Universal Epic Universe

Universal Epic Universe is a theme park located in Orlando, Florida, United States. Owned by NBCUniversal and operated by Universal Destinations & Experiences, the park officially opened on May 22, 2025, as the fourth park at Universal Orlando Resort. It is situated within a larger 750-acre (300 ha) land acquisition a few miles south of the resort's other parks and features five themed areas: Celestial Park, Dark Universe, How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk, Super Nintendo World, and The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic. Construction was underway by August 2019 but was later delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Details about the park's themed areas and attractions were limited during development, with Super Nintendo World becoming the final themed land to be officially unveiled more than three years later. Headlining attractions during the park's inaugural season include the motion-based dark rides Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry and Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment, the dual-tracked roller coaster Stardust Racers, and the augmented reality dark ride Mario Kart: Bowser's Challenge. History On August 1, 2019, NBCUniversal announced that it was building a new theme park at Universal Orlando named Universal's Epic Universe. Tom Williams, Chairman and CEO of Universal Parks & Resorts at the time, released a statement labeling Epic Universe the "most immersive and innovative theme park" the company had ever created. Officials anticipated the new park's state and local economic contribution would be significant, including the hiring of an additional 14,000 employees and nearly doubling tax revenue generated by the resort. Governor Ron DeSantis shared positive feedback in a public statement. Concept art released by Universal during the official announcement left details purposely vague. It was widely speculated that the various lands within Epic Universe would be based on franchises such as How to Train Your Dragon, Fantastic Beasts, Universal Classic Monsters, and several Nintendo properties including Super Mario and Donkey Kong. Comcast executives confirmed the addition of Super Nintendo World in January 2020, although official confirmation did not occur until February 2023. CEO Mark Woodbury would later call it the "worst-kept secret in history". Construction was underway by August 2019, and the park's scheduled opening was originally slated for 2023. This timeframe was later pushed to 2025, at least in part due to pauses in construction during the COVID-19 pandemic. Construction had halted from July 2020 to March 2021. In May 2022, Universal donated 13 acres (5.3 ha) of land near Epic Universe toward the Brightline rail route corridor project that was underway. Universal Parks & Resorts was rebranded as Universal Destinations & Experiences in March 2023, alongside the park’s name being changed from Universal's Epic Universe to Universal Epic Universe – the possessive "s" in the name was removed. A new logo was released concurrently, featuring a starry backdrop inside the compass, as well as larger text and a simplified golden compass design. Celestial Park was unveiled in a press release on January 30, 2024, which is the first world guests encounter when entering the park. The unveiling included a map detailing the overall layout of Epic Universe. There was a brief pause in construction after Epic Universe experienced minor damage from Hurricane Milton in October 2024. Later that month, Universal confirmed the park's grand opening date of May 22, 2025, approximately two weeks before Universal Orlando's 35th anniversary. Tickets went on sale following the announcement, but they were initially only offered as part of a multiday ticket purchase or with the purchase of a vacation package. Single-day tickets became available for annual passholders the following week, as well as reservations for the new Helios Grand Hotel. The first previews for employees began on March 1, 2025. Early entry for pass holders and Universal hotel guests began on April 17, and eventually, this was extended to the general public. During this time, there was limited availability of certain attractions and experiences. Also the same month, a 30-foot (9.1 m) replica of Epic Universe's portal Chronos was being featured in a national tour of select US cities to promote the park through June 2025. A celebrity and executive preview event was held the day before the grand opening, and the park officially opened to the public as planned on May 22, 2025. On July 7, 2026, it was announced that Cosmos as the fountain display show had been permanently retired and drained and make way for a new fireworks nighttime spectacular show, Universal Celestial Goodnight, which was debuted in Celestial Park at Universal Epic Universe, since the park was officially opened to the public for over a year ago. Areas and attractions Epic Universe uses a hub-and-spoke layout, consisting of four themed lands branching off a central hub called Celestial Park, with each land featuring a uniquely-themed gateway. The themed lands, in clockwise order from entry, are Super Nintendo World, Dark Universe (themed to Universal Classic Monsters), The Wizarding World of Harry Potter: