New & Returning Experiences for Disneyland Paris 30th Anniversary Grand Finale
The Disneyland Paris 30th Anniversary Celebration is coming to a close on September 30, 2023. In advance of that, Disney’s parks in France are preparing a “Grand Finale” of new and returning experiences to reinvigorate the event during its home stretch. Here’s what’s on the horizon for the festivities–everything from Marvel to Pixar to even more DRONES!
Before delving into the details, it’s worth noting that this is not comprehensive–only what’s new & next in 2023. There’s a ton happening for this celebration that started last year–see it all in our Guide to Disneyland Paris 30th Anniversary. This event offers a lot of substance that truly pays tribute to the parks and their fans–unlike Walt Disney World’s 50th Anniversary.
To that same point, consult our 2023 Disneyland Paris Vacation Planning Guide if you’re just getting started and need the basics about visiting. That’s over 6,000 words offering a crash course in the basics of trip prep, including everything from getting around Paris to food to touring strategy and beyond. Although they’re not for everyone, we love the parks in France and Paris is one of our favorite cities in the world.
The goal of the Grand Finale, according to Disneyland Paris, is to build on the incredible success of the 30th Anniversary celebration. That’s not normal marketing hyperbole, either. The event has been fruitful in growing attendance and revenue, applauded by company leaders as a huge success story.
More importantly for guests, most of whom probably do not celebrate higher spending or crowds, the Disneyland Paris 30th Anniversary has been recognized with sprestigious awards in the attractions industry, including an IAAPA Brass Ring Award and a Park World Excellence Award for the event as a whole and the drone show, respectively. In an effort to keep the momentum going, Disneyland Paris has announced new offerings as part of the Grand Finale, running until September 30th, 2023.
Here’s what is on the horizon for the Disneyland Paris 30th Anniversary Grand Finale…
“Avengers: Power the Night”
In addition to the recent openings of Marvel Avengers Campus and Hotel New York – The Art of Marvel, guests will be offered another Marvel experience: Avengers: Power the Night.
From January 28, 2023 through May 8, 2023, guests will be treated to an incredible drone show that will light up the night skies at Walt Disney Studios Park. This exclusive new show dedicated to fan-favorite Super Heroes combines music, lights, pyrotechnic effects and video projections onto the Tower of Terror.
Avengers: Power the Night is the very first nighttime drone show performed daily and dedicated to Marvel Super Heroes in a Disney Park. It combines music, lights, pyrotechnic effects, video projections and up to 500 drones that will form an awe-inspiring series of icons.
The nighttime show represents the powers of iconic Marvel Super Heroes, including Captain America, Captain Marvel, Scarlet Witch and for the first time at Disneyland Paris, Shang-Chi.
Countless Disneyland Paris Cast Members – including show directors, special effect designers, lighting and motion designers – have combined their expertise and creativity to develop Avengers: Power the Night, which will feature a soundtrack comprised of some of the most iconic Marvel scores that have been specially reorchestrated with a symphony orchestra composed of more than 70 musicians at the famous Abbey Road Studios in London.
To continually push beyond the boundaries of innovation, the laser video projectors that are used for this show boast energy-efficient technology while delivering high-quality images.
Avengers: Power the Night was yet another opportunity for Disneyland Paris to collaborate with the European leader in drone shows, Bordeaux-based Dronisos. This company was recently named as the official technology provider of Disneyland Resort for the second year in a row.
The collaboration between Disneyland Paris and Dronisos has notably paved the way for the creation of the Disneyland Paris 30th Anniversary nighttime drone show “Disney D-Light,” which has been incredibly well-received by guests and was named “Best Live Entertainment 2022” during the Park World Excellence Awards Ceremony.
Disney Dreams! Nighttime Spectacular
For the Grand Finale of the Disneyland Paris 30th Anniversary celebration, the incredible Disney Dreams nighttime spectacular, which debuted a decade ago for the 20th Anniversary, is making its triumphant return to give a new generation of guests the opportunity to discover this iconic show.
Disney Dreams! will once again dazzle guests each night at Disneyland beginning April 12, 2023. Disney Dreams will take guests on a magical and emotional journey following the “Disney D-Light” drone show.
