Disney Village is a

shopping Shopping is an activity in which a customer browses the available goods or services presented by one or more retailers with the potential intent to purchase a suitable selection of them. A Retail#Shopper profiles, typology of shopper types ha ...

dining A restaurant is an establishment that prepares and serves food and drinks to customers. Meals are generally served and eaten on the premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services. Restaurants vary greatly in a ...

, and

entertainment Entertainment is a form of activity that holds the attention and Interest (emotion), interest of an audience or gives pleasure and delight. It can be an idea or a task, but it is more likely to be one of the activities or events that have deve ...

complex in

Disneyland Paris Disneyland Paris is an entertainment resort in Marne-la-Vallée, France, located about east of Paris. It encompasses two theme parks, seven Disney-owned hotels, two convention centers, a golf course, an arena, and a shopping, dining and entert ...

, located in the town of Marne-la-Vallée, France. Originally named Festival Disney, it opened on April 12, 1992, covering an area of approximately inside what was then known as Euro Disney Resort. Based on Walt Disney World's Disney Village Marketplace (now Disney Springs), Disney Village was designed by

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs, and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

Frank Gehry with towers of

oxidized Redox ( , , reduction–oxidation or oxidation–reduction) is a type of chemical reaction in which the oxidation states of the reactants change. Oxidation is the loss of electrons or an increase in the oxidation state, while reduction is ...

silver and bronze-colored

stainless steel Stainless steel, also known as inox, corrosion-resistant steel (CRES), or rustless steel, is an iron-based alloy that contains chromium, making it resistant to rust and corrosion. Stainless steel's resistance to corrosion comes from its chromi ...

under a canopy of lights. It is adjacent to the two

theme parks An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, and events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central theme, often fea ...

and the Lake Buena Vista hotel area.

History

Original concept

Disney specified that the primary focus of the new facility should be entertainment. It was envisioned as an attraction inside of the Euro Disney Resort, as well as a free transitional space for visitors of the Euro Disneyland theme park and train passengers from the TGV/RER station traveling to the resort hotels. The space would include numerous shops, bars, concerts, shows, and nightclubs. The original concept was a large, open space full of life and

music Music is the arrangement of sound to create some combination of Musical form, form, harmony, melody, rhythm, or otherwise Musical expression, expressive content. Music is generally agreed to be a cultural universal that is present in all hum ...

. It would be lit from all sides around a central avenue and include a starry sky as its crowning feature. The columns that would support this sky would be the remnants of an old power station, which had been left standing after the site had been converted. Gehry noted:

Changes and alterations

Although the starry sky was generally well-received, the same could not be said for many other aspects of ''Festival Disney''. From the beginning, guests and cast members alike criticized the project, perceiving it as having a cold, industrial, and soulless atmosphere. As a result, many changes were made to Gehry's original concept. Metal frames that had been placed on many of the pylons were removed and replaced with statues and food counters. In 1996, just four years after opening, ''Festival Disney'' was renamed Disney Village. Popular restaurant chain Planet Hollywood opened in front of the ''Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show'' building, and the following year an eight-screen Gaumont multiplex cinema complex opened next door to Planet Hollywood, blocking the Wild West Show's original entrance. Many changes and adjustments took place in existing buildings over the next 10 years, such as the opening of ''Café Mickey'' in 2002 (replacing the ''Los Angeles Bar & Grill''), the opening of ''King Ludwig's Castle'' in 2003 (replacing ''Rock 'n' Roll America''), and the opening of the '' Rainforest Café'' in 1999 (replacing ''Key West''). On January 25, 1999, a large

McDonald's McDonald's Corporation, doing business as McDonald's, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational fast food chain store, chain. As of 2024, it is the second largest by number of locations in the world, behind only the Chinese ch ...

fast food restaurant opened with a theme based on Italy's

Commedia dell'arte Commedia dell'arte was an early form of professional theatre, originating from Theatre of Italy, Italian theatre, that was popular throughout Europe between the 16th and 18th centuries. It was formerly called Italian comedy in English and is a ...

. Later in 2004, a 570-seat

IMAX IMAX is a proprietary system of High-definition video, high-resolution cameras, film formats, film projectors, and movie theater, theaters known for having very large screens with a tall aspect ratio (image), aspect ratio (approximately ei ...

cinema opened as part of the Gaumont multiplex. Finally, on December 3, 2004, an

Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French (), is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design that first Art Deco in Paris, appeared in Paris in the 1910s just before World War I and flourished in the United States and Europe during the 1920 ...

themed multi-story parking structure called '' VINCI Park'' (now

Indigo InterGlobe Aviation Limited (d/b/a IndiGo), is an India, Indian airline headquartered in Gurgaon, Haryana, India. It is the largest List of airlines of India, airline in India by passengers carried and fleet size, with a 64.1% domestic market ...

