometimes it's gotten really bad where like the line will go all the way to like Lily's and I'm like, that's crazy.

Holly: Yep. Yep. Since they changed the hot dogs, I've not been a fan anyway. So I just sack it off altogether.

Ash: Mickey a magician, in two thousand and twenty seven. Twenty twenty seven won't be performed in Animagique theatre. Well for a lot of twenty twenty seven anyway, because it's gonna go a

Holly: Mm.

Ash: major refurbishment beginning of January, lasting several months. So

Holly: Yeah.

Ash: several months to D L P mean, you know what that could be like. Like just

Holly: could be two years.

Ash: look at the castle. So yeah. So the last performance will be the tenth of Jan. So yeah, are you gonna go and see it in your December trip? Yeah.

Holly: Yeah, I'll make a point of seeing it before on my next trip because I'm going with my cousin. She hasn't been for many years and she loves Mickey and the Magician. So I'll make sure we go and see it on our trip because yeah, it's a must do. what I still understand like what is it the building that's getting completely refurbished? don't. Okay, but they're not changing the show.

Ash: Yeah. Yeah. It's getting like No, I don't know whether they're gonna house the show somewhere. Because it's not gonna be performed in Animage Theatre from reports like D L P report has said that and so th that is the wording. So I don't know

Holly: Okay.

Ash: whether it's not gonna be performed there, but it's gotta perform somewhere else, or it's just not gonna be performed anywhere. But

Holly: I doubt it. I doubt it.

Ash: maybe it is the latter, yeah.

Holly: Yeah, maybe. What else

Ash: Yeah.

Holly: have we got? some like disastrous news. There was a gas leak in Castle Hub on

Ash: Mm.

Holly: the 20th of October.

Ash: Yeah. It They

Holly: Everyone was fine, nobody got hurt. LeoFurry sort it out.

Ash: found they figured out what it was, right? I'm assuming so.

Holly: I didn't really pay much attention to be honest with you because no one else seemed that bothered.

Ash: No. Nor did DLP apparently because people were still in Frontierland and Fantasyland. And no one got evacuated. The only evacuated

Holly: Just a little carbon monoxide poisoning. What are you worried about?

Ash: They already evacuated the castle help and that was it. I would imagine maybe because it would have been more hassle than it was to get everyone out from the park for something that was s yeah. But yeah. That's interesting. going on the back of

Holly: Yeah screw everyone, you can all have carbon monoxide poisoning. Don't sue us. Anything else? Anything else? The storm.

Ash: going on the back of yeah, disasters we have is a storm here in the UK. and storm in France as well, the Paris there was what was it? Five guys roof got blown off.

Holly: It's like this, this area between, don't know. I don't know that we're like, we're terrible newsreaders really, aren't we? we got vibes and nothing else.

Ash: Yeah. We're just sharing what we've heard.

Holly: Basically what I saw was the area between the back of the cinema, well, the Disney five guys and Vapiano's a part of the building. Blew off the fire brigade

Ash: Yeah.

Holly: were there. Nobody was hurt. I'm assuming. Cause that again, got no one really was bothered, but it could mean that phase three.

Ash: But there's probably only five guys.

Holly: No one goes there, let's be real. Yeah, there was, yeah, nobody goes there. Who's going

Ash: Literally there's there were probably only five guys that were there. 'Cause like who goes there? Yeah yeah.

Holly: out the security bubble for a burger, not me.

Ash: Yeah.

Holly: Can't be bothered. I know the security

Ash: Yeah, I can't.

Holly: don't take that long, but I just think why am I leaving the security bubble to go for Reddy Pasta? Never done it. Don't plan on it.

Ash: I've done it once. I've done it once and I'm like, I'm not doing this again. I'm yeah. Yeah, you're not missing it out.

Holly: But yeah, no one, I'm assuming no one was hurt because nobody's there.

Ash: Yeah, yeah, exactly.

Holly: So, but yeah, hopefully that's all sorted. But I think maybe phase three of the village refurbishment that apparently no one knows about because it hasn't been officially announced will come along sooner rather than later because the buildings are all falling apart, darling.

