Plopsaland De Panne at Christmas: Magical Christmas

On the Franco-Belgian border, about twenty minutes’ drive from Dunkirk, Plopsaland De Panne covers its paths with garlands and snow-dusted fir trees every winter. Plopsaland De Panne at Christmas, a season the park presents as “Magical Christmas”, brings together shows, the new Plopsa Christmas Parade and a meeting with the Christmas Gnome, on a site designed for families with young children. Being so close to the Hauts-de-France makes it an easy day out to organise from Dunkirk or Lille, as long as you check the calendar before you go.

Plopsaland De Panne at Christmas: the Magical Christmas programme

The park claims more than 55 attractions open during the season, spread between Plopsaland’s usual themed areas and the sets put up for winter. A winter village takes shape with braziers and hot chocolate, a handy meeting point between rides. Once night falls, the Plopsa Christmas Parade, the first Christmas version of the park’s parade, winds along the paths; a new show, “Maya’s Toy Story”, joins the line-up.

Younger visitors can meet the Christmas Gnome, on the renovated Plopsaland Plaza, decorated for the occasion, a character from the Studio 100 universe behind the park. Studio 100 is less well known in France than in Belgium and the Netherlands: children who watch Flemish cartoons will spot familiar faces, while others will mostly enjoy the rides and the show.

The official programme makes no mention of an ice rink: don’t plan an activity on the ice. The concept is different from a free Christmas market: here, the day is organised around a theme park ticket, with the queues and opening hours of a closed site rather than a trail of chalets open to all.

The setting is designed for young visitors: height restrictions measured at the entrance to each ride, a pace that leaves time to return to the winter village between rides, and characters at child height for photos. A family with children under ten will feel more at home here than an adult on their own looking for thrills, as the park focuses on atmosphere rather than high-speed rides for this season.

“Magical Christmas” is presented by the park as a brand-new event, following on from previous winter seasons with similar ingredients: lights, shows and meetings with Studio 100 characters. From 19 December, the Samson & Marie Kerstshow joins the programme, available with a combined ticket or a stay.

2026 dates and opening hours: from 21 November to 3 January

The official calendar is out: “Magical Christmas” runs from 21 November 2026 to 3 January 2027. Until 16 December, the park opens only on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays, from 10am to 5pm. From 19 December to 3 January, it opens every day, 25 December and 1 January included: from 10am to 6pm until 30 December, from 10am to 1am on the 31st, and from 11am to 6pm from 1 to 3 January.

Once the holidays are over, Plopsaland closes for maintenance work, from 4 January to 5 February 2027, reopening on Saturday 6 February 2027. If you are planning a trip well in advance, this closure period is worth keeping in mind as much as the Christmas calendar announcement itself.

Tickets and prices for Plopsaland at Christmas

Plopsaland offers two types of ticket. The dated ticket, valid for a specific day, starts at €36 (price checked on 5 October 2026 on the official website, where a banner also shows “from €38”: the price depends on the day) for anyone 1 metre tall or more; the undated ticket, valid for a year, costs €56, a gap that pays for the freedom to choose your date. Between 85 and 99 centimetres, the price drops to €20, and entry is free under 85 centimetres. Visitors aged 70 and over also get the €20 price.

Family packages round out the price list, from €135 for three people up to €259 for six. No price list specific to the Christmas season has been published: these amounts are those of the park’s usual price list.

The price of the dated ticket changes from day to day, and the park’s calendar shows no price per day for the winter: the exact price for your chosen date is shown on the official ticket shop at the time of purchase.

Getting there from France: car, train and tram

From Dunkirk, allow about twenty minutes by road on the A16 and then the E40 to the Adinkerke exit. From Lille, the journey rises to a little over an hour on the same route. The car park is at the entrance to the site, directly accessible from the motorway exit.

As for public transport, there is no longer a train between Dunkirk and Adinkerke: the free DK’Bus buses run to Adinkerke station, the nearest to the park, with a change at Leffrinckoucke. The Belgian coast tram, the Kusttram, then serves De Panne and Adinkerke a few minutes’ walk from the entrance, a practical option if you are already staying along the coast and do not want to take the car again.

For visitors coming from further afield in France, taking the train to Lille and then a hire car is an option to consider case by case, the bus link from Dunkirk being the simplest option without a car. Those already staying on the Belgian coast, in Ostend or Knokke for example, can rely on the Kusttram for the whole journey.

From Paris, the drive takes about three hours for a little over 300 kilometres, a distance that puts Plopsaland in a trip built around the Flemish coast rather than an improvised day out.

Where to stay, family budget and tips

For the night, families generally choose Dunkirk, De Panne or the neighbouring Belgian seaside towns, all less than half an hour from the park by car. A day return trip is just as realistic, given the distance from the Hauts-de-France.

Plopsaland De Panne at Christmas is aimed first at families with young children who are ready to pay for a theme park ticket for a full day of rides and shows: the budget is well above that of a free Christmas market, but the package also covers the rides and meetings with the characters, not just a stroll between chalets.

For two adults and two children over one metre tall, a dated ticket brings the entry bill to €144 at the lowest (4 times €36). With a child between 85 and 99 centimetres instead of one of the two taller children, the total comes down to €128 (2 times €36 for the adults, €36 for the elder child, €20 for the youngest), and the ticket becomes free if the youngest is under 85 centimetres. These amounts cover neither food nor any parking fee, which the park has not confirmed.

The coastal wind is felt more than inland, even under winter sunshine: a windproof layer on top of your coat makes all the difference. Aim for a Wednesday or a weekday during the holidays to enjoy the rides with shorter queues, and keep an eye on the official calendar, which notes for each day that some rides may close in cold weather.

• The Flemish coast lends itself to a combined trip with the Dunkirk Christmas market, about twenty minutes’ drive away.
• Lille is a handy base for combining Plopsaland with the Lille Christmas market in the same weekend.
• On the Belgian side, the Bruges Christmas market adds a heritage stop less than an hour’s drive from the park.
• The Kusttram lets you reach several Belgian seaside villages without getting back in the car, a useful option for spreading the visit over two days.