As if Universal Orlando couldn’t be any better, there is a new and very exciting land coming!
Drum roll…
Epic Universe!
You heard that right! The Universal Studios in Hollywood, California will no longer be gatekeeping the amazing new land. This new theme park opening in Orlando will feature numerous new rides and attractions. The theme park is set to open May 22, 2025.
In Super Nintendo World, you’ll be stepping into your favorite Nintendo Games! Starting off strong, we have Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge. This ride uses AR (Augmented Reality) to represent the physical and digital world. Also, Yoshi’s Adventure is a family-friendly ride that has guests walk through the Mushroom Kingdom with Yoshis as their guide. Mine Cart Madness with Donkey Kong is another ride where guests help Donkey Kong protect the Golden Banana on the thrilling family coaster.
As guests walk throughout this new Nintendo land, there will be challenges like Goomba Crazy Crank and Koopa Troopa POWer Punch. Along with these challenges, you may run into your favorite characters like Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, and Toad.
The upcoming dining options will be Yoshi’s Snack Island and Turbo Boost Treats, where guests can recharge on their adventure. Guests have the opportunity to buy a Power-Up Band and play interactive key challenges. Throughout the land, these bands work with activities. Unlocking your gamer side, you can collect digital coins and digital stamps, track your score, check rankings, and more.
A producer at Super Nintendo World Universal Studios Hollywood shared, “We’ve been putting guests inside their favorite movies and stories for so long, and now we’re inviting them inside a game.” Just like the land in Hollywood, inside this land, you will be there on a mission! Until the new land’s grand opening, bring out your Nintendo games and reminisce.
This will be the very first Universal park to adopt the traditional wheel-and-spoke design that was such a big hit when introduced by Disneyland back in 1955. It will have a central hub placed in the center, with all of Epic Universe’s other individual lands radiating out from it.
Just because the concept is traditional doesn’t mean that Universal’s implementation of it will also be. As a quick look at the conceptual art attests to, the central hub of Celestial Park is massive, structured more like a long corridor than, say, the Cinderella Castle hub at the center of Magic Kingdom, leaving a ton of room for all sorts of experiences, entertainment, and even attractions.
Besides Super Nintendo World, Epic Universe will house the Dark Universe, the Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic, How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk, and Celestial Park.
For more information on this exciting expansion, visit: Universal Orlando – Epic Universe.