) opened. In 2004, the resort management team began renovations that would take several years to complete. The neon lights, oversized signs, and central stage were all removed from the main area. Colorfully lit balloons were added to the remaining columns for nighttime lighting. ''PanoraMagique'', one of the largest captive balloons in the world, opened in April 2005. It carries up to 30 passengers into the sky. In 2008, resort management added large planters that contained trees, hedges, and flowers to the main thoroughfare. Terraces were added to restaurants and cafés, and the facades of buildings were updated. In the same year, a new beverage stand/snack bar was added near the entrance to Disney Village, and the tourist kiosk nearby was rebuilt in more of a neo-industrial

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

ian style. In 2009, the ''Buffalo Trading Company'' closed and the premises are now occupied by a

Starbucks Starbucks Corporation is an American multinational List of coffeehouse chains, chain of coffeehouses and Starbucks Reserve, roastery reserves headquartered in Seattle, Washington. It was founded in 1971 by Jerry Baldwin, Zev Siegl, and Gor ...

coffee house. As part of a €2 billion expansion of the resort, which Disney announced back in 2018, it has been confirmed that Disney Village will receive an overhaul and potential expansion. Further details have not yet been confirmed.

Current venues

Attractions and entertainment

*Disney Stadium Arcade Games *Disney Village Marina *Disney Village Stage *Dôme Disney Village : Conference center for professional event and evenings. It sometimes hosts public events like the 2005 production of '' Grease'', concerts or sports competitions. * Gaumont Disney Village : Cinema with

, 4DX and D-Box Technologies *PanoraMagique : Aerophile Observational Balloon

Restaurants and bars

*Annette's Diner (table service restaurant) * Ben & Jerry's Kiosque De Glaces (ice cream kiosk) *Billy Bob's Country Western Saloon (table service restaurant & snack bar) * Earl of Sandwich (counter service restaurant) * Five Guys (counter service restaurant) *La Grange (buffeteria) *

(counter service restaurant) *New York Style Sandwiches (counter service restaurant) * Rainforest Cafe (table service restaurant) *Rosalie (table service restaurant) - replaced Café Mickey *Sports Bar (bar with table service) *

(coffee house) *The Steakhouse (table service restaurant) *The Royal Pub (table service restaurant) - replaced King Ludwig's Castle *Vapiano (counter service restaurant)

Shopping

* World of Disney * Disney Store *Disney Fashion *Disney Fashion jr *The Disney Gallery *World of Toys *

Lego Lego (, ; ; stylised as LEGO) is a line of plastic construction toys manufactured by the Lego Group, a privately held company based in Billund, Denmark. Lego consists of variously coloured interlocking plastic bricks made of acrylonitri ...

Store * Rainforest Cafe Retail Village * Bureau de change

Closed venues

*Streets of America - closed in 1993 *The Surf Shop - closed 1993 *Key West Seafood - closed in 1999 *Los Angeles Bar & Grill - closed in 2002 *Rock'n'Roll America - closed in 2003 *Buffalo Trading Company - closed in 2009 *Hurricanes Discotheque - closed on March 1, 2010 *Hollywood Pictures - closed in July 2013 *NEX Fun Bowling & Games - closed in 2016 * Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show with Mickey & Friends: an original show re-enacted twice nightly in a purpose-built arena since 1992. Despite technological production elements, the show retained a high degree of authenticity, including

bison A bison (: bison) is a large bovine in the genus ''Bison'' (from Greek, meaning 'wild ox') within the tribe Bovini. Two extant taxon, extant and numerous extinction, extinct species are recognised. Of the two surviving species, the American ...

, Longhorn cattle, and quarter horses imported from North America. The cast included Native American members, as well as trained

rodeo Rodeo () is a competitive equestrian sport that arose out of the working practices of cattle herding in Spain and Mexico, expanding throughout the Americas and to other nations. It was originally based on the skills required of the working vaqu ...

cowboys. Most of the more famous elements of the original show remain, including the Pony Express, Indian Attack, and Stagecoach Robbery. A dinner show entry included a

cowboy hat The cowboy hat is a high-crowned, wide-brimmed hat best known as the defining piece of attire for the North American cowboy. Today it is worn by many people, and is particularly associated with ranch workers in the United States, Canada, Mexico, C ...

and a themed menu of chili and

barbecue Barbecue or barbeque (often shortened to BBQ worldwide; barbie or barby in Australia and New Zealand) is a term used with significant regional and national variations to describe various cooking methods that employ live fire and smoke to coo ...

ribs. The show was approaching world-record attendance with over 10,000 shows performed in front of 8.5 million guests. Since 2009, the show starred Mickey Mouse and his friends. - closed in 2020 *Café Mickey (table service restaurant) - closed in 2020, replaced by Rosalie * Planet Hollywood (table service restaurant) - closed in 2023 *King Ludwig's Castle (table service restaurant) - closed in 2023 to be replaced by The Royal Pub. *

Coca-Cola Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a cola soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. In 2013, Coke products were sold in over 200 countries and territories worldwide, with consumers drinking more than 1.8 billion company beverage servings ...

Cool Stop (refreshment kiosk) - closed January 2024

References

External links

*
Disney Village Food Guide

Google Maps - Disney Village

DLRP Magic - Disney Village Guide

PanoraMagique Official Site

VINCI Park Press Release

EuroSouvenirland - Disney Village's former buildings photos
{{Authority control Disneyland Paris 1992 establishments in France