Ash: Something that I didn't mention and we have our own internal rundown on what we're gonna cover. But it's

Holly: Mm-hmm.

Ash: just come to mind now, right, that we're coming towards the beginning of November and

Holly: Mm-hmm.

Ash: there still hasn't been any announcement in terms of press for you know, the thirty fifth anniversary. Do you think it's actually ever gonna happen? 'Cause we were pretty certain, yeah, they'll probably do something in November anyway. They're gonna always release what they wanna release. But nothing is like yeah.

Holly: I think I heard through the grapevine there's one Eve at the end of November beginning to December. I could have that wrong. I don't know. I'm

Ash: Hm.

Holly: not an official news source. I do think it's very strange because I actually sent you. Yes, I mean, Ash were chatting the other day and I had sent Ash a text of a screenshot of my memories and I had, I think it was like 10 years ago, and it had shown all the announcements for the 25th, yeah would have

Ash: Hmm.

Holly: been 10 years ago, 25th, everything that was announced on the 25th, and that was like in the middle of October. logos that up the whole lot and we've

Ash: Yeah.

Holly: still had literally nothing zilch we might eat our words in a couple

Ash: No, nothing. Not one thing. So

Holly: of months time and be like my god this looks so good we were like saying i haven't heard anything so yeah but we'll just have to wait and see but it is is to me it is odd that we're where are we now

Ash: We're coming up to the end of November about that. Yeah.

Holly: We're six months away from from the 35th and we have is it six months? Yeah, six months and we've not had anything and normally

Ash: Yeah.

Holly: we would know by now and normally it starts a bit before like the official date doesn't it? Normally starts in like March

Ash: Yeah. Yeah yeah yeah. Yeah, yeah.

Holly: Who knows

Ash: Yeah, bizarre. There we are for our official unofficial news Things that we've heard. Yeah,

Holly: wishy washy news wishy washy news

Ash: things that we we've heard through the grapevine. all

Holly: Yeah.

Ash: right, our main topic of the pod is something that we wanted to kind of address. We kind of brushed over it last month.

Holly: Mm.

Ash: but the more October has gone on The more the question really came to us is has DLP really given up on Halloween? Do they actually care? And it's something that okay, so before we go into this, let's preface this that on the 31st of October they have things planned. Yeah.

Holly: Yeah.

Ash: so they have Nightfall with the Disney villains, which is like a you know, fireworks show that is, you know, on the castle. so that will happen. They did release their Halloween night whatever you wanna call it program for the thirty first. So they've got the Halloween festival, which it was really not like before there used to be a Soiree, if anyone remembers.

Holly: Get a swore right.

Ash: And that would happen that would be thirty five Euros per person and it would start at eight and finish at like one and there would be a DJ, there'll be DJ Goofy or DJ Stitch and you'd be in costume and whatnot. That doesn't happen anymore. but they do extra things on the day.

Holly: No, I think the last one was 2022, 2023, wasn't it? Last one was like,

Ash: Maybe, yeah.

Holly: it was been a couple of years anyway, because now it's just like come one, come all, parks full.

Ash: Yeah. But basically all it is is like you know, the the I think the park is gonna be open to eleven. So, you know, that's

Holly: Okay. Yeah.

Ash: that's something I suppose. They're gonna do the night for with villains, as I mentioned. There's gonna be some

Holly: There's a different firework show I think as well isn't there not? Or a pre-show. Pre-show.

Ash: I think that is the nightfall. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. And then they're gonna have like Easeman Kronk and they're gonna have Jack Sparrow in Adventureland and Oogie Boogie in Frontierland and from what I can see.

Holly: I'm so gutted that I'm not there for that. Because I don't think they've had Oogie Boogie before. And I'm not a

Ash: Yeah.

Holly: character person. I love Oogie Boogie.

Ash: The Phantom or Menny Ravenswood at Phantom Manor, Gazeba.

Holly: Either or, not both.

Ash: Yeah, either or. Not both. Come on, we we're at DLP. Jack Sparrow, you know, near Pirates, of course.

