While we’ve been closely following all the news about Universal Epic Universe, Universal Orlando’s entirely new theme park opening in 2025 with five immersive lands and dozens of new attractions and experiences, Universal has not neglected its existing Florida parks, with new entertainment, an all-new kid-friendly land, and the 33rd year of Halloween Horror Nights, which started earlier than ever.
But First!
The Universal Studios Store in Universal CityWalk is being expanded to include two new areas dedicated to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter and Super Nintendo World, which will open in 2025.
The Harry Potter-inspired section of the new retail location will offer merchandise from all three Wizarding World of Harry Potter lands: Hogsmeade at Universal Islands of Adventure, Diagon Alley at Universal Studios Florida, and Ministry of Magic, opening in 2025 at Universal Epic Universe.
Guests will also be able to belly up to a butterbeer bar and order cold, frozen, hot, and vegan (which Dusty says is delicious) versions of Harry’s favorite drink. Other specialty items from The Wizarding World of Harry Potter will also be available at the counter. 
The store’s Super Nintendo World section will include an all-new dedicated entrance inspired by the colorful settings and characters in Nintendo video games. Inside, guests can shop for merch featuring Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, Yoshi, Donkey Kong, and more.
Stay tuned for additional details about the Universal Studios Store expansion (including the 2025 opening date).
And now, let’s review everything Universal has given us this summer – all while building an amazing new theme park a few miles away.
Halloween Horror Nights
The delightfully horrifying after-hours event screamed into Orlando well before Halloween, beginning on August 3 this year and continuing on 48 select nights through November 3.
This year, guests are facing ten terrifying haunted houses, five frightening scare zones, one live stage show, and an encounter with Voldemort’s most loyal followers – if they dare venture into Diagon Alley after dark, that is.
The HHN33 icons are SINIST3R and SURR3AL (note Universal’s clever number play). One unleashes visceral horror; the other unearthly terror – and guests must choose which path to follow as soon as they enter the park.
With haunted houses ranging from the frightfully fun Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire to the grind house gore of Slaughter Sinema 2 to the silent screams of A Quiet Place, Halloween Horror Nights 2024 has a scare for everyone (everyone who likes to be scared, that is.)
We braved the fog on the event’s opening night and shared all the details here:
Ultimate Guide to Universal Orlando’s Halloween Horror Nights 2024: Must-See Mazes, Tips & Tricks
Wicked fans, Rejoicify!
This October, Universal Orlando Resort will debut all-new immersive experiences and exclusive merch inspired by Part One of the highly-anticipated Wicked movie (based on the hit Broadway musical) starring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, which hits theaters on Nov. 22, 2024 (Wicked Part Two premieres on Nov. 21, 2025).
The highlight of the celebration in Florida will be Wicked: The Experience, a one-of-a-kind experience that will allow Wicked (and Wizard of Oz) fans to follow the yellow brick road into iconic locations from Shiz University to the Emerald City. Costumes and props created for the film will also be displayed in scenes that recreate some of the movie’s most memorable moments.
For a limited time, Voodoo Doughnuts and The Toothsome Chocolate Emporium & Savory Feast Kitchen will serve Wicked-inspired treats.
Exclusive “swankified” Wicked merchandise will include the following:
The Shiz University Collection – Back-to-school “must-haves” inspired by the school where Galinda and Elphaba meet, including a Shiz spirit jersey, duffle bag, tumbler, hat, journal, and more.
Exclusive Collection from Studio MinaLima – The artists known for their magical Wizarding World graphics have designed exclusive, Wicked-inspired items, including apparel, accessories, home goods, confections, and stationery.
Wicked Logo Collection – The movie’s logo will be featured on shirts, hats, totes, notebooks, and mugs.
Additional merchandise will include fashion dolls from Mattel, Funko Pops! of favorite characters, Loungefly bags, cosplay and prop replicas from The Noble Collection, and Lego sets featuring the Land of Oz.
Universal Studios Hollywood will also be celebrating Wicked with exclusive experiences, shopping, and treats.
In Case You Missed it…
…We’re rounding up the most recent additions to Universal Studios Florida.
DreamWorks Land
The brand new DreamWorks Land debuted on June 14, 2024, with Shrek, Princess Fiona, Donkey, Branch, Poppy, and many other favorite pals from DreamWorks movies making themselves at home in the whimsical area.
The signature experience, Shrek’s Swamp, features a climbing play structure – complete with a farting slide in Shrek’s outhouse – a meet-and-greet opportunity with Shrek, Fiona, and Donkey, and an interactive “fun facts session” with Pinocchio.
