With Epic Universe scheduled to open in Orlando this May, Universal Studios is eating Disney’s lunch in 2025. It’s impossible to overstate how highly anticipated the park’s third gate (which features themed lands based on How to Train Your Dragon, Universal Monsters, and Nintendo) is in the theme park world. But that’s not the only big thing happening at a Universal theme park this spring.
Never one to leave the West Coast behind, Universal Studios Hollywood is hosting a new after-hours event starting in April called Fan Fest Nights. This special ticket event is described as “Horror Nights meets Comic-Con” and will feature immersive interactive experiences inspired by Star Trek, Back to the Future, Dungeons & Dragons, One Piece, and Jujutsu Kaisen, as well as brand new additions to existing lands like Super Nintendo World. This week I got to see a preview of what Universal has planned for Fan Fest, and I was blown away by how much this new event has to offer just in its first year alone.
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If you’re a fan of Hollywood Horror Nights you’re already aware of the extraordinarily high production value Universal puts into that event. By leveraging the talent of Hollywood filmmakers and the resources afforded to one of the biggest studios in the world, Universal produces eight all-new, movie quality haunted houses every single year – as well as a dozen other unique activities and experiences.
For Fan Fest, Universal is throwing out the spooky and bringing in the nerdy, while keeping the same level of production value and attention to detail the park is known for. This new event includes so many cool experiences it’s hard to keep them all in mind at the same time, and it might even be hard to see them all in just one visit. Here’s a rundown of all the cool things you’ll get to do and see at this year’s Fan Fest.
Immersive Activations
There are three large-scale activations that will serve as the main event of Fan Fest. If you’ve ever been to San Diego Comic-Con you’ve probably experienced similar experiences around the streets of San Diego. This is Universal’s spin on those kinds of fandom-focused walkthroughs, and they’re pulling out all the stops.
The first is Star Trek: Red Alert, which begins as a Picard-era tour of a Starfleet museum. Once aboard the USS Enterprise, your tour group will get to explore the various environments that will be familiar to fans, eventually ending up on the iconic bridge. Naturally, chaos ensues as you find yourself caught in the middle of an alien attack. This attraction includes themed performances, special effects, and a chance to explore an original set piece featured on the final season of Star Trek: Picard.
The next attraction begins in the famous backlot studio tour, where you’ll be brought to the iconic Courthouse Square from Back to the Future for an immersive recreation of the film’s Hill Valley in 1985. While freely exploring the original film location you’ll get pulled into key story moments from the film, including the flaming arrival of the Time Machine, the Enchantment Under the Sea dance, and even the lightning strike on the Clock Tower. This is an opportunity to experience the historic movie set while being immersed in an authentic recreation of Back to the Future.
Finally, and perhaps most exciting, is Dungeons & Dragons: Secrets of Waterdeep. This interactive experience will take you into the world of D&D on a quest to defeat the evil beholder Xanathar and save the city of Waterdeep. Universal brought in Jen Henson’s Creature Shop to create the famous big-eyed monster, and from the work-in-progress photos they showed me, it’s going to look incredible.
Anime Enters Universal Studios
While Anime is a big part of Universal Studios Japan, this is the first time it will be featured at Universal Studios Hollywood. The traditional Scare Zone from Horror Nights has been reimagined as a Fan Zone based on One Piece. Here you’ll get to meet and greet with characters with scenic environments based on the series, and enjoy themed snacks and other photo ops.
The Dreamworks Theater featuring Kung-Fu Panda will be transformed into the Jujutsu Kaisen theater during Fan Fest Nights. This 4D film-based experience first debuted at Universal Studios Japan and will only be available at Universal Studios Hollywood during the event.
Yoshi Visits Hollywood
Super Nintendo World is getting a new addition exclusive to Fan Fest Nights called Let’s Go, Yoshi. Not only will Yoshi be there for meet and greets, but fans will get to participate in a scavenger hunt to find five colorful Yoshi eggs. If you collect them all, you’ll get a special meet and greet with different colored Yoshis. There will also be Nintendo-themed Drone shows over Super Nintendo World throughout the night.
All of these different experiences will have their own unique snack menus exclusively for this event. I got to try several of them during the preview and they’re all incredibly on theme and photogenic. I was especially impressed by the Dungeons & Dragons’ fireball, a rich chocolate cake covered in cinnamon-flavored icing, as well as the Chopper Cupcake, which was as adorable as it was delicious.
Universal Studio Fan Fest Nights runs April 25-27, May 2-4, May 9-11, and May 16-18, 2025. Tickets are on sale now at UniversalStudiosHollywood.com with a variety of offerings, including early access, VIP tours, and an Ultimate Fandom Pass that will allow you to visit Fan Fest Night as often as you like.
Universal Studios hopes Fan Fest Nights will grow into a beloved after-hours experience for decades to come. With such an impressive slate of activities already this year, it’s hard to imagine where this event could go from here.