Holly: Hmm.

Ash: I mean, yeah. So and then there's gonna be special lighting and atmosphere, whatever that means. But

Holly: lasers and some smoke machines probably.

Ash: Yeah, yeah. And meow and cat meows.

Holly: Woo!

Ash: So yeah, there we are. So they've got that for that day. If they if they

Holly: Yep. Yep. One day only, folks.

Ash: don't if they Yeah if you're not there on the thirty first then I don't know what to tell you, gag. And so that's why we're still like

Holly: Be there or be square.

Ash: that's why we're still like has Del D L P given up on Halloween? Because

Holly: Mm.

Ash: one, they've got new decorations, great, but they've removed a significant amount of decorations that were there last year and previous years. Like the static ghosts around the main street, like the

Holly: Pumpkin men.

Ash: pumpkin men in Frontierland. It has been confirmed that the there is the Coco Day of the Dead. That's still there, so that's good.

Holly: That's still there. Yeah, the day of the dead ones are still there.

Ash: No garlands down Main Street. So that's something that we're that we're w you know, that has made us think like that. Also, what has transpired and we posted on our story to which got quite a lot of reaction from you guys, so thank you for that. But Christmas decorations are already going up in World of Frozen. So World of Frozen are gonna I

Holly: Yeah, and this was a week ago as well.

Ash: Yeah, a week ago from this recording, we w we were seeing reports on Christmas decorations in mid October going now.

Holly: Yep, you still got two weeks to go of Halloween festival, but then know the Christmas decorations are going up. They said.

Ash: And it was just like, you know what? Just put it out now, it gives a toss. So we're we're we're we're wondering what is going on. Why is this happening?

Holly: It seems so bizarre to me like you're telling me they can't wait until the first of November to put these things up. That still gives them seven or eight days to to do the Christmas decorations which I know they can do they've done in a night before.

Ash: Yeah, yeah. 'Cause they usually take it takes them about three, four days to do it. They do it in stages.

Holly: Yes.

Ash: and p people purposely go. I I wanna go on the thirty first of October or the thirtieth of October, whatever. And I'll leave on the fifth of November so that I can see both, right? A lot of people

Holly: A bit of both, yeah.

Ash: do th yeah. A lot of people do that. So I don't I don't get the whole rushing through it in mid

Holly: Well, I suppose one argument of

Ash: October.

Holly: it is because they've extended the Christmas decorations into the studio. So for those of you don't know what we're alluding to, World of Frozen is having its very own Christmas overlay this year. And this is where the decorations have started to go up already. So yes, there's not exactly a Halloween presence in the, I'll just call it the studios, in Adventure World. But I still think it's quite conflicting and confusing to have Disneyland Park full of Halloween, well I say full of Halloween decorations, that's debatable, have that as Halloween and then start throwing up Christmas decorations in Adventure World with two weeks left before Halloween even

Ash: Yeah.

Holly: finishes, you know. It's a bizarre decision to me to be honest and the Christmas decorations that are going up are lovely. There's nothing wrong with them, fine. know and I think someone like brought up a comment like yeah well it's good for the people who can't see it at Christmas or something and I'm like but it's a stage where there's going to be carolers on from the seventh or so of November so the people aren't getting that experience

Ash: Yeah, that's right.

Holly: anyway they just got Halloween there and Christmas here and I just felt it's a bit messy in it it's a bit Yeah, I'm not sure. don't know what's going on. The past couple of months I've really been... not that, know, this is just my opinion but I really think there's been some very strange decision making going on in the park so

Ash: Yeah.

Holly: the last couple of months and I can't wrap my head around it but it's maybe it's not for me to understand.

Ash: Yeah, it's just really, really weird and it's it's forced us I say forced, but we're geeks and we're gonna do this anyway, aren't we? it's it's

Holly: massive gate.

Ash: it's forced us to look at past Halloween events and and themes in DLP to say maybe we're just overreacting, maybe it's always been like this. But no, no DLP did used to go All out. Alright? for Halloween. and we we took a trip down Memory Lane, didn't we, Holly? We we saw some great videos.