According to Disneyland Paris, the Disney Dreams nighttime spectacular received one of the highest satisfaction rates since the park opened in 1992. Disneyland Paris also says Disney D-Light plus Disney Dreams will result in “a powerful combination of experiences that will result in an unforgettable nighttime sequence.”
Honestly, I believe them on both counts. While prepping this article, I went back through my planning notes from 2012 and Disney Dreams was one of the main reasons we booked the trip in the first place and it was unquestionably a highlight from the visit (no notes needed for that part). By comparison, we were both disappointed in Disney Illuminations.
To draw a Walt Disney World comparison, it felt like going from Happily Ever After to Disney Enchantment. I’d personally give Disney Dreams an edge over Happily Ever After thanks to superior and more effects, but it’s possible that’s nostalgia talking.
Both are exceptional, and I don’t doubt for a second that each of these nighttime spectaculars have superlative satisfaction scores. (I know for a fact that it’s true for Happily Ever After–I’m guessing it’s true for Disney Dreams.)
Guided by Peter Pan’s shadow, guests take an extraordinary journey during Disney Dreams as scenes are projected on Sleeping Beauty Castle and iconic iconic songs play from Disney and Pixar fan favorites Beauty and the Beast, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Lion King, Tangled, and many others.
Disney Dreams offers an incredible burst of colors and light using state-of-the-art technology, dazzling projections, spectacular lasers and fountains, and sensational pyrotechnic effects. The mapping technology used for the show also creates illusions of rotating towers and swinging motions on the walls of Sleeping Beauty Castle.
The 2023 version of Disney Dreams will be even more exceptional, as Sleeping Beauty Castle’s rooftops will be decked out with innovative LED technology that light up in sync with the show’s nostalgic soundtrack. An additional upgrade to the show’s technical equipment includes the installation of energy-efficient laser video projectors, which will make it possible to reduce energy use by 50%, while delivering a breathtaking show.
We already really want to return to Disneyland Paris for the 30th Anniversary Grand Finale. Disney Dreams coming back is literally what pushed us over the edge to book a trip. I cannot wait to see this nighttime spectacular again, and take a trip down memory lane to revisit one of our most formative travel experiences ever–traveling internationally together for the first time in 2012!
I also cannot wait to photograph Disney Dreams again! It’s one of my favorite–and the most challenging–nighttime spectaculars to capture. These are my photos above from 2012-2015, and I’m really eager to–hopefully–outdo them in 2023!
“Pixar: We Belong Together”
As previously shared at the D23 Expo, Pixar: We Belong Together is a brand-new stage show is coming to Walt Disney Studios Park! This stage show will take guests on a journey with their favorite Pixar Pals.
Pixar: We Belong Together combines incredible technology, light effects, and iconic songs to take guests on a journey to find out how friendship brings us all together.
Many more surprises await those who plan a visit during the Disneyland Paris 30th Anniversary Grand Finale, including a brand-new collection of exclusive merchandise, delicious food and beverages, and more. One such other detail that was announced is the return of royal breakfasts with Disney Princesses at l’Auberge de Cendrillon in Fantasyland. (We’ve never dined there, period. It has always been way too expensive, even with favorable exchange rates.)
Additionally, Disneyland Paris announced that “it’s a small world” will reopen in Spring 2023. This ride has been closed for refurbishment for over a year, its second lengthy closure in the last 5 or so years. According to Disney, the refurbishment work contributed to reviving the highly colorful appearance of its outdoor façade and allowed for several technical upgrades.
For the basics of planning a visit to Disneyland Paris, check out our Disneyland Paris Trip Planning Guide. Find the best place to stay in Disneyland Paris Hotel Reviews. Check out 101 Disneyland Paris Tips for some (101, to be exact) of our best random tips for doing DLP like a pro. See Disney Park Tickets Tips & Tricks for ways to save on tickets. For where to eat, check out our Disneyland Restaurant Reviews. For unique ideas of things that’ll improve your trip, check out What to Pack for Disney. Finally, for advice beyond Disney, check out our Ultimate Travel Guide to Paris, France.
YOUR THOUGHTS
Excited about upcoming additions for the Disneyland Paris 30th Anniversary Grand Finale? Looking forward to Avengers: Power the Night or the return of Disney Dreams? Thoughts on even more drones at DLP? Are you looking forward to visiting Disneyland Paris and Walt Disney Studios Park in 2023, or would you rather stick to other Disney Parks? Anything with which you disagree in this post? Any questions? Hearing your feedback about your experiences is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts or questions below in the comments!