The colorful land also includes the Trolls Trollercoaster – a kid-friendly ride on the Caterbus to escape evil spiders – Poppy’s Playground, Po’s Kung Fu Training Camp (including a new digital interactive show called Po Live!)
There’s also the interactive King Harold’s Swamp Symphony (where guests can jump on lily pads to “conduct” a frog choir); Mama Luna Feline Fiesta where guests can interact with the virtual residents of Mama Luna’s retirement home for cats (from the Shrek spin-off Puss in Boots 2: The Last Wish) by pushing buttons, bells, maracas, and levers.
Last but certainly not least, the all-new DreamWorks Imagination Celebration live musical stage features toe-tappin’ tunes, character appearances, colorful projections on floor-to-ceiling LED screens, and puppets.
Read more about the new land (including its highly-themed eats and treats):
New Entertainment
In addition to preparing for Halloween Horror Nights, opening a new land, AND (let’s not forget) building a new theme park down the road, Universal also introduced two new entertainment offerings: the Universal Mega Movie Parade and the CineSational: A Symphonic Spectacular lagoon show, both at Universal Studios Florida.
Universal Mega Movie Parade
The Mega Movie Parade celebrates favorite Universal characters and movies – “Back to the Future,” “Sing,” “Kung Fu Panda,” ”Trolls,” “Ghostbusters,” “E.T.,” “Jaws,” “Jurassic World,” and of course, the Minions – with 13 brand new (and very impressive, I might add) floats plus almost 100 dancers, skaters, stilt walkers, poi performers, and more.
Among the highlights are the massive 16-foot Stay Puft Marshmallow Man on the Ghostbusters float, the high-flying bicycle-riding Elliot (and friends) above the E.T float, the ferocious great white on the Jaws float, and a roaring Tyrannosaurus rex aboard the Jurassic World float.
In August, a new raptor containment float was added to the parade.
A new Velociraptor Containment float has been added to the Universal Mega Movie Parade @UniversalORL pic.twitter.com/Di7m6H2e8t
— Adventuring with Annie (@AnniesUniUpdate) August 31, 2024
CineSational: A Symphonic Spectacular
Set to iconic movie music from Universal’s biggest hits, CineSational features water scrims, colored lights, pyrotechnics, lasers, and other special effects to present some of Universal’s biggest blockbusters, including “Jaws,” “Back to the Future,” “Transformers,” “Jurassic Park,” “Harry Potter,” and more. In addition, projections on the buildings around the lagoon add kinetic energy to the show.
But the true showstoppers are the 600+ drones that appear in the sky during the segments dedicated to “Shrek,” “Trolls,” “Minions,” “Transformers,” “King Kong,” “Back to the Future,” and several others.
You can read more about both new shows in our articles below:
Universal Orlando’s Summertime Hits – NEW Nighttime Spectaculars, Land, Parade & More!
Universal Epic Universe
Despite Universal’s creative teams introducing new experiences at Universal Studios Florida all summer (and into fall), the work at Universal Epic Universe has not slowed down one bit, so let’s review what we know about Orlando’s newest theme park.
5 Epic Lands:
Celestial Park – Serving as the park’s central hub, Celestial Park will have three attractions: the dual-launch Stardust Racers racing coaster; the Constellation Carousel, which will feature constellations that glide forward, backward (and even make 360-degree rotations); and the interactive Astronomica water-play area.
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter: The Ministry of Magic – Universal’s latest magical wizarding world land will allow guests to travel between 1920s Paris (as seen in “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald”) and the 1990s British Ministry of Magic (the period when the Harry Potter movies take place) via the Métro-Floo (inspired by the Floo Network from the movies). The land will also include Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry, a chase aboard magical, omnidirectional lifts with Harry, Ron, Hermione, and the Le Cirque Arcanus live stage show.
Dark Universe – Celebrating the legacy of Universal movie monsters, the village of Darkmoor blends the legends of Dracula, The Wolf Man, Frankenstein’s Monster, and the Bride of Frankenstein collide with new monsters and characters, including Dr. Victoria Frankenstein. The land’s dark ride, Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment, is being billed as Universal Orlando’s most terrifying attraction yet, but thankfully, the Curse of the Werewolf spinning family coaster will be less daunting. Dark Universe also features the Darkmoor Monster Makeup Experience.
How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk – The bustling village features four attractions, one live show, plus character (and dragon) meet-and-greets, including the Hiccup’s Wing Gliders family thrill coaster; the high-flying Dragon Racer’s Rally; the wet-and-wild Fyre Drill boat battle; the Viking Training Camp interactive play area; and The Untrainable Dragon dragon-filled live spectacular.