Holly: we did but I'm gonna say before we start this I want to preface it by saying me and Asher nostalgia whores anyway we love anything nostalgic even better if it's nostalgia and Disney parks but we've watched all these videos of mainly from the early 2000s of what Disneyland parishes do for Halloween and some of it is just it would never happen today you put it this way under this management go for it

Ash: Yeah, and I'm gonna start it wouldn't, it wouldn't. I'm gonna start with what you sent me because I was like I can't remember this at all. And this was in the naughs, the two thousands. And it was Ghost Ship on Rivers of the Far West where there was a massive ghost almost. It kinda looked like the girl from the ring.

Holly: Yeah, a little bit.

Ash: and then and when you went on the Molly Brown there was also things happening on the Molly Brown so then when

Holly: Mm-hmm.

Ash: you went around you would see that and then have the experience of being on the Molly Brown and it was basic it was a great thing. Right. Okay, fine.

Holly: It was the Mark Twain back then. It was actually the Mark Twain and it was called the Mummy Cruise.

Ash: Right.

Holly: Yep.

Ash: Yeah. did you go on that?

Holly: It was the creepiest thing. No, I didn't. I didn't visit Disneyland Paris for Halloween, believe it or not, despite visiting from like 1998 onwards. My first experience at Disneyland Paris for Halloween, this is a sidetrack, was 2021 when the castle was covered in tarpaulin and it was still Covid. So there was no shows, no nothing. There was a couple of pumpkins scattered about, but that was about it. So... Yeah, so I know I never got to

Ash: Wow, that was your first.

Holly: experience any of these things and I wish I wish I could go back I wish I could get into a time capsule and go back because some of the things are just insane

Ash: Yeah. That's crazy. and then you had the Pumpkin Men invasion which went further on into the naughty around twenty two thousand and four, two thousand and five.

Holly: 2005. Yeah.

Ash: And that was really, really big 'cause they had pump they had basically they had a giant massive pumpkin in front of the castle. They had

Holly: Yeah, huge.

Ash: like they had loads of pumpkin statues everywhere on town square and pumpkin men were around and they were dressed up. Yeah. They were all from Main Street. And they w

Holly: Pumpkin Men went from Main Street all over Frontierland, but it wasn't called Frontierland. All through Main Street.

Ash: Yeah, that's right, yeah. And they would basically they were all dressed up. They had a stage, which had like witches w and the witches kind of look like Cinder Lauper is pretty funny. very

Holly: came later I think. I think I was getting muddled up.

Ash: No, that was the same time. No, that was the same time. Two thousand and four, two thousand and five.

Holly: yeah, sorry, know, yeah, so there was the pink, the pink witches, which yeah, they did look like Cindy Lauper. Amazing.

Ash: Yeah. And they were singing Hope Chris Pocus. I put a spell on you and and then you had like the the the pumpkin drummers and musicians and whatnot. and they were just going around Main Street just interacting with the guests. it was really, really good. Kind of reminiscent really to what they do in Christmas even now where they have well It's still a bit muted, but they'll have Mrs. Claws now and she'll do some performance and then she'll go around and meet the guests. Where

Holly: Yeah, on to the Christmas tree.

Ash: yeah, on yeah, and the Christmas tree and around the gazebo. Where then the pumpkin men, women, were there was loads of them and I don't think they did a performance. but they were just like greeting people and then they would like do other things like just walk through Main Street, just like taking

Holly: Mm.

Ash: photos. It was really, really cool. and just looking back out and shout out to Mouse Steps and to DL DLRP fan for those chan those channels that are R

Holly: DLRP, DLRP fan. Philip, Philippe.

Ash: yeah, Philippe who is archiving the this this wonderful stuff because it really is a sight to behold to you know, watching it. it kind of 'cause they could still do that. Because a lot of a

Holly: Well.

Ash: lot of some of the stuff that they did is similar to what they did at the music festival, if you remember that, where they had Miguel and they had Moana and Timon and Pumba and they did all the music stuff and then they got the kids involved. And it's very, very similar. They had the pump they had like this guy in a top hat who looked spooky

Holly: Hmm.

