Universal Orlando’s Epic Universe Opening Date Finally Revealed
In Orlando, Florida, two theme parks vie for tourists’ hard-earned money: Universal Studios and Walt Disney World. Traditionally, Disney has handily won this battle, though Universal made itself look much more enticing by building an entire immersive Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Now, it is adding another theme park known as the Universal Epic Universe, and that park will officially open on May 22nd, 2025.
Epic Universe Opening In May
The public has known about the existence of the Universal Epic Universe for some time now, and theme park lovers have been eager to see what new entertainment is on offer. This has led to widespread speculation about the earliest date that visitors to sunny Orlando, Florida can check out the latest attractions. Now, the official opening date is May 22nd, 2025, and annual passholders were recently given the opportunity to buy single-day passes to the Epic Universe.
If you’ve been living under a rock, or maybe just dodging all Florida-related news (as residents, we can’t exactly blame you), then you may need a refresher on what the Epic Universe is all about. Basically, the theme park has built off the success of their Wizarding World of Harry Potter, making that magical world just one part of an entire universe of other themed areas. Celestial Park will serve as a hub area linking the Harry Potter section to new sections: How To Train Your Dragon, Super Nintendo World, and the Dark Universe (which focuses on the classic Universal Monsters).
The Wizarding World Proved Successful
You don’t have to have magical abilities to divine that Universal’s focus on the Epic Universe has been inspired by the success of its Wizarding World. Before the addition of this immersive Harry Potter area, Universal Orlando arguably felt very dated, with its chief attractions based on aging IPs like Men In Black, Transformers, E.T., and so on. While much of this is still very entertaining, it’s hard to deny that rides based on things like the ‘90s Spider-Man: The Animated Series weren’t starting to feel their age.
The addition of the Wizarding World added a powerful jolt (or should that be a lightning bolt?) to the aging theme park, adding new rides based on the adventures of Harry Potter, including the thrilling Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts, as well as fully immersive features. Fans can see goblins in Gringotts Bank, buy forbidden items in Diagon Alley, ride the Hogwarts Express, or just scope out Hogwarts itself while sipping on some surprisingly delicious butterbeer.
To put it mildly, the Wizarding World has been such a success that fans are hoping the new additions to the Epic Universe will be similarly immersive. Certainly, it sounds exciting: in the Super Nintendo World, for example, an augmented reality attraction will simulate driving in Mario Kart (here’s hoping for no Rainbow Road!). And there will be a Donkey Kong rollercoaster that simulates the carts jumping over gaps in the track in the Super Nintendo classic game Donkey Kong Country.
Buying Tickets
If you’re interested in checking out the Epic Universe for yourself, you’ll need to be patient…while Universal allowed annual passholders to buy tickets last week, they have not yet announced when general tickets will go on sale. If you hate crowds, beware, as the early days of the Epic Universe will likely be filled to the brim with fans. You can always be patient like us, giving yourself extra time to ask the big question: why, oh why, didn’t they name the Nintendo section Super Mario World instead?
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