My sister and I are taking my parents to Normandy this April for their 70th birthday. It’s a bucket list item for them, and, based on your travel caffeine reports, we *think* we can manage. We have one bonus day before we fly home, and my parents both said they want to go to Disneyland Paris. None of us have been, and we are excited to see a new-to-us castle park. After reading this article, they would like to see Dreams (which will have been live for less than a week when we go). However, due to some health issues, they won’t be able to stand for long periods of time leading up to the show. In the past at WDW and DLR, we’ve splurged on a dessert party for them to have both a view and a seat. Is there anything similar at DLP? Or do you have advice on how to handle this?
At DLP, there are some benches around the hub. If you got there long enough before the show, they yait there and then stand when the show began.
Thank you, Kevin!
Even on video, you can see how the Disney D-Light “pre-show” is still mind blowing in a way that Disney Illuminations is not; I think Disney Dreams will be a much better “main event.”
500 drones (nightly!) sounds impressive, and I’ve always had a thing for basic superhero icons in the sky. (I want to see a giant green fist in the sky accompanied by a generic “Hulk smash” like you wouldn’t believe.)
Hi,
Some scholars in France will go on vacation on 07/04. Besides that, Eastern Holidays in some EU countries like Spain will last from 02/04 to 08/04, more intensively from Thursday to Friday (you know, Holy days). So it may be better if you can avoid those days, being able to travel on the last week of March may be ideal. Anyhow, pent up demand and so is also high in EU, and the parks have been crowed most of the days during the last year. May you be able to stay on site you would benefit from an early entry (one hour) were you can get done some of the rides that will have big lines during the day.
the new light show for Marvel sounds fun, at this point this should just consider turning the Tower into a Marvel theme preferably something based on Doctor Strange so it fits better than the guardians one in DCA
Went to the Paris parks last fall and I have to agree that Disney Illumination was disappointing; the drone preshow definitely upstages it. In fact, our second night we watched the drones and then left before the main show because we decided we’d rather beat the crowd. Adding a drone show to Studios Park sounds fantastic!
Really looking forward to/hoping for some good Paris coverage upon your return. I know the US parks tend to take over this blog but I’m still waiting for more info about your last trip to the Tokyo parks! Mostly, is the Beauty and the Beast ride as awesome as the preview on The Imagineering Story made it seem????
We saw Disney D-Light the week before Christmas. It was the first live drone show I’ve ever seen and I was quite impressed – I think the Avengers show is likely to be really neat.
We saw Dreams in 2016 and I think I like it less than most people (i.e. I’d put it at 8/10 – I still really like it, but less than the US-based shows.) But I still think it’s neat they are bringing it back. And it gives me a chance to share one of my favorite castle photos I’ve taken from the show (https://www.flickr.com/gp/96151261@N05/88zXG66689). I’m glad about the Nautilus and Small World as well – we were disappointed that both were closed on our trip and I feared the submarine might be gone forever. The outside of Small World looks great.
Tom, what is your feeling crowd wise the first week of April in Disneyland Paris? Thanks in advance
We don’t have enough recent experience with DLP to offer post-reopening crowd insights. My best advice would be to look at the price calendar here: https://www.disneylandparis.com/en-usd/events/30th-anniversary/
That week is on the more expensive side, so my guess is that it’ll be fairly busy.
Yes I did look at prices of hotels and seemed expensive that week- I’m guessing cause its near easter? I believe we will just stay at the original hotel in Paris and since we likely only visit one day – I will try the furthest date from holiday. Thanks
For what it’s worth, James. We went the week before Christmas, which I would expect to be one of the busiest weeks of the year, and crowds were not bad at all. Only a couple rides topped an hour wait time and with good park strategy, most lines we waited in were <20-30 minutes. Crowds for the shows and the hub at night seemed lower than we're used to at WDW.
The first week in April also doesn't look like any school holidays, so hopefully it won't be bad for you.
@Kevin thanks for the insight. Im hopeful if we choose a regular weekday to go it should be ok- can’t be worse than our DW trip in December- so crowded.