Ash: and he had like a you know, well I don't even know why I'm doing this 'cause I've literally got one in hand. A microphone and he would be like, Ladies and gentlemen, blah blah blah and then, you know, he would do some performance and then he would hand it over to the kids and the kids would then get involved and I'm like, Yeah, man, why can't you do that? I it was great doing that.

Holly: Just to so we can describe more of the thing. the videos are on YouTube for anyone to watch. So Frontierland was never Frontierland during any of these celebrations. They would change it to Halloween land. And

Ash: Okay.

Holly: you can see it in some of the clips, like Frontierland is completely decked out. Did you see that? I was reading up about it, that they used to be like a trick or treat maze, down by like Cowboy Cookout Barbecue and by Poe Contus, like Play Area.

Ash: Yes. Yes.

Holly: And would be like a series of doors and the kids would get trick or treats. In the clip that Ash was just referencing, they also had a pinata thing for kids. I get like a, it was, it wasn't like a, like an organised thing. Like people would just rally round and the cast member would like get a, a pinata and the kids would like whack at it and get a chance to win some sweets. One of my favourite things I noticed from these clips was they had like a special hair station. Did you notice that? they were like back

Ash: Ha ha ha.

Holly: combing people's hair and spray painting their hair orange because the whole pumpkin men shit didn't you notice that you need to go back and watch it the whole pumpkin man

Ash: I didn't know you sat. Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. No, I didn't know. I go go back and see that again.

Holly: like the pumpkin man had it the pumpkin men were like original characters like non-ip and they had their own storyline and it was like they've taken over disneyland and they were painting orange everywhere so you could sit down have your hair done and it was basically someone just back combing for you and you would spray paint your hair orange and i was like

Ash: That's brilliant.

Holly: would never happen today and they had a big top a circus tent in frontier land that was completely orange and kids could get their like face painted.

Ash: they wouldn't do that now. They wouldn't do that now. In fact, they'll probably require

Holly: There was a whole year.

Ash: every person to sign a release form to say, okay, you approve Disney. Do you know what I mean?

Holly: Mm-hmm.

Ash: spray spray painting out here. Because things just the way of the world now, isn't it? And then the only thing that I remember is terrorrific nights as well. I'll say the only thing, one of them is

Holly: I don't even remember this. I didn't even know it even existed.

Ash: Yeah, Walt Disney Studios at the time and they had like smoke going through all the way through like p you know, the main area, where Tower of Terror is and then you see Armageddon and stuff like that. And they had a stage where they had like a it's what seemed like a slipknot tribute act would perform there and do metal go like honestly, I'm telling you the truth. This is

Holly: I would have loved that.

Ash: what and it was Hilarious and I'm just thinking, what the hell hap really did Disney approve this? But yeah, this was this was well I suppose it

Holly: And also,

Ash: wasn't Disney was it? It was it was like Euro Disney Limited that was running it

Holly: No, and this is the thing, when, if you take, if you start looking back through the archives like we have, there's so many different things like Phantom Manor had its own overlay, in fact Frontierland had its own overlay for year and year and year and years and years and years years. They also had like, the Terrific Nights, which was like a scarier, I think more adult thing. There

Ash: Yeah.

Holly: was also the Soiree they used to do. different parades i've lost my train of thought but i think it was around 2011 or between 2011 and 2013 where we got basically the parade that we have now for halloween is when that debuted and it has changed over the years but it all basically around 2011 2013 that's when it like the tide returned and then tonight it's kind of like got weaker over the years

Ash: Yeah. Yeah, then it became more harvest because even from twenty fourteen they had the Maleficent can you remember the it what looked like a briopad? I love that. And she

Holly: Yeah, I really vividly remember this. I really like this. Yeah.

Ash: came out in the castle and and then you had the hag and you had Gaston and they had it at the front of the castle the first

Holly: Mm.

Ash: time and that was weird and then they had it at the back of the castle and that worked. And then they had it in the back of the castle.

