Celestial Park sits at the heart of Epic Universe and features two hotels / Image courtesy of Universal
It’s just a matter of months until the opening of Universal’s fourth theme park, described by the company as “the most ambitious theme park Universal Destinations and Experiences has ever created.”
Opening on 22 May 2025, Universal Epic Universe is set on an additional 750 acres of land a short bus ride from the main site, which is home to Universal Studios Florida, Islands of Adventure and Volcano Bay. Epic Universe will feature a theme park with more than 50 rides, three hotels, shops and a range of F&B options.
“Our new park represents the single largest investment Comcast NBCUniversal has made in its theme park business and in Florida overall,” says Brian Roberts, chairman and CEO of Comcast Corporation. “It reflects the tremendous excitement we have for the future of our theme park business and for our entire company’s future in Florida.”
The opening of Universal Epic Universe will double the size of the park making its Orlando attraction the largest Universal park in the USA and second globally behind the upcoming Universal Studios in Beijing.
Epic Universe will feature five themed lands: Celestial Park; The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic; Super Nintendo World; How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk; and Dark Universe. Anchoring the park is Universal Helios Grand Hotel, a Loews Hotel – a 500-room hotel with its own dedicated entrance into Epic Universe for hotel guests.
The lands and attractions Celestial Park sits at the centre of the park, and features landscaped gardens, water features, the Universal Helios Grand Hotel and a range of retail and dining experiences. It also features three rides: the Constellation Carousel, the Stardust Racers dual-launch rollercoaster and the Astronomica water play attraction. From Celestial Park, visitors can enter the four other themed lands through ‘magic portals’.
Guests enter Super Nintendo World via the iconic green pipe, where they are immersed in a vibrant themed space. Rides include Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge, a kart racing attraction which uses augmented reality to immerse guests in the world of Mario Kart; family friendly ride Yoshi’s Adventure; and the Mine-Cart Madness family coaster.
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic land is inspired by 1920s Paris, as seen in the Fantastic Beasts movies. This themed land features the Parisien-style Place Cachée, with shops, cafes and a travelling circus show. The big ride comes in the form of Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry, which transports visitors to the trial of Dolores Umbridge by Metro-Floo, and blends storytelling, immersive environments and unique ride technology.
How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk at Epic Universe will feature four attractions: the family thrill coaster Hiccup’s Wing Gliders, the Fyre Drill boat ride, the Dragon Racer’s Rally ride, and the Viking Training Camp play area. There will also be a live show called ,i>The Untrainable Dragon, and visitors can meet Hiccup and Toothless in the Haddock Paddock.
The final themed land, Dark Universe, is aimed at horror fans, and features the dark ride Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment, as well as the Curse of the Werewolf spinning family coaster. Guests can also meet their favourite monsters, including the Invisible Man and Frankenstein’s Monster and his bride.
Extending the dwell time Universal hopes Epic Universe will transform Universal Orlando Resort into a week-long holiday destination. With the opening of Epic Universe, the Resort will offer four theme parks, 11 destination hotels and a huge range of themed lands and dining options.
“This is such a pivotal moment for our destination, and we’re thrilled to welcome guests to Epic Universe,” says Karen Irwin, president and COO of Universal Orlando Resort. “With the addition of this spectacular new theme park, our guests will embark on an unforgettable vacation experience with a week’s worth of thrills that will be nothing short of epic. Our Universe will never be the same.”
Read more from this issue of Attractions Management magazine
View contents of Attractions Management 2025 issue 1
Editor's letter: A fresh perspective
As a new report argues that silence can help visitors better appreciate zoos, Magali Robathan explores a different way of operating
People: Marian Lee
As Netflix announces the launch of immersive attraction Netflix House, we hear about the plans from the company’s CMO
People: Frida Escobedo
The first woman to design a wing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art shares her vision for a more usable and welcoming space for modern and contemporary art
People: Delta Kay
Indigenous experiences are important for fostering respect, and must not be co-opted by non Indigenous operators, says Aboriginal tour guide Delta Kay
Theme parks: Bob Weis
The former president of Imagineering pulls back the curtain to give a behind the scenes look at how some of Disney’s biggest projects took shape
Museums: Space to learn
From the world’s first AI art museum to the latest cultural institution transforming a rural Japanese island... We check out some intriguing museums taking shape across the globe
Technology: Guiding light
Genell Zuciya, creator of attractions for Disney and Meow Wolf, explores the transformative power of lighting
Theme parks: Block party
Merlin meets Minecraft in a $85m deal set to bring the world’s biggest selling video game to life. Could this be Merlin’s most significant partnership?
