Nearly 30 years after the Golden Arches first rose over a Disney theme park location in France, they’ve officially come down.
How McDonald’s Got Into the Disney Parks
The McDonald’s and Disney partnership stretches back to the 1980s, when the two brands first linked up through Happy Meal toy promotions. By the 1990s, the relationship had grown into the theme parks, with McDonald’s kiosks operating inside Disneyland Park, Magic Kingdom Park, and EPCOT, a full-service restaurant in what is now Disney Springs, and even a sponsorship of the original DINOSAUR attraction at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park.
In the early 2000s, Disney declined to renew its domestic deal with the fast-food giant as part of a broader effort to steer children toward healthier food options, and every McDonald’s footprint inside a U.S. Disney theme park quietly disappeared. The lone exception is a standalone McDonald’s near the All-Star Resort hotels at Walt Disney World.
Three Decades in Disney Village
Overseas, things played out differently. McDonald’s opened its first French restaurant in 1972 and built an enormous presence in the country; France ranks as the company’s second-largest global market. A massive McDonald’s opened in the Disney Village dining and entertainment district at Disneyland Paris Resort in the 1990s and became a fixture for European Disney Park guests for close to three decades.
Disneyland Paris Resort announced last year that the long-running location would close permanently, and on February 16, 2026, it served its last customer. X user @cave0fwonders was on the scene to document the moment the arches were pulled from the facade, sharing photos and video that captured the end of an era.
✨ 🚧 A page is turning … ✨ [Translated from French]
#disneylandparis @McDonaldsFrance
✨ 🚧 Une page se tourne … ✨#disneylandparis @McDonaldsFrance pic.twitter.com/Xl8ajfRai4
— 🧞♂️ Cave 0f Wonders (@Cave0fWonders) March 12, 2026
One Golden Door Closes, Another One Opens
European Disney Park guests barely had time to miss their McNuggets and Big Macs. A brand-new McDonald’s opened just one day later, on February 17, near Lake Disney, with a design described as “an innovative architecture designed exclusively for Disneyland Paris,” alongside exclusive Disneyland Paris Resort merchandise.
Should Disney bring back McDonald’s kiosks in its theme parks? Share your opinion with Disney Dining in the comments!
