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Liberty Arcade
Liberty enlightening the world.
Take a stroll through this beautiful covered arcade, with ornate furnishings and a fascinating exhibition detailing the conception, inauguration and legacy of the Statue of Liberty.
The arcade can be reached via doors at either end or by Liberty Court on Flower Street. The Emporium, Disney & Co. and Casey's Corner link directly onto the walkway.
From the Eastern corner of Town Square, you step through the heavy wooden doors into the warm shelter of Liberty Arcade, a covered walkway spanning the length of the street, lit by both gas and electric, constructed with ornate ironwork displaying the statue's crowned head.
Liberty Arcade presents the story of the Statue of Liberty through historic photographs, artworks and display cases, a story which links France to the United States of America and Main Street, U.S.A. to the earlier, less lawful times of Frontierland beyond.
- Don't miss this!
Covered walkway behind boutiques on West Main Street, with Statue of Liberty tableau and exhibition.
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Opening Date
12th April 1992
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Attraction Type
Covered arcade
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Duration
Around 10 minutes to explore
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Category
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Wait Time
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Suitablility
- Children 3-7
- Children 8-12
- Young Adults
- Adults
- Seniors
Scenes
The Gift of Liberty
With Liberty Arcade and the whole of Disneyland Paris, it could be said that "The Gift of Liberty" has come full-circle - for it was France who, in 1886, presented "La liberté éclairant le monde" (Liberty Enlightening the World) to the United States. The statue was designed by Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, with its internal structure engineered by none other than Alexandre Gustave Eiffel. The first section of Liberty Arcade details this incredible process with rare photographs and unique scale models of the monument under design, initial construction and shipping to America.
Statue of Liberty Tableau
Both arcades are split into three distinct sections, with the first and last reasonably similar across both walkways. The middle of each arcade, however, is a break from the regularity and — in the case of Liberty Arcade — one of the most lavish and eye-catching areas in the whole of Main Street. The story of the monument continues here with its completion and dedication on Liberty Island, New York. Liberty Court, an ornate white building featuring stained-glass windows of the statue with the numberals '1866', leads from Flower Street into this extravagant circular area.
Filled with advertisements of jubilation, this court celebrates the completion of the Liberty monument and beckons guests behind the curtains of a tradional side-show scene - the Statue of Liberty Tableau.
In this atmospheric and often-missed corner, you can attend the inauguration of "Lady Liberty" yourself - watching from a ship in the harbour of New York City as steamships sound their horns and crowds cheer the completion of the Statue of Liberty. Atmospheric sounds and lights bring the moment to life.
Liberty Enlightening the World
Now dedicated with fireworks and celebrations, the final portion of Liberty Arcade celebrates the lasting legacy and impact of the Statue of Liberty, as if Lady Liberty were sending a postcard to her old friends in France. This area, bringing the story right up-to-date with Main Street, U.S.A., is considerably more lively and modern, with extra seating for Casey's Corner flowing along the arcade.
Trivia
- At the end of Liberty Arcade, a somewhat "hidden" route to the left leads along the Thunder Mesa Express path to Frontierland and a time before Lady Liberty arrived. You can follow this through Fort Comstock and around the winding paths to Adventureland Bazaar, then on to Pirates of the Caribbean and Peter Pan's Flight — a unique route designed to help guests reach the length of the park without getting wet!
- Liberty Arcade, the Statue of Liberty Tableau and Liberty Court are all completely unique to Disneyland Paris — never designed or built for any Disney park before or after.
- The murals throughout Liberty Arcade were inspired by the Universal Exhbition of 1876. Imagineers visited a reconstruction of part of the exhibit in the Smithsonian Institute, spending hours perfecting the design before they were finally painted by Jim Michaelson.
- The reason for building both Liberty Arcade and Discovery Arcade can be traced right back to France and Europe itself — not just the darker skies and rain, but the entire culture. The Imagineers working on Main Street, U.S.A. back in the late 1980s were immediately given extra finances for their street to be spent on a large glass and metal roof over the whole street, identical to that used to enclose Tokyo Disneyland's version of Main Street, known as World Bazaar. However, not only did the roof in Tokyo present several restrictions in the way of park operations and parades, but the Imagineers were well aware of their new audience's taste for café culture and open streets. Therefore, the budget for the roof was redirected instead to these two, very special, arcades...
- ...But only one third of it, mind. The two arcades are often applauded for their detail and beauty, but they cost considerably less to build than a roof over the street could have. The rest of the money originally allocated for covering Main Street was then redirected by the land's show producer Eddie Sotto to the interiors of each and every restaurant and boutique, explaining their pure extravagance when compared to other Main Streets around the world.
- Liberty Arcade finally brings to life a concept designed in the late 1950s for Disneyland in California but never achieved in reality — Liberty Street. This small cul-de-sac area off Town Square would, Walt Disney hoped, have inspired visitors to more fully appreciate the significance of their heritage and liberty through recreations of famous moments and landmarks which shaped modern America. Walt was forever keen to promote Disneyland not just as an amusement park but as a reflection of societies and cultures, a time capsule of history, educating — and enlightening — whilst entertaining.
American flags flying around Liberty Arcade and Main Street are authentic to the period and specially made to have only 48 stars, the number of states at the turn of the 20th Century
Tips
- The beauty of Main Street's two arcades shines brighter than ever at night. No, not because they're lavishly detailed, but because they both provide a wonderful "escape route" after big events such as fireworks. Rather than ambling along with the sluggish crowds down Main Street, you can rush out through the arcades and reach the park exit in record time.
