Universal Destinations & Experiences has been extra busy with an entire all-new theme park opening in Orlando in just 3 months, an all-new year-round horror experience opening in Las Vegas this summer, and a family-friendly park opening next year in Texas, but don’t let that fool you into thinking they are neglecting the small but mighty Universal Studios Hollywood!
Yes, Universal fans, the OG Hollywood park is still getting lots of Universal Creative love, including its first outdoor high-speed coaster and new seasonal events, so let’s take a look at everything that’s happening on the hill.
But first…
Universal has just announced that the wonderful witches of Wicked, Elphaba and Glinda, will make their West Coast theme park debut during Universal Fan Fest Nights, an all-new after hours event, which will take place on April 25-27; May 2-4, 9-11 and 15-18, 2025.
Elphaba and Glinda will greet guests at the theme park’s existing Wicked themed photo op near the main entrance. All the Fan Fest Nights details are below.
Fast & Furious—Supercharged Takes Its Last Ride
As we expected (and because Universal doesn’t need two Fast & Furious attractions), Fast & Furious—Supercharged on the Universal Studio Tour will close on March 10, 2025. What will replace the virtual 3D experience is still unknown, but Universal is promising “an exciting all-new Studio Tour attraction.”
If you’re a Fast & Furious fan, get your last rides in soon because you have another year to wait before the new Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift roller coaster opens.
And speaking of the new Fast & Furious coaster…
Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift
Even though the opening date isn’t until 2026, Universal Studios Hollywood’s first-ever high-speed outdoor roller coaster, Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift, is already taking shape on the hillside, next to (and over and under) the Starway escalators.
Our graphic designer, Anthony Hays, was in the park over the weekend to take photos of the construction progress…
Universal has boasted that the new coaster will feature a state-of-the-art ride system, including 360-degree rotation of the individual ride vehicles as they race along the track. The queue will be housed inside a large, red brick, garage-style structure on the park’s Upper Lot, which looks a lot like the warehouse entrance to the Fast & Furious: Supercharged attraction at Universal Studios Florida.
You might be wondering why Universal Studios hasn’t built an outdoor high-speed coaster before now (Revenge of the Mummy is indoors and the outdoor Flight of the Hippogriff is categorized as a kid-friendly coaster).
The answer is simple: Geography.
Not only is the theme park smack in the middle of a working movie studio lot (where outdoor filming is common), there are also residential neighborhoods nearby, making screaming roller coaster riders problematic. But knowing that, Universal has invested in several noise-reducing features.
With these noise-mitigating features in place, the hope is that screams will be controlled and/or directed away from neighbors and back lot production, but we won’t know how well it works until the ride actually begins testing.
Universal Hollywood 2025 Event Guide
From Butterbeer Season to Halloween Horror Nights – and including two all-new events – 2025 is shaping up to be a very exciting year at Universal Studios Hollywood.
Butterbeer Season: March 1 – May 31, 2025
Arguably the most delicious time of year in the park is Butterbeer Season, which celebrates the favorite wizarding sweet treat in all its forms.
Check out our guide for what you can expect at this year’s celebration, including a recipe to make Butterbeer at home if you can’t make it to the park:
Ultimate Guide to Butterbeer Season at Universal & A DIY Recipe for Home!
Universal Fan Fest Nights: April 25 – May 18, 2025
We’ve been describing Universal’s all-new separately ticketed Universal Fan Fest Nights as a mash-up of the Halloween Horror Nights format and the sort of characters and franchises you’d find at Comic-Con, resulting in immersive experiences based on the worlds of favorite fantasy, sci-fi, gaming, and anime.
Here are just some of the experiences you can expect at Fan Fest:
Star Trek: Red Alert – Step aboard the iconic U.S.S. Enterprise in a fully immersive story-based walk through attraction. Guests will arrive just as an otherworldly entity sets the Enterprise on red alert, forcing them to venture further into recreations of iconic sections of the ship.
Back to the Future: Destination Hill Valley – Climb aboard the Studio Tour “Fan Tram” and time travel to Hill Valley 1955 AKA Courthouse Square, the original film location from the 1985 blockbuster “Back to the Future.”
DUNGEONS & DRAGONS: Secrets of Waterdeep – Embark on a traditional Dungeons and Dragons campaign based on the popular role playing game. Guests will join the Harpers—a heroic spy network— and uncover the plot of the legendary beholder Xanathar in a fully immersive story-based walk through attraction to save the city of Waterdeep.
Jujutsu Kaisen: Hunger of the Cursed – A 4D film inspired by the popular manga and anime will play in the DreamWorks Theater. Initially produced for Universal Studios Japan, the show follows high school student Yuji Itadori after he accidentally becomes the host of a powerful curse and joins Tokyo Jujutsu High School, an organization that fights the curses.
One Piece: Grand Pirate Gathering – A “Fan Zone” based on the popular manga and anime series (similar to a Halloween Horror Nights scare zone) that will transport guests into the fictional world of pirates complete with iconic environments and appearances from the Straw Hat Crew including Monkey D. Luffy, Zoro, Nami, Usopp, and Sanji.
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter Additions – Three new magical creatures will debut at Universal Fanfest Nights, including the Niffler, a baby dragon (that first appeared at Universal Studios Japan), and the grand Occamy. In addition, the Hogwarts Always light and projection show that premiered in Orlando last year will premiere on the facade of Hogwarts Castle.
Meet Yoshi in SUPER NINTENDO WORLD – Fan-favorite Nintendo character, Yoshi, will debut at Universal Studios Hollywood for a meet-and- greet. Yoshi will also introduce a scavenger hunt to locate five Yoshi eggs hidden in the land (guests who complete the quest will receive a special reward).