Super Nintendo World – The super-sized version of Universal’s already-popular Nintendo-themed land will feature two sections. On one side is Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge & the family-friendly Yoshi’s Adventure ride (making its U.S. debut), on the other side is Donkey Kong Country with the “track-jumping” Mine-Cart Madness coaster.
Epic Universe will also have 3 new hotels:
Universal Grand Helios Hotel – This Signature Collection hotel will offer Universal Orlando Resort’s first dedicated theme park entrance for hotel guests, plus full-service dining, a resort-style pool, a rooftop bar, and 14 exclusive “How to Train Your Dragon-“themed kids’ suites.
Although it’s in the Signature category, Universal Helios Hotel will not include Universal Express Pass.
Universal Stella Nova Resort (opening January 21, 2025) and Universal Terra Luna Resort (opening February 25, 2025) – The Prime Value sister hotels at Epic Universe will feature resort-style pools and “Cosmic-Inspired” quick-service food and beverage locations.
All three hotels at Universal Epic Universe will offer the following benefits:
- Early admission to select attractions at Wizarding World of Harry Potter and Volcano Bay, up to one hour before the park opens (valid theme park admission is required.
- Complimentary transportation to Universal Theme Parks and Universal Citywalk
- Resort-wide charging privileges using room key card
- Complimentary delivery of merchandise purchased throughout the resort
To keep up-to-date on everything Universal Epic Universe, be sure to check our guide:
It’s Alive – Universal’s Epic Universe Theme Park Will Be Monstrous!
This & That
Universal has certainly “giveth” us a lot in recent months, they did also “taketh away” a couple of things:
In Islands of Adventure Park, Universal “temporarily” removed the 3D imaging from Skull Island: Reign of Kong, but that was only supposed to last until March 2024, so we’re thinking it may be gone for good.
Also eliminated is the outdoor portion of the attraction, which took riders on an outside loop to enter the show building though the imposing Skull Island gates. An indoor “bypass” was used during Orlando’s frequent rain storms, but that less impressive route seems to be the new normal.
Thankfully, the massive Kong animatronic is still holding court at the end of the ride.
Another closure that initially appeared to be temporary, but now may be permanent is Pteranodon Flyers. The kid-friendly gondola-style ride that soared over Camp Jurassic closed unexpectedly in April 2024, with still no reopening date (or replacement attraction) announced.
Nevertheless, the tracks are still in place, so there’s hope the dino-themed ride will survive extinction.
Meanwhile, on our recent visit to Islands of Adventure, we were reminded that the Camp Jurassic play area, including it’s cool indoor caverns and outdoor play structure, is still alive and well.
We also noticed construction walls around the stage in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Hogsmeade. Since it’s still too early for Christmas decor to be going in, we’re hoping the village’s magical performances will be back soon.
Nearby, The Lost Continent (or what’s left of it) is in transition. The last of the land’s attractions, Poseidon’s Fury, permanently closed on May 10th to make way for new guest experiences. But 4 months later, we still don’t know what those experiences are or what will become of the rest of the land for that matter. Could it be rethemed as the Legend of Zelda? Will it become an expansion for the Wizarding World? Or does Universal have a bigger surprise up its sleeve?
Meanwhile, over at Gringotts Bank in Diagon Alley at Universal Studios Florida, one of the Goblin tellers seems to have taken a pumpkin juice break. Let’s hope he’s back on the job soon. After all, we’ve got gold to deposit!
Follow MiceChat on social: MiceChat Facebook Page, MiceChat Facebook Group, MiceChat Instagram, MiceChat Threads, MiceChat X, MiceChat YouTube
Discount Theme Park Tickets and Travel
Snag the latest deals from our partners at Get Away Today!
Check out the latest offers for Disneyland, Walt Disney World, Universal Studios, Knott’s Berry Farm, and Disney Cruise Line, including new low hotel rates, extra days and nights for free, special perks, and limited-time opportunities…
(MiceChat works with Get Away Today to provide you with the best theme park travel deals. When you purchase from our travel partner, you not only get great rates and service, you also help support MiceChat. We sincerely thank you for your support!)
Let’s Hear From You!
How do the new shows and DreamWorks Land resonate with you? Are you heading to Orlando for Halloween Horror Nights? Are you putting off a visit to Universal until the grand opening of Universal Epic Universe in 2025, or making the plunge now before the big crowds arrive with the new park? Let us know in the comments below!
