Disneyland Paris is officially celebrating Pride for the first time
Disneyland Paris has recognised Magical Pride as an official event for the first time.(Disneyland Paris)
Disneyland Paris is holding an official Pride celebration for the first time this year.
The France-based fantasy kingdom has partnered with Greatdays Travel Group, which has been offering unofficial Magical Pride packages for the past few years, to bring “the Sparkle of Pride” to Disneyland Paris.
The event, as described on Disneyland Paris’ website, promises to celebrate “the joy of diversity” on June 1 with a “brand-new” parade dubbed “the Magical March of Diversity Parade.”
In a Magical Pride Facebook post, organisers said the event will include “stunning dance party,” and the possibility to ride attractions late into the night.
“Dress like a dream, feel fabulous and experience Walt Disney Studios Park like never before—loud, proud and alive with all the colours of the rainbow,” stated the Disneyland Paris website, where the standard entry ticket for the one-day event is priced at £78.
PinkNews has contacted Disneyland Paris and Magical Pride’s tour operator for comment.
Unofficial Pride celebrations at Disneyland theme parks have a long history
The Magical Pride travel operator claims the event to be “the first official LGBT event to be held, not only at Disneyland Paris, but at ANY Disney theme park in the world.”
Unofficial celebrations of Pride at Disney theme parks have been taking place since 1991, when the first Gay Days took place at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida.
Gay Days see thousands of LGBT+ people wearing red shirts descending upon Disney theme parks. (Chris Livingston/Getty)
The event, while not sponsored or promoted by the resort, has been held on a yearly basis since then, seeing around “50,000 red-shirted Gay Days attendees packing Walt Disney World’s original park,” usually starting on June 1. The Gay Days will however be held in August this year.
Disneyland Paris and other theme parks enjoy LGBT+ fan base
Despite the current scarcity of openly LGBT+ characters in their films—and a certain resistance from a part of the public to accept one—Disney counts thousands of fans among the rainbow community.
Among the most memorable proposals to take place at Disney theme parks, in 2017 a man proposed to his boyfriend while going down the Splash Mountain. While his boyfriend was distracted by a drop, he whipped out a sign reading “Chris, will you marry me?” in time for the theme park camera to pick up the message.
Another gay couple who got engaged at Disneyland decided to ultimately have a Disney-themed wedding, dressing up as Sheriff Woody and Buzz Lightyear from Toy Story and inviting their guests to also come in costume—which most of them did, reflecting some spectacular commitment to making the couple’s special day truly unforgettable.