Museums: A new dawn
The first phase of a ground-breaking new museum campus has opened in Benin City, Nigeria. Is this the future for post-colonial institutions?
Research: Quiet zoos
Could a quieter zoo environment restore zoos’ original purpose as restorative retreats for overstimulated minds? The authors of a new research paper certainly think so
An opportunity to reimagine one of the UK’s most recognisable towers has been formally
opened by Rivington Hark, as St Johns Beacon invites operators and partners to shape its
next phase. [more...]
Celestial Park sits at the heart of Epic Universe and features two hotels / Image courtesy of Universal
It’s just a matter of months until the opening of Universal’s fourth theme park, described by the company as “the most ambitious theme park Universal Destinations and Experiences has ever created.”
Opening on 22 May 2025, Universal Epic Universe is set on an additional 750 acres of land a short bus ride from the main site, which is home to Universal Studios Florida, Islands of Adventure and Volcano Bay. Epic Universe will feature a theme park with more than 50 rides, three hotels, shops and a range of F&B options.
“Our new park represents the single largest investment Comcast NBCUniversal has made in its theme park business and in Florida overall,” says Brian Roberts, chairman and CEO of Comcast Corporation. “It reflects the tremendous excitement we have for the future of our theme park business and for our entire company’s future in Florida.”
The opening of Universal Epic Universe will double the size of the park making its Orlando attraction the largest Universal park in the USA and second globally behind the upcoming Universal Studios in Beijing.
Epic Universe will feature five themed lands: Celestial Park; The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic; Super Nintendo World; How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk; and Dark Universe. Anchoring the park is Universal Helios Grand Hotel, a Loews Hotel – a 500-room hotel with its own dedicated entrance into Epic Universe for hotel guests.
The lands and attractions Celestial Park sits at the centre of the park, and features landscaped gardens, water features, the Universal Helios Grand Hotel and a range of retail and dining experiences. It also features three rides: the Constellation Carousel, the Stardust Racers dual-launch rollercoaster and the Astronomica water play attraction. From Celestial Park, visitors can enter the four other themed lands through ‘magic portals’.
Guests enter Super Nintendo World via the iconic green pipe, where they are immersed in a vibrant themed space. Rides include Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge, a kart racing attraction which uses augmented reality to immerse guests in the world of Mario Kart; family friendly ride Yoshi’s Adventure; and the Mine-Cart Madness family coaster.
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic land is inspired by 1920s Paris, as seen in the Fantastic Beasts movies. This themed land features the Parisien-style Place Cachée, with shops, cafes and a travelling circus show. The big ride comes in the form of Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry, which transports visitors to the trial of Dolores Umbridge by Metro-Floo, and blends storytelling, immersive environments and unique ride technology.
How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk at Epic Universe will feature four attractions: the family thrill coaster Hiccup’s Wing Gliders, the Fyre Drill boat ride, the Dragon Racer’s Rally ride, and the Viking Training Camp play area. There will also be a live show called ,i>The Untrainable Dragon, and visitors can meet Hiccup and Toothless in the Haddock Paddock.
The final themed land, Dark Universe, is aimed at horror fans, and features the dark ride Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment, as well as the Curse of the Werewolf spinning family coaster. Guests can also meet their favourite monsters, including the Invisible Man and Frankenstein’s Monster and his bride.
