Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show: Disneyland Paris’s lost dinner show

It was Disneyland Paris’s iconic dinner show, housed in its own covered arena at the far end of Disney Village (the free-to-enter area of restaurants and shops just in front of the parks). Here’s how it worked: you took your seat in the stands around a large ring, a meal was served at your table and the show played out in front of you while you ate.

The theme was the Wild West of the late nineteenth century, inspired by the real touring show of William Cody, better known as "Buffalo Bill". On the bill: cowboys, cowgirls, sharpshooting acts, galloping horses, bison and a troupe of performers playing the pioneers and the Native American peoples.

The show lasted about 1 hr 30, dinner included. A master of ceremonies kicked off the evening, then the scenes followed one after another:

The little touch that made the evening: at the entrance, each table was assigned to one of four ranches, each with its own colour (the Gold Star, the Red River, the Blue Moon and the Green Mountain). During the show, your section cheered on "its" cowboy in the contests. The atmosphere built up fast, and children loved shouting for their team.

The meal was served at your seat, on Wild West-style tin plates, and was very much part of the show. The typical set menu, just before it closed:

The price covered the show and the full dinner, unlimited drinks included. Holders of the former Infinity and Magic Plus annual passes got a 20% discount. Performances ran from Friday to Tuesday, usually at 18:30 and 21:30.

I’ll be honest with you: I saw it once, as a little girl, when my dad took me. I don’t remember much detail and I regret not going back as an adult, before it closed for good. My dad still talks about it: for him, it was a special moment, something he couldn’t find anywhere else in the park and a really good time to share as a family.

That is probably what has been missing most since it went: Disneyland Paris no longer has a dinner show on this scale. Buffalo Bill’s was a whole evening, a break from everything, with that warm and slightly noisy feel of big shared tables.

The last performance took place on 13 March 2020, the day before the park closed because of the pandemic. The show never reopened: its permanent closure was confirmed in November 2020, and the sign was taken down from the building in May 2021. No similar show has replaced it since.

There is no longer a dinner show of this kind at Disneyland Paris. For an evening out there today, you have two options: enjoy Disney Village (restaurants, buffets, cinema), which is free to enter, or plan your visit around one of the park’s current shows.