Holly: When you say the front, you mean castle stage?

Ash: Y n so yeah, towards Yeah, towards the right. Yeah, yeah, towards the right, near the where the castle stage was. That's where they had it.

Holly: Discoveryland and Planetsyland. Yeah. I don't remember that, but I remember it really vividly from it being in Castle Courtyard and like for those that don't know, I highly recommend.

Ash: Yeah. And that was the second year or second and third years of it when it did it. 'Cause they only did it three, four years and that was it.

Holly: Yeah and they had these huge thorns that were like the shape of a dragon in

Ash: Yeah. Yeah.

Holly: where the sword and the stone is and there was a whole there was a whole show there but they had roaming villains if you want to. Can we just take a minute to talk about the hag?

Ash: She's great, right?

Holly: Honestly, so Ash sent me a video earlier and it was between 2014 and 2016 and the hag was literally chasing people on the main street and at one point she's sort of running along and scares a very small toddler and honestly, I'm still not over it and then when and he starts crying and then she gives him a bag of sweets and it's just like that that wouldn't be allowed now.

Ash: Yeah, yeah. But it's just yeah, it was just great. Halloween. And yeah, I just think I don't know, I think without being cynical we're we're getting kinda bumped off a bit, man. Like we we had a lot of cool stuff in the past and I think they've reined

Holly: What I'll do is...

Ash: it in a little bit and they need to kind of bring that stuff back out, really.

Holly: Yeah, and what I think we should do if it's okay with you Ash because you are the editor We should put some of the images in of the things that we're referencing So people get

Ash: Yeah. Yeah.

Holly: an idea and what I will do is I will leave the links to the DLRP Fans and the mouth. What do you say was mouse? Mouse steps

Ash: Mouse steps as well. They had it as well.

Holly: I'll leave a link to the videos that we're referencing in the show notes and watch it for yourself and you tell you get back to us You know, is it better now or was it better back then? Because there's like so many cool things up like if we went into detail on this on this pod It would take like hours and hours and hours. But one of my favorite things is one of the old parade floats Which is Mickey and Minnie on a giant bicycle, which is shaped like a skeleton head I just want you all to try and picture that for a moment.

Ash: Yeah, yeah, exactly. Yeah, that's amazing.

Holly: What's your favourite blast from the past of Halloween's gone by?

Ash: favourite blast from the past, probably Terrific Nights was great. sorry, but tribute actors Slipner, I'm sorry, but I w you

Holly: Mm.

Ash: would never, never see that in any other Disney park.

Holly: Mm.

Ash: If it did happen, of course it would be France. Of course it would be

Holly: Yeah.

Ash: DLP because they make everything scarier and spookier. But the I think I I did love the Briar patch and I did love like I remember going to Disneyland Paris as Ghostbusters.

Holly: Yeah, I can remember that.

Ash: and that was that was like during the soiree as well. And

Holly: Mm-hmm.

Ash: like we got mobbed over there and like even and we were like it was just it was just so great. And we we actually while while the while people were waiting for the parade, 'cause they did the parade again during the soiree, the

Holly: Yeah, yeah.

Ash: cast members told us to go through Main Street before it started and start waving at the guests. So we had our own little pre parade w as yeah,

Holly: You were the parades for a bit.

Ash: as as as Ghostbusters, which was amazing. I just like we DLP had so much freedom to do stuff, which I I think probably that's the reason why they don't do any stuff now, because it they've it's kind of being tightened because powers that be.

Holly: Do you think since the Walt Disney Company acquired full ownership over Disneyland Paris, I don't know, I would hate to think that that's the case because...

Ash: I don't know, because they do a lot more in Disneyland Resort and in Walt Disney World, so why wouldn't you do more in D L

Holly: Right, this is what I don't think it is. just,

Ash: P

Holly: what you guys need to do is like, it's hard to put into words in this podcast, but you need to go back and look at some of this footage and look at the images. I might even share some on our Instagram of some of the things that DLP used to do for Halloween. And I wanna just like make a point that Halloween was not celebrated at Disneyland Paris until 1997. So it wasn't like an opening year. And I think up until 2001, I may have this wrong. It was the only like tourist resort in France that was celebrating Halloween of this kind. But I just think they were able to take risks and able

Ash: I think that's what it was.

