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Credit: Shanghai DisneylandA brawl broke out at a Disney park this week after a guest disregarded the park’s smoking policy, sparking a heated confrontation.
Even the Happiest Place on Earth isn’t immune to rowdy guests. In 2023, a fistfight broke out at Magic Kingdom over a Disney100 photo spot, leading to removals.
Months earlier, an EPCOT fireworks dispute turned gruesome when a guest bit off part of another’s finger. And in 2019, a viral Disneyland Toontown brawl saw a man punching a woman in a heated scuffle.
As Inside the Magic recently reported, an incident at EPCOT – which is often the scene of guest altercations, something guests have attributed to the theme park’s drinking culture – saw two guests arrested after they lashed out verbally at cast members and tried to attack a woman in a wheelchair.
This week, yet another incident was caught on camera at Disney’s newest theme park.
Fight Breaks Out at Shanghai Disneyland
As per Wenxue City, guests were waiting in the security line at the park entrance early in the morning when one lashed out at a group’s decision to smoke while surrounded by families.
Two parents intervened and asked a smoking guest to stop due to the presence of children, claiming that their child, in particular, had been forced to inhale secondhand smoke. The guest in question grew aggressive and asked, “How precious is your child?”
The confrontation grew violent, with two men then caught on camera pushing and shoving each other near the railings.
Unlike Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort, both of which axed their in-park smoking areas in 2019, Shanghai Disneyland does feature designated spots for guests to smoke. In fact, there are a whopping 18 spots to smoke around the park, dotted throughout lands such as Fantasyland, Treasure Cove, Toy Story Land, and Mickey Avenue.
A Disney cast member told the reporter (translated from Chinese), “There are smoking areas in the park, but people generally cannot smoke while waiting in line. However, some people smoke, and it seems that no one can stop them if they smoke quietly.”
Another cast member of the Shanghai Disney Resort Visitor Communication Team said: “After all, the park is mainly for children. If there are tourists smoking in the queue area and non-smoking spots, the staff will take the initiative to control them, ask the relevant people to leave and put out the cigarettes.
We have also received many tourists who hope that our park will ban smoking completely. We are gradually collecting feedback from tourists and will have internal discussions on this.”
Smoking at Disneyland Paris
One Disney park faces recurrent issues with smoking. While Disneyland Paris has strict no-smoking policies, that doesn’t stop some guests from lighting up in off-limits areas.
While designated smoking zones exist, many ignore them, sparking frustration among rule-abiding visitors. Reports of guests vaping in queues or casually smoking along walkways are common, despite announcements and signage. The problem is so widespread that Disneyland Paris regularly reminds visitors of the policy, yet enforcement remains inconsistent.
One of the most problematic areas is near attraction entrances, where guests sneak in a quick smoke before boarding. Some even argue with cast members when asked to put out their cigarettes, leading to tense confrontations.
Social media posts frequently highlight guests breaking the rules, with some claiming security is too lenient. Others note that enforcement depends on the crowd size—on busy days, rule-breakers are often ignored to avoid disruptions.
“Just sat through the entire fireworks show near a man chain-smoking the entire time in the middle of the crowd,” wrote one Reddit user in 2024. “We tried to move away, but it was packed, and we waited an hour to have a decent view. A cast member said there was nothing they could do despite 2 security guards just standing next to her.”
“We had the same experience,” wrote another user. “Woman near us smoking during the fireworks show and ignoring us, asking three times in three different languages. Eventually got aggressive with us and started threatening us.”
Meanwhile, another user claimed that “it was difficult to find places to sit with my daughter whilst she napped in the stroller, when I did get to sit I was always quickly joined by a smoker (and not in the smoking areas).”
Some have called for cast members to get involved. However, another user made the very good point that “if this person doesn’t have the common decency to not smoke in a crowded place, it is unlikely they would listen to an employee asking them not to smoke.”
There’s also the risk of guests becoming “hostile and verbally aggressive when politely asked not to smoke. People are just rude.”