09 Mar 2024
Universal announces long-awaited details of its Epic Universe, set to open in 2025
BY Kath Hudson
Universal has revealed it will be adding new Harry Potter attractions, alongside Super Nintendo and How to Train Your Dragon worlds to its Florida resort.
Set on an additional 750 acres located a short bus ride from the main site, 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.
In what has been touted as “a culmination of decades of innovation, creativity, and immersive storytelling” the park will feature five different worlds and over fifty individual attractions.
Epic Universe will open with Celestial Park which offers landscaped gardens, water features and plenty of opportunity for retail and dining experiences. It will also feature three rides, including a dual-launch rollercoaster and a carousel, as well as the 500-room Universal Helios Grand Hotel.
Alongside the existing Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure, Epic Universe will immerse guests into Harry Potter's magical world of 1920s Paris and the British Ministry of Magic.
Super Nintendo World, will offer gaming fans the chance to be transported into Nintendo’s video game realm. Building on the success of Universal Studios Japan and Universal Studios Hollywood, which have been captivating audiences since 2021 and 2023 respectively.
How To Train Your Dragon – Isle Of Berk, will bring to life a world where Vikings and dragons live alongside each other with experiences designed to capture the essence of dragon flight.
The gothic Dark Universe World brings to life the Universal Monsters audience members will know and love.
Steven Speilberg, who has worked as a creative consultant for Universal, shared his excitement for the park “Epic Universe is built on an amazing concept, the idea that you can go into a world through some kind of portal and you come out in a world you could never dream of….I think it’s going to just feed the imagination of so many people of all ages.”
With the addition of facial recognition for guests, Epic Universe has been described by Mark Woodbury, chair and CEO of Universal Destinations and Experiences, as “the most technologically advanced park we’ve ever done, that speaks to both the attractions themselves and the next generation of robotics and drone technology, all the way through to the guest experience".
Originally announced in 2019 and set to be completed in 2023, work on the park was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic, as construction came to a complete halt between July 2020 and March 2021. Woodbury is confident Epic Universe will be open to the public by the summer of 2025.
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