Epic Universe: Universal Orlando’s Newest Theme Park Opens May 22, 2025
Universal Orlando Resort has announced the grand opening date for its highly anticipated new theme park, Epic Universe, set for May 22, 2025, just ahead of Memorial Day weekend, CNN reports.
This new park will be the largest of the resort’s three theme parks, spanning 750 acres and more than doubling Universal’s footprint in Orlando.
Epic Universe will feature five distinct themed “worlds”:
• The Wizarding World of Harry Potter: Ministry of Magic: Expanding the Harry Potter universe, this area will evoke the atmosphere of 1920s Paris (from the Fantastic Beasts franchise) and the 1990s British Ministry. A new attraction, “Battle at the Ministry,” will allow guests to journey through the Ministry’s atrium via the Floo Network and join Harry, Ron, and Hermione in a thrilling ride.
• Super Nintendo World: Similar to the recent openings in Hollywood and Japan, this world will feature rides like “Bowser’s Challenge” and “Mine-Cart Madness with Donkey Kong.”
• How to Train Your Dragon: Isle of Berk: Visitors can explore a Viking village, experience the “Hiccup’s Wing Gliders” family roller coaster, enjoy a water ride, and watch a live show.
• Dark Universe: A shadowy world with “Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment,” placing guests in the heart of a monster revolt.
• Celestial Park: Serving as the entrance to Epic Universe, this world will feature a carousel, a roller coaster, shops, restaurants, and portals to the other four worlds.
Impact on the Theme Park Industry
Theme park expert Dennis Speigel, founder and CEO of International Theme Park Services, believes Epic Universe will significantly impact the Orlando theme park market, where Universal and Disney are the major players. He predicts this new park, with its diverse offerings appealing to a new generation of visitors, will raise the bar for theme park experiences.
Speigel also wonders how Disney will react to this new competition and whether they will respond with a new theme park of their own in the coming years.
Tickets and Hotel Information
Tickets to Epic Universe will be sold in phases. Vacation packages and three-day tickets (or longer) to Universal Orlando Resort, including a day at Epic Universe, will be available for purchase starting October 22.
Current Universal Orlando annual passholders will receive priority access on October 24 to purchase single-day tickets to Epic Universe before the general public.
Additional ticket options, including single-day tickets for the general public, will be sold in the months leading up to the park’s opening.
To coincide with the opening, the new Universal Helios Grand Hotel (with 500 rooms) will also debut on May 22. Reservations will open on October 22. The hotel will be located within the new theme park and will feature Universal’s first dedicated theme park entrance for hotel guests. Two additional hotels are also slated to open near the park before then.