Holly: to like give unique storylines and it was all kind of eccentric. Yeah. Yeah. But it was just eccentric.

Ash: Because they had never done it before. So they were just experimenting. And when you experiment you take risks, right? And with the risks yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

Holly: wacky, I don't even know how to put it, weird. Some of it was really scary, with the mummy cruise where the figure would pulling along Mark Twain, I think that is the most beautiful, macabre, eerie thing they could have done in

Ash: Yeah, yeah.

Holly: Thunder Mesa because I think, yeah, it really does set the tone. Like this is creepy. Yeah. They weren't afraid to take risks.

Ash: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. A hundred percent.

Holly: I just think I'd like them to take a few more risks like that and bring back something, anything. I feel like at the moment, Halloween, well, I say at the moment, feel, let's just say what I mean. Halloween 2026 has no soul, in my opinion. Seeing it in its finished product, I'm not inclined to book a Halloween trip. Let's just put it that way.

Ash: Shame really. It is a shame. But yeah.

Holly: It is.

Ash: you let us know what you think, peeps. and tell us about your favourite Halloween memory as well. And yeah. Has Halloween been given up on by D L P or are we just overreacting? We'd like to hear your thoughts.

Holly: People are probably gonna say that we're just negative.

Ash: The negative Nancy's, but yeah. It was fun going down memory lane though, and that's one thing for sure, I suppose. So

Holly: I think I think it's less of a negative. think when you've When you've visited a place like Disneyland Paris for years and years and years like decades at this point we have the hindsight of being able to say like this really worked and this really doesn't work and I feel like a lot of like newer guests or people who hadn't

Ash: I'm

Holly: prior to that

Ash: I'm gonna go so far to say two, three years ago, DLP no. Was it my was it two years ago or three years ago? It was it was Halloween and it was a great Halloween and I went by myself and I vlogged it and it had the garlands up, it had everything on, it had the parade, it

Holly: Mm-hmm.

Ash: had the castle show, that was new at that time, the castle when

Holly: Mm-hmm.

Ash: they, you know, do that stuff on the podiums.

Holly: Pre-show? Was it a pre-show or just a full show?

Ash: No, it it was the when they do the parade and then they do and then they come off the floats and they go on to onto the podiums and they do the thing.

Holly: yep. Yep. Yep.

Ash: so that was new at that time. that had Coco then as well,

Holly: Mm-hmm.

Ash: which was new at that time. They didn't have the projections on, but that was fine. And at the same time as well, there was a Deadpool speakeasy, a hidden speakeasy. So

Holly: I remember you telling me about this.

Ash: And I've got this on my vlogs off Brand Urkel and this was all during Halloween and I went to

Holly: Yep. Hang on. Stop.

Ash: yeah.

Holly: Off Brand Urkel, shall we plug the channel?

Ash: it's what

Holly: You can't glaze over it. Well, can talk about the Deadpool speakeas in a minute. Ash has a YouTube

Ash: Yeah.

Holly: channel in where he vlogs his solo trips to Disneyland Paris. In fact, I think he vlogs a

Ash: Yeah, yeah. And you need to

Holly: trip, our Christmas trip, but I just stayed out of it. I wasn't getting involved.

Ash: Yeah.

Holly: So if you want to see Ash's vlogs, he's off Brand Urkel on YouTube. Take it away, Ash.

Ash: Yeah, and that was I'm trying and look to see if I can even find it, but I I'm I I'm trying to think whether that was it two years ago or three years ago. But whatever the case, it was during Halloween and it was a great it yeah, I think it was one year ago. One two years ago, twenty twenty four. yeah, exactly. So two

Holly: we were together for Halloween last year and it wasn't.

Ash: years ago. And they had so much food at different hotels. So I went all around the different hotels. I went around the merch. I did the walkthroughs and they had the castle green and then I did the Deadpool thing as I mentioned earlier. And

Holly: Mm.

