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Tag: HHN

  • Universal announces dates for Halloween Horror Nights and big 2026 events

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    Credit: Halloween Horror Nights/Facebook

    Universal Orlando announced Thursday its full slate of annual events and experiences set for 2026, including Mardi Gras, Volcano Bay Nights, holidays at the park and Halloween Horror Nights. 

    Halloween Horror Nights this year celebrates a 35th birthday that’ll kick off Aug. 28 and run through Nov. 1. It’s set to run on select nights, which will be announced at a later date, Universal says. 

    The park has also yet to begin to tease haunted house and scare zone themes. Last year’s widely well-received 10 franchise-based and original houses included Five Nights at Freddy’s; WWE Presents: The Horrors of the Wyatt Sicks; Terrifier; Jason Universe; Fallout; Hatchets and Chains: Demon Bounty Hunters; Dolls: Let’s Play Dead; Grave of Flesh; Gálkn: Monsters of the North; and El Artista: A Spanish Haunting.

    Nothing’s certain for this year’s lineup yet, but rumors of an It-themed house have begun circulating online. 

    Also announced for 2026 was Universal’s Mardi Gras: International Flavors of Carnaval, set to return Feb. 7 through April 4. Expect sky-high parade floats, live music performances and plenty of New Orleans-themed eats.

    The park says its still new(ish) Volcano Bay Nights will return this year, although exact dates have yet to be shared. The nighttime waterpark event was first launched in early 2025 and came back again in the fall. It offered guests access to the limited-capacity park at night, with character meet-and-greets, live entertainment and treats. 

    Holidays at Universal Orlando kick off just days after HHN on Nov. 14 and will run through Jan. 3. The park will see the return of annual traditions like Christmas in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, Grinchmas, and Universal’s Holiday Parade featuring Macy’s. There will also be a slate of New Year’s Eve festivities at the parks and Universal CityWalk, which will be announced in the coming months. 

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    A fun-sized festival of Fringe hits and juried picks runs Jan. 7-11

    Another huge year for live music, theme park happenings, hometown drag heroes, sports, food and all the rest

    A joyfullly over-the-top revisionist reimagining of ‘Romeo and Juliet’



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    Chloe Greenberg
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  • Universal Orlando wins big at industry awards, Disney World flops

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    Universal Orlando has been awarded new amusement-industry awards, scoring big for its new behemoth baby Epic Universe and water theme park Volcano Bay. 

    This year’s Golden Ticket Awards, a prestigious annual tradition in the theme park world presented by Amusement Today, granted Universal a total of five awards for both new and longstanding immersive experiences and attractions. It was the only Florida park to win in this year’s roundup. 

    The park nabbed the following honors:

