Parcs Passion

Parcs Passion is a French association loi de 1901 (non-profit association) founded in 2002 by three amusement park enthusiasts who met on internet forums and at Disneyland Paris. Originally named O'Malley Cat Club, it adopted the name Parcs Passion in 2004 to better reflect its broad focus on leisure parks, including theme parks, water parks, zoos, leisure bases and funfairs. The association is headquartered in Seine-et-Marne, with its registered office in Roissy-en-Brie, and has members across France, Luxembourg, Belgium, Switzerland, Germany and the Netherlands. The association's primary goal is to facilitate meetings and exchanges among enthusiasts. It organises an annual Christmas meal, day trips to local parks, and its flagship event, the "Week-End AIRTIME" — a two- or three-day trip to major European parks known for intense rides. Over the years, AIRTIME trips have visited Europa-Park (Germany), PortAventura Park (Spain), Alton Towers (England) and Liseberg (Sweden), among others. The concept evolved into longer trips, such as the 2009 week-long Italian tour, the 2012 "Hyper-Méga AIRTIME" across the northeastern United States, the 2018 "Oriental AIRTIME" to Shanghai Disneyland and Japanese parks, and the planned 2024 "Emirats' Airtime" to Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Parcs Passion publishes the quarterly print magazine Parcs et Attractions, the only French-language magazine of its kind in France. Launched in 2002 as the homemade O'Malley Cat News, it was renamed World of Attractions and then Parcs et Attractions from issue 4. The magazine ceased publication in 2016 but resumed in 2024. The association also maintains a website with photos and videos of its activities and is sometimes consulted by media for articles and documentaries. Its current president is Xavier Metz.

Parcs Passion was conceived in 2001 by three amusement park enthusiasts who met on internet forums dedicated to the subject and later met in person at Disneyland Paris. The park, open year-round, became a favoured meeting place. The association was officially founded in 2002 with the signing of its statutes on 22 February and their publication in the Journal Officiel on 15 April. At that time it was called O'Malley Cat Club. During the general assembly in June 2004, the name Parcs Passion was adopted to replace O'Malley Cat Club. The old name gave no indication of the association's objectives, and because O'Malley is a character from the film The Aristocats, it seemed too closely tied to the Walt Disney universe and appeared to limit the association to Disney parks only. Parcs Passion now has members in France, Luxembourg, Belgium, Switzerland, Germany and the Netherlands. Its registered office is located in Seine-et-Marne, specifically in Roissy-en-Brie. The association's primary purpose is to facilitate meetings and exchanges among enthusiasts. It organises an annual Christmas meal in a restaurant, where members discuss the past season and upcoming novelties. Other gatherings often take the form of day visits to local parks departing from the Île-de-France region; such meetups have been held at Parc Astérix, Nigloland, Parc Saint-Paul and the Musée des Arts Forains. Two meetings took place during exceptional visits to the Parisian park Planète magique before its destruction. The original concept and major annual event of Parcs Passion is the "Week-End AIRTIME". This consists of a two- or three-day trip to a major European park offering big rides and strong sensations (airtime is the English term for the feeling experienced during a steep drop in a thrill ride). The trip usually takes place in late summer or September. Through its Week-End AIRTIME, the association has enabled members to visit, among others, Europa-Park in Germany, PortAventura Park in Spain, Alton Towers in England and Liseberg in Sweden. In 2009, an evolution of the concept was proposed. Renamed simply "AIRTIME", the organised trip spanned a week and visited three Italian parks. This trip was a trial for more distant destinations and longer stays. A trip called "Hyper-Méga AIRTIME" took place in August 2012 across the northeastern United States. A trip called "Oriental AIRTIME" was made in October 2018 to Shanghai Disneyland in China, followed by Universal Studios Japan, Nagashima Spa Land, Fuji-Q Highland and Tokyo Disney Resort in Japan. The next major trip, called "Emirats' Airtime 2024", was planned for late October 2024 to Dubai and Abu Dhabi, with visits to Warner Bros. World, SeaWorld Abu Dhabi and Ferrari World. Parcs et Attractions is a quarterly print magazine published by the association for its members. It is the only magazine of its kind in France and the only one entirely written in French. In October 2002, the association released a draft of a homemade journal titled O'Malley Cat News, derived from the association's name at the time. This four-page black-and-white journal was replaced after two issues by a new full-colour version, World of Attractions. From issue 4, the journal was thoroughly redesigned: new French name Parcs et Attractions, new layout, and a partial and temporary return to black and white to reduce costs. It was printed in 130 copies and had 24 pages (ISSN 1771-7302). From 2010, Parcs et Attractions was entirely produced in colour. Publication ceased in 2016 but resumed in 2024. The association also runs a website offering photos and videos of its activities. It is sometimes contacted by media seeking advice for articles or documentaries.

• 2024

  Parcs et Attractions magazine resumes publication.

• 2024

  Emirats' Airtime 2024 trip planned for late October to Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

• 2018

  Oriental AIRTIME trip to Shanghai Disneyland and Japanese parks in October.

• 2016

  Publication of Parcs et Attractions ceases.

• 2012

  Hyper-Méga AIRTIME trip across the northeastern United States in August.

• 2010

  Parcs et Attractions magazine becomes fully colour.

• 2009

  AIRTIME concept extended to a week-long trip to three Italian parks.

• 2004

  Name changed to Parcs Passion at the June general assembly.

• 2002

  Association founded as O'Malley Cat Club; statutes signed on 22 February and published on 15 April.

• 2002

  First homemade journal O'Malley Cat News released in October.

• 2001

  Three enthusiasts conceive the association after meeting on forums and at Disneyland Paris.

Non-profit enthusiast community and media for amusement park fans in France and neighbouring countries.

• Parcs et Attractions

  Quarterly print magazine for members, the only French-language magazine of its kind in France. ISSN 1771-7302.

• Week-End AIRTIME

  Two- or three-day trips to major European parks with big rides.

• AIRTIME

  Extended week-long trips, e.g. to Italy in 2009.

• Hyper-Méga AIRTIME

  2012 trip across the northeastern United States.

• Oriental AIRTIME

  2018 trip to Shanghai Disneyland and Japanese parks.

• Emirats' Airtime 2024

  Planned 2024 trip to Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

1. 1Parcs Passion - Association pour les passionnés des parcs de loisirsparcspassion.org
2. 2Skyfall à 60 mètres : Parc Saint Paul dévoile son attraction la plus haute de toute son histoire - Parcs Passionparcspassion.org
3. 3Un parc Dragon Ball Z en France : Qiddiya Investment Company officialise 3 parcs à thème sur les terrains de l'ex-Mirapolis - Parcs Passionparcspassion.org
4. 4Parcs passion (France) - Wikidatawikidata.org
5. 5Parcs Passion - Wikipédiafr.wikipedia.org