Ash: because I was by myself, they were so good. Like they you had to do the secret thing. And I I guess that was a coincidence because Deadpool at that time had released and they kept the speakeasy longer than they than they had planned but they thought, well it's Halloween, so just keep it on. But I

Holly: Mm-hmm.

Ash: think altogether with those different things that was open, it just made Halloween great then. And I don't know why, but they've massively stripped it down.

Holly: Yeah.

Ash: Just as as far as close as two years ago. So yeah. W I I I say, yeah, let's go and have a blast from the past. Let's look at what happened in ten years ago or twenty years ago. But really Halloween was okay just as as close as two years ago, three years ago. So this is why we're saying that.

Holly: until two years ago. even last year there wasn't anything inherently bad with it from my not

Ash: No.

Holly: from my from my memory i remember we went and i had the kids and stuff and it was fine

Ash: Yeah. But I don't know, we're just

Holly: Yeah, and I say it's fine because I know it's this and this is the thing I know people say we are so negative But like it's because we know that Disneyland Paris is capable of producing a better product

Ash: Yeah. It's because w the we know that they can do better than that. So

Holly: there's the creative, know, there's been something in the past that's been so creative, so immersive and so out there. And I would love to see just even a morsel of that brought back.

Ash: And I just think they're focusing a lot more on Disney Adventure World and the PR

Holly: Mm.

Ash: and the media opportunities with that with Christmas that they've kind of forgotten about the main park and the Halloween. Yeah, as a whole. Yeah, yeah. but there we are.

Holly: Halloween as a whole, Halloween festival as a whole. Yeah. Well, moving on to one last thing about this. Okay, now that it's Halloween and this is what we're getting, I really am fearful if we're going to get the garlands for Christmas. I don't think we are. Your face is it all.

Ash: No, I don't think so. I don't think so at all. Do you not think so?

Holly: But why?

Ash: I dunno. I have no idea.

Holly: The next thing they'll be taking away the snow.

Ash: well, I hope not. I think because of the well, I don't believe this, but what we're hearing through the grapevine from the DLP community is because of the projections on Main Street and the vision of the castle, they don't wanna put the garlands up, which makes absolutely zero sense to me.

Holly: rubbish. They did it last year. was fine.

Ash: Yeah, yeah. I was we were there, we were there. Me and you were both we were

Holly: They did it last year. It was absolutely fine. Well, there's a Christmas and Halloween.

Ash: there for Christmas and Halloween, so it was fine.

Holly: No issues. No issues whatsoever. Absolute nonsense. Right. Yeah. Yeah.

Ash: So, there we are. Who knows? But we'll report back because you know, next episode we'll see. Yeah,

Holly: I'll be there. Yeah.

Ash: and you're gonna be there in December. So yeah, yeah.

Holly: with my boots on the ground journalism where I might post one story and then ghost you for the next three days.

Ash: Exactly. That would be great. That would be great. But yeah. thank you everyone for listening in.

Holly: hang on a minute we've got some of that we've we forgot to bring it up in the news

Ash: yes yes we have a fun, exciting new development taking place with Arcazan Avenues.

Holly: We do.

Ash: and it will be seen a a week or two weeks I would say two weeks from the time that this is released. So keep w you know, your eyes

Holly: Keep it on our socials.

Ash: eyes and ears posted out on our socials. because it's it it's fun and it's exciting.

Holly: It is. It is. And you'll find out more later. I'm not giving you any more than that. If you like us as

Ash: That's it. That's it.

Holly: a podcast, you're in for a treat. If you don't, well... condolences. We don't care!

Ash: We don't want to hear it. Yeah. but no, seriously, thank you everyone. and please you know, leave a review and and let us know what you think. and yeah, we'll see you on the next episode.

Holly: See you later.

Ash: That's it for this episode, thank you for listening. If you're enjoying the podcast, please leave us a review wherever you listen to your podcast.

Holly: If you want updates from us in between episodes, can follow us on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube on arcades and avenues. And we'll see you in the next one.