For details about everything planned for the first-ever Universal Fanfest Nights, check out our guide:
New Summer Event: June 14 Aug. 10, 2025
All we know so far about this mystery event is that it will include “major summertime fun,” which could be almost anything. Considering that last summer the park offered the opportunity to step off the tram at the Bates Motel during the Studio Tour (with tons of fun photo ops) to celebrate their 60th anniversary, we’re hoping for something similar this year.
4th of July Celebration: July 4, 2025
Each year, Universal Studios Hollywood throws a big July 4th party, complete with special live performances and, of course, fireworks.
Back to Hogwarts: August – Sept. 1, 2025
If you’re a Harry Potter fan, you know that students return for another school term at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry on Sept. 1.
At Universal Studios Hollywood, that means a celebration of Hogwarts House pride in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Hogsmeade. ❤️💛💚💙
Halloween Horror Nights: Sept. 4 – Nov. 2, 2025
Each year, Halloween horrors take over Universal Studios Hollywood, with highly-immersive haunted houses and scare zones themed to the biggest horror franchises, both classic and modern.
While we don’t yet know the specific terrors that will torment brave parkgoers this year, our past experience tells us that it’s never too early to start panicking.
Check out our review of last year’s event to prepare:
Unlock the Secrets of Universal Studios Hollywood Halloween Horror Nights 2024: Your Ultimate Guide
Holidays and Universal: November and December (Dates TBD)
The annual holiday festivities at Universal Studios Hollywood include two distinct celebrations: Christmas in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter and Grinchmas.
In Hogsmeade, the shopkeepers have decorated for the season with themed garlands and twinkling lights. Each night, the light and projection show, The Magic of Christmas at Hogwarts Castle, projects memorable holiday moments from the Harry Potter movies.
Each holiday season, Universal Plaza is transformed into Who-Ville, with whimsical houses and a 65-foot-tall Grinchmas tree, where the Who-lebration includes singing, dancing, activities, meet-and-greets and a nightly tree lighting.
Check out our 2024 holiday guide for all the details about the festive celebration:
Eve: Dec. 31, 2025
Ring in the New Year at Universal Studios Hollywood – and party until 2 a.m. – with the annual Eve party (included with park admission) featuring music, dancing, photo ops and a midnight countdown with fireworks.
Now let’s move on to even more Uni Hollywood news…
Curious Construction
A hillside construction site next to the Mummy show building has people guessing, especially since it does not appear to be related to the Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift construction.
One possibility is simply hillside maintenance to prevent landslides when it rains (a common problems in L.A.), but another much more intriguing possibility is that Universal is preparing that spot to build a new loading area for the Studio Tour. But why would they need to move the Studio Tour loading area? We’re glad you asked!
The rumor is that Universal wants to expand the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, and the tram’s current loading area (the row of blue roofs on the right) is in the way. If this rumor turns out to be true (and we really hope it does!) could Diagon Alley be in our future?
SNL50
As part of the celebration of Saturday Night Live’s milestone 50th anniversary, the Universal Studio Store is carrying a collection of special SNL50 merch.
Also on display are iconic costumes worn by Dana Carvey and Norm McDonald on the sketch comedy show.
CityWalk Change-Up
More than 10 stores and restaurants have recently closed at Universal CityWalk, with even more closures on the way.
On the imminent chopping block is the Billabong Store near the park entrance (once the location of a super cool kinetic wave fountain), which is closing this week.
Currently under construction is an Escapology escape room experience taking over the space formally occupied by Samba (which has actually been closed for a long time).
The iFly skydiving simulator has also closed, but there’s no confirmation yet on what will replace it.
Also coming to CityWalk is the popular East Coast-based Insomnia Cookies, which will replace Mini Monster and Line Friends Square replacing Fossil.
Fun Fact: Insomnia Cookies was founded in 2003 by two University of Pennsylvania students who had been baking and delivering cookies to students on campus late at night. That’s why Insomnia Cookies bakeries are often located near college campuses—and why many are open until 3 a.m. (The CityWalk location will be open until midnight on weekdays and 1 a.m. on weekends).
This summer, Slice House from 13-time World Pizza Champion Tony Gemignani will feature New York, Sicilian, and Detroit-style pizzas – all available by the slice or whole pie. The pizza hot spot will offer indoor seating, takeout, online ordering, and delivery. Slice House is taking over the Sparky’s Donuts location.
Last year, Hello Kitty and Friends Cafe and the Sanrio Smile Shop replaced Francesca’s and Chick Chick Chicken.
Security Bubble Expanding
Universal is also expanding its security bubble to include all of Universal CityWalk (a la Downtown Disney Disney), adding new security screening at every entrance to the outdoor mall, which will replace the single security checkpoint at the theme park entrance.
The new security checkpoints will be located near the Frankenstein, Jurassic, Curious George, and E.T. parking structures. In addition, guests entering CityWalk from behind NBC Sports Grill and Buca di Beppo restaurants will also have to pass through security.
Related Reading
Universal Kids Resort: Explore The Newest Theme Park for Families!
Universal Studios Great Britain: Massive New Theme Park Plans Near Final Approval
Universal Horror Unleashed: Year-Round Haunted Houses Coming to Las Vegas
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Let’s Hear From You!
Will the new high-speed Fast & Furious coaster bump Universal Studios Hollywood higher on your must-do theme park list? And what are your guesses for what will replace Fast & Furious: Supercharged on the Studio Tour? How does Fan Fest sound to you? And are you ready for Butterbeer season? Let us know in the comments below.
