Universal Epic Universe

Universal Epic Universe is a theme park located in Orlando, Florida, United States. It opened on May 22, 2025, as the third theme park and fourth park overall to open at Universal Orlando. The park was part of a larger 750-acre (300 ha) development 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 began as early as August 2019, and the COVID-19 pandemic delayed the expected completion date. Details surrounding the park's themed areas and attractions were initially vague, and Super Nintendo World was the last themed land to be officially confirmed in early 2023. Headlining attractions include the motion-based dark rides Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry and Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment, a dual-tracked racing roller coaster called Stardust Racers, and an augmented reality dark ride called Mario Kart: Bowser's Challenge.

On August 1, 2019, NBCUniversal announced that it was building a new theme park at Universal Orlando named Universal's Epic Universe. Chairman and CEO of Universal Parks & Resorts at the time, Tom Williams, released a statement labeling Epic Universe the "most immersive and innovative theme park" the company had ever created. Comcast and NBCUniversal officials expected the new park to create 14,000 additional jobs, and Governor Ron DeSantis shared positive feedback in a public statement.

Concept art released by Universal during the official announcement in August 2019 left details purposely vague. Many franchises were rumored to appear in the park, including lands dedicated to How to Train Your Dragon, Fantastic Beasts, Universal Classic Monsters, and the Nintendo franchises Super Mario and Donkey Kong. In January 2020, the presence of Super Nintendo World in the park was confirmed by multiple Comcast executives. Epic Universe's version of Super Nintendo World was officially announced in February 2023, with CEO Mark Woodbury calling it the "worst-kept secret in history".

The initial opening was scheduled for 2023, but it was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Construction, which had begun as early as August 2019, was halted in July 2020. It later resumed in March 2021, and NBCUniversal CEO Jeff Shell announced the following year that the park would open by mid-2025. This was also confirmed by the resort's official Twitter account. On May 5, 2022, Universal offered 13 acres (5.3 ha) of land near the site where Epic Universe was being built for a Brightline rail route commuter station.

On March 8, 2023, Universal Parks & Resorts CEO Mark Woodbury announced the rebranding of the division to Universal Destinations & Experiences. The name for the park was slightly adjusted from Universal's Epic Universe to Universal Epic Universe. A modified logo was unveiled, which removed the apostrophe and letter "s" from the design. An official unveiling of Celestial Park and an overall layout of Epic Universe was released in a press release on January 30, 2024.

Epic Universe experienced minor damage from Hurricane Milton in October 2024, and construction was only briefly paused in preparation for the storm. On October 17, 2024, Universal revealed the park's grand opening date of May 22, 2025, approximately two weeks before Universal Orlando's 35th anniversary. Tickets for the park were initially only offered as part of a multiday ticket purchase or with the purchase of a vacation package, beginning on October 17, 2024. 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 passholders and Universal hotel guests began on April 17. 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 until June 2025. On May 21, 2025, a celebrity and executive preview event was held at the park in celebration of opening day. The park officially opened to all guests as planned the following day.