Ministry of Magic, and How to Train Your Dragon: Isle of Berk. Each themed area has its aesthetics reflected in the food and cutlery at restaurants, ambient music, staff uniforms, and infrastructure. Entryways to each different land, featuring themed portals with digital LED signage, radiate out from Celestial Park. Epic Universe utilizes facial recognition technology instead of tickets for entry, lockers, and express lanes for rides. Celestial Park The hub of the park is Celestial Park, a garden with walkways, fountains, and ponds featuring design motifs based on astrology, which connects the other four areas together. Celestial Park is themed as a crossroads for interdimensional travel powered by the Chronos, a tower that serves as the park's icon and entrance gateway. The area features two rides: the Constellation Carousel, a celestial-themed carousel flat ride similar to the SeaGlass Carousel in New York, and Stardust Racers, a dual-tracked launched roller coaster manufactured by Mack Rides. Celestial Park also contains the Helios Grand Hotel (operated by Loews) and several notable dining locations, including an underwater-themed seafood restaurant encased in glass called Atlantic, and the Blue Dragon Pan-Asian Restaurant. There are also four walk-up bars and concierge booths in this area, as well as smaller restaurants including Frosty Moon, Meteor Astropub, The Oak & Star Tavern, and Pizza Moon. Seven million individually-controllable embedded LEDs are installed within the Celestial Park area, and Universal plans to operate fireworks and light shows. Dark Universe Home to the Universal Classic Monsters and intended as a modern-day follow-up to the classic era of the films, Dark Universe is set in the dreary Darkmoor Village. The area's backstory focuses on Dr. Victoria Frankenstein, the great-great-great granddaughter of Henry Frankenstein, a character that appeared in Frankenstein (1931) and Bride of Frankenstein (1935). Victoria has assembled together various creatures for experimentation, including Frankenstein's monster and Count Dracula, but they break free and terrorize the brave volunteers inside the catacombs underneath Frankenstein's manor. The "Dark Universe" name is a revival of Universal's canceled franchise of the same name that had been intended to serve as a reboot of Universal Monsters, but it was abandoned following the poor box office performance of The Mummy (2017). In late 2021, patent applications were filed for a new motion-based dark ride, which features elements similar to the technology used on Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey. This was later revealed to be Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment, a dark ride using KUKA arm technology. Another featured ride is Curse of the Werewolf, a launched spinning coaster manufactured by Mack Rides themed after the gypsy character Maleva and her Guild of Mystics from the film The Wolf Man (1941). Notable dining options include Das Stakehaus, a vampire-themed steakhouse; The Burning Blade Tavern, a themed bar; and De Lacey's Cottage. In June 2024, it was announced that Danny Elfman was set to compose the music for the land. How to Train Your Dragon: Isle of Berk How to Train Your Dragon: Isle of Berk is themed to the How to Train Your Dragon franchise, and is set between the second and third films. The area is the largest of the four IP-based lands in the park, and it features three rides: Hiccup's Wing Gliders, a launched roller coaster manufactured by Intamin, Dragon Racer's Rally, a pair of Gerstlauer Sky Fly rides, and Fyre Drill, an interactive boat ride manufactured by Mack Rides. There is also a children's play area called the Viking Training camp, as well as large free-flying dragon drones. The area's notable dining options include Mead Hall, Spit Fyre Grill, and Hooligan's Grog & Gruel. Mead Hall serves "Yaknog", a themed drink made of malted chocolate, cinnamon, and whipped cream. Super Nintendo World Super Nintendo World is themed to various Nintendo-owned franchises, with a primary focus on the Mario franchise. Its entrance from Celestial Park is themed as a Warp Pipe that appears in many of the Mario series video games. Unlike the ones in Hollywood and Japan, it includes escalators. Like the version of the land constructed in Universal Studios Japan, it includes Mario Kart: Bowser's Challenge, an augmented reality racing simulator based on the Mario Kart series, as well as Yoshi's Adventure, an omnimover attraction themed to the character Yoshi from the Mario franchise. The area also features an additional section themed to the Donkey Kong Country franchise, which includes Mine-Cart Madness, a new type of roller coaster patented as the "Boom Coaster". The coaster is designed with a false track that trains move over while being attached to a hidden track underneath, allowing the track's design to implement gaps that create the illusion the trains are jumping over missing portions of track. The land is divided into two sections: Super Mario Land and Donkey Kong Country. Notable dining options include Toadstool Cafe, which serves American cuisine, and Yoshi's Snack Land. A "Power-Up Band" for sale allows guests to explore the area and collect digital coins. Guests who complete 3 challenges and collect keys using their Power-Up Band can unlock Bowser Jr. Shadow Showdown. This virtual reality experience has guests physically dodging, jumping, and battling Bowser Jr. and his flying Clown Car to reclaim the Golden Mushroom. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter — Ministry of Magic The Ministry of Magic themed area is set in Paris during the 1920s, primarily drawing inspiration from the Fantastic Beasts prequel film series with scenes, characters, and creatures from the film franchise. The area's main attraction, Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry, is an elevator-themed dark ride that features a simulation of Floo Network fireplaces transporting park guests further forward in time to the British Ministry of Magic in 1990s London, as depicted in the Harry Potter film series. The ride is set shortly after Voldemort's defeat in the final film, as Dolores Umbridge (played by Imelda Staunton) is put on trial and attempts to escape. Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger and a house-elf named Higgledy join the chase to capture Umbridge, while guests riding on "omnidirectional lifts" are dodging Death Eaters and other creatures along the way. The second attraction in the Ministry of Magic themed area is a stage show based on Circus Arcanus, the name of a circus depicted in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald. Le Cirque Arcanus is a full-scale theatre experience located in Place Cachée and features live performers, puppetry, and special effects. English actor Eddie Redmayne reprises his role as Newt Scamander, a character from Fantastic Beasts, in newly-filmed scenes for the stage show. The land also features a variety of shops, dining, and other experiences to match the wizarding theme. Wands sold at the park feature lights and haptic vibrations, and interact with items throughout the area. Eateries include Bar Moonshine, Café L'air De La Sirène, and Le Gobelet Noir. The Ministry of Magic themed area is set to receive Epic Universe's first expansion as permits have been filed with scope of 150,000 square feet. The permits include the code Project 905, which is the code assigned to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic at Epic Universe. Possible expansions Industry insiders have suggested that phase two of the park's expansion would begin soon after Epic Universe debuted, with potential attractions for Super Nintendo World revolving around the Luigi's Mansion franchise, as well as a The Legend of Zelda-themed land. Universal Destinations & Experiences CEO Mark Woodbury stated in a New York Times interview that they are also considering the addition of attractions themed to Universal's successful two-part film adaptation of the musical Wicked. Location and infrastructure The Universal Epic Universe theme park campus is located several miles southeast of the existing Universal Orlando Resort. The larger 750-acre (300 ha) site, situated south of Sand Lake Road and east of Universal Boulevard, began construction in 2021 that added new infrastructure including a $315-million, 1.7-mile (2.7 km) extension of Kirkman Road to connect with Universal Boulevard. An elevated circular interchange was added at Sand Lake Road to facilitate traffic into Epic Universe, and dedicated bus lanes along with "bicycle/pedestrian facilities" were among the changes. The median for buses is reserved for Universal's fleet of electric buses to transport park guests. Construction was expected to be completed by late 2024. While the other Universal Orlando parks have parking garages, Epic Universe features an open-air parking lot which is located on the southeast end of the site. Permits suggested that a ground-level moving walkway would be built through the parking lot. Land acquisition In 1998, Universal purchased 2,100 acres near the Orange County Convention Center. Universal paid $63 million to purchase the land from Lockheed Martin and intended to build a theme park, hotels, and a sports complex. Universal sold several parcels of land to support convention center–related development. In 1999, it sold 230 acres to Orange County for $69 million for an expansion of the convention center. This was followed by the sale of 26 acres to Hilton for $26 million in 2000 and 44 acres to Hyatt Hotels in 2001. In 2003, Universal sold the remaining 1,800 acres to real estate developer Stan Thomas for $70 million. Starting in 2015, Universal slowly began reacquiring the land: 2015: 474 acres for $130 million, 2017: 101 acres along Sand Lake Road for $27.5 million, and 2018: 135 acres west of Kirkman Road from Stan Thomas. This transaction also resolved the disputed deed restriction rights to pave the way for Universal to build up to two new theme parks. 2021: 2 parcels totalling 12.91 acres purchased from Lockheed to be used for the 1.7-mile Kirkman Road extension. 2024: 62 acres on the south side of Destination Parkway and north of the Beachline Expressway. This includes a 6 acre parcel adjacent to a 7 acre parcel that Universal already owns, both of which will be donated to be the site of the future convention center-area SunRail station. Following these acquisitions, Universal owns 750 acres of prime Orlando real estate only part of which is developed into the Epic Universe theme park. References External links Official website