As the fresh winds of Winter blow into Disneyland Paris, so too does a fresh Christmas season, packed full of changes and additions to the ever-popular festive overlay.

From the nostalgic return of the much-loved Tree Lighting Ceremony to a brand new sleigh for Santa Claus, Jérémie Noyer meets the man behind the holiday magic, Christophe Leclercq, who acts as Show Director for the entire season of events…

The Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony is back on Town Square!

This year, we want to come back to a more basic concept and above all, more intimate. That’s the reason why we’ve developed this new ceremony in front of the Christmas Tree.

Now we’ve got three key events within the day. Several times a day, we’ve got simultaneously the illumination of the lamps, the fall of the snow on Main Street to the sound of Ring the Bells and passing by, Disney’s Once Upon A Dream Parade and Minnie’s Party Train. Then at the end of the day, we’ve got this Tree Lighting Ceremony in front of the tree, and later on, a ceremony on Central Plaza Stage for the illumination of the Crystal Palace.

With the return of the Tree Lighting Ceremony on Town Square, it brings back much nostalgia of the early Christmas seasons at Disneyland Paris!

I was nostalgic myself! It’s true that this Victorian square is very beautiful and that the Tree fits perfectly, it looks so beautiful here.

What does the new Tree Lighting Ceremony consist of?

The basic idea is to ask a child to take part in the illumination of the tree. For this, we use a removable stage we decorate for the occasion. It enters the Park and comes to a stop before the tree, to the sound of a Christmas medley composed of Deck the Halls, Jingle Bells, Petit Papa Noël and Santa Claus is Coming to Town.

On the float, we see our favourite characters: Mickey & Minnie, Chip & Dale, Goofy, Pluto, Donald and Daisy, all dressed in white and red Christmas outfits, as well as Tifil, Santa Claus’ assistant. This character has gathered all the letters for Santa Claus in a big red velvet bag, all the letters posted by children since that morning at the Santa Claus Post Office in Frontierland.

Tifil therefore comes to celebrate Christmas before the letters are flown off to the North Pole, and brings the illumination of the tree to life as Master of Ceremonies. He explains that he needs help to spark the illumination because fireflies locked in a magical book, which is on the float, must be freed. Only the hand of a child can open this book.

So a child will be chosen in the audience and he or she will be able to open the book, releasing a special lighting effect all around.

A very original lighting effect, indeed!

It’s a really new lighting concept. All the secrets lie in the opening of the book, which will at the same time release the start of the fireflies and all sorts of flashes around the child and the book. This is also decorated with mirrors to help the effect, creating this feeling of lights coming from all angles. And from there, the fireflies join the tree and begin to illuminate it.

As a finale, the lampposts lining Main Street are lit all at once, creating a kind of magical path as far as the Castle, which is not yet illuminated…

That’ll happen at the end of the last performance of It’s Party Time… with Mickey and Friends each day?

Absolutely. It’s the same show, except for the fact that, after Peter Pan’s number, Mickey’s magic formula “Miska Mouska Mickey Mouse” now releases sparkling fireflies not only on his suit but all around the stage and on the Castle.

From these, Tinker Bell appears, linked to Peter Pan who just preceded her, spreading her Pixie Dust on the castle which then illuminates fully, before the show ends with the “Mickey Dance”. This means that, for the finale of the Mickey Dance, we’ve got a sublime castle behind this stage full of singers and dancers, which itself will dance in lights to the same rhythm.

The other event is the new float for Santa Claus, to bring together the Dreams of Christmas section of Disney’s Once Upon a Dream Parade.

It’s a brand new sleigh pulled by reindeer, designed by Jerome Picoche, which gives the impression of it flying above the clouds…

From now on, you’ll be able to see it at the end of Disney’s Once Upon a Dream Parade every day during the Christmas season. I hope that, like me, you’ll love it too!