Extending the dwell time Universal hopes Epic Universe will transform Universal Orlando Resort into a week-long holiday destination. With the opening of Epic Universe, the Resort will offer four theme parks, 11 destination hotels and a huge range of themed lands and dining options.
“This is such a pivotal moment for our destination, and we’re thrilled to welcome guests to Epic Universe,” says Karen Irwin, president and COO of Universal Orlando Resort. “With the addition of this spectacular new theme park, our guests will embark on an unforgettable vacation experience with a week’s worth of thrills that will be nothing short of epic. Our Universe will never be the same.”
Read more from this issue of Attractions Management magazine
View contents of Attractions Management 2025 issue 1
Editor's letter: A fresh perspective
As a new report argues that silence can help visitors better appreciate zoos, Magali Robathan explores a different way of operating
People: Marian Lee
As Netflix announces the launch of immersive attraction Netflix House, we hear about the plans from the company’s CMO
People: Frida Escobedo
The first woman to design a wing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art shares her vision for a more usable and welcoming space for modern and contemporary art
People: Delta Kay
Indigenous experiences are important for fostering respect, and must not be co-opted by non Indigenous operators, says Aboriginal tour guide Delta Kay
Theme parks: Bob Weis
The former president of Imagineering pulls back the curtain to give a behind the scenes look at how some of Disney’s biggest projects took shape
Museums: Space to learn
From the world’s first AI art museum to the latest cultural institution transforming a rural Japanese island... We check out some intriguing museums taking shape across the globe
Technology: Guiding light
Genell Zuciya, creator of attractions for Disney and Meow Wolf, explores the transformative power of lighting
Theme parks: Block party
Merlin meets Minecraft in a $85m deal set to bring the world’s biggest selling video game to life. Could this be Merlin’s most significant partnership?
Museums: A new dawn
The first phase of a ground-breaking new museum campus has opened in Benin City, Nigeria. Is this the future for post-colonial institutions?
Research: Quiet zoos
Could a quieter zoo environment restore zoos’ original purpose as restorative retreats for overstimulated minds? The authors of a new research paper certainly think so
Movie Park Germany has opened a new Paramount Pictures-themed attraction as part of its 30th
anniversary celebrations, using immersive storytelling and adaptive reuse to reinforce the park’s
longstanding “Hollywood in Germany” positioning.
Therme Manchester’s 28-acre development, which will include interconnected glass pavilions
that measure 65,000sq m, will be the largest bathing and wellbeing attraction in the world once
complete, according to prof David Russell, CEO of Therme UK.
Efteling has opened Hooghmoed, a new family drop tower designed to broaden the appeal of its
recently launched Sirene Island themed area and introduce younger visitors to thrill attractions.
A proposed Puy du Fou development near Bicester and Universal Destinations and Experiences’
planned resort in Bedford are emerging as part of a wider transformation of the Oxford–
Cambridge Growth Corridor into a major centre for UK leisure and tourism inv
Shedd Aquarium has opened the Immersion Theater developed in partnership with SimEx-
Iwerks, as part of a wider strategy to enhance the guest experience and create additional
revenue opportunities.
The UK government has announced a temporary reduction in VAT on visitor attractions and
children’s meals as part of a summer cost-of-living support package designed to stimulate the
visitor economy and encourage family days out.
As designer Yinka Ilori prepares for his first solo gallery show in London, he speaks exclusively
to CLADmag about his mission to spread joy, the power of play, and his bold approach to using
colour (including the colours you won’t see in his work).
The government of Thailand is exploring plans for a THB300bn (£6.3bn, US$8.3bn)
entertainment complex in the country’s Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC), with officials
proposing a large-scale theme park and sports destination as part of a broader tourism and
economic development strategy.
Royal Caribbean has revealed its Hero of the Seas cruise ship, home to the most pools at sea
(nine), and a record-breaking 28 dining venues, as well as attractions including a waterpark
with two new family raft slides.
An opportunity to reimagine one of the UK’s most recognisable towers has been formally
opened by Rivington Hark, as St Johns Beacon invites operators and partners to shape its
next phase. [more...]
