If you didn’t know (which you probably don’t because this blog has kind of turned into a book blog which was never what I intended) I am a HUGE Disney fan. Like majorly obsessed. And a major part of my Disney obsession is Disneyland Paris. I’ve visited the park from such a young age and it holds such a special place in my heart.
This all being said…I didn’t go to this years FanDaze because, well, there’s actually many reasons. Firstly, it was new and with no one having any prior knowledge of the event it was hard to tell if it was going to be worth splashing the cash on. I also hadn’t heard great things about Electroland with fans saying it was overcrowded and poorly organised which I’ve got to admit put me off. Also I personally thought that FanDaze was advertised as a massive meet and greet of rare characters, which I really wasn’t into because I don’t really go to DLP for the character greets. So mainly because of my lack of money and not knowing exactly what it was I decided to give it a miss.
Buuuut, last night my twitter feed was obviously bursting with FanDaze as I follow so many DLP accounts (if you don’t I seriously recommend following @ED92live, @DLPTownSquare, @MagicalDLP and @CafeFantasia on twitter) so naturally I was pulled in. Very early on into the event (I just missed the opening ceremony) I noticed that DLP were doing an official live stream of FanDaze so I thought I’d watch a few minutes and then get on with my evening…fast forward to 6 hours and 35 minutes later! At 1 AM I found myself questioning how I’d somehow watched the entire live steam. YEP. So I thought I’d share my thoughts on my experience of DLP’s FanDaze event from the comfort of my own home.
Firstly, I mean, if you couldn’t already guess from the fact I watched the whole thing, I ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT. I thought it was amazing and if I was enjoying it that much through watching the live stream I can’t begin to think how overwhelming it must have been to actually be there. The coverage was fantastic. The quality of the live stream was exceptional and everything was so professionally done. It made you feel as though you were actually there experiencing the Disney magic first hand. The atmosphere looked amazing, but honestly watching the live stream and following updates on Twitter really made you feel like you were part of the experience. I think it just shows what a brilliant and strong fan community DLP has. I did question myself because I wasn’t there, did this mean I wasn’t a proper fan. But no it didn’t. Just because I couldn’t afford to go doesn’t make me any less of a fan. And that’s really why the live stream was so brilliant, because you could tell that DLP really did want everyone to feel included in the magic, and they really did achieve that brilliantly.
Some personal highlights of the FanDaze live stream was being able to watch all the shows as well as freaking out over which extremely rare characters were there (MILO AND KIDA WERE THERE AND I LOST MY SHIT). My actual favourite thing that I watched was the Dance Your Ducktales Parade. I’m not joking, I cried. ACTUAL TEARS AT A FREAKIN’ DUCKTALES PARADE. I don’t even know why. It was just so good it really overwhelmed me. Moving on swiftly from my perhaps slightly over-emotional response to a Ducktales parade… Other things that I really enjoyed were Max Live, which I thought was incredible and brought a different variety of characters together in a really entertaining show, and the end parade, which brought out over 80 character I believe.
So, would I go to FanDaze if they did it again? ABSOLUTELY, YES. Although being able to watch it at home was brilliant, I had massive FOMO and just wanted to be there experiencing it myself. I’m really hoping they make it an annual thing and if they do decide to do FanDaze again I’ll be purchasing my tickets ASAP.
Being able to watch it from home though was so brilliant and meant that if you couldn’t make FanDaze, for whatever reason, you still had the chance to be part of the experience from home. You still get that same buzz of Disney magic and honestly with both the live streaming and following Twitter accounts that really put a lot of effort into trying to live tweet the experience for people who couldn’t make it (again thank you to @ED92live who were incredible at live tweeting the event) it felt as though you were there in the park. The DLP fan community is so strong at the moment and events like this make it all the more worth it. This seriously was an event for the fans and that showed. What DLP tried to do was bring fans together with FanDaze, both in the park and at home, and they truly did achieve this. A lot of effort was put into making sure all fans were included in this event and it really payed off. Well done to them!
So it really was ‘fun to be a fan’ whether you were in the park or enjoying it from your own home.
Bethan O'Brien 