If you fancy pushing the boat out consider taking a relatively short trip to Disneyland Paris which, this year, has organized two months of fantastic festive fun.
This Christmas will see Merida, the Scottish princess from the film Brave (awarded Best Animated Feature at the 85th Oscars) appear at Disneyland Paris for the very first time, along with Anna and Elsa, the sisters from hit Frozen, both appearing in person at the Princess Pavilion in Fantasyland.
When night falls, the first show you shouldn´t miss is Magical Christmas Wishes – the illumination of the Christmas tree that stands 24 metres high and is adorned with 1,000 decorations.
The night-time show Disney Dreams of Christmas features Olaf, the hapless snowman from Frozen who conducts a production with the help of projections, fountains, special effects and fireworks.
Christmas here is also about the traditional magic of New Year’s Eve parties, celebrated with Mickey and pals. On the agenda are shows created as only Disneyland knows how, including an enormous Christmas tree, frosted decorations, encounters with Disney characters in their party outfits and, of course, Father Christmas. It all includes an essential ingredient for Christmas magic: snow falling every day on Main Street, USA.
This year, the theme is decidedly ‘gourmet’ with a parade dreamt up and created especially for Christmas with Disney heroes appearing in their tastiest costumes ever.
Despite some indifferent headlines in 2014, Disneyland Paris remains Europe´s No. 1 tourist destination, boasting more than 275 million visits since opening in 1992.
It is a comfortable three-hour drive from Brussels and makes for a great Yuletide treat for both children and adults alike. The above shows all run until 7 January, but, of, course, at Disneyland there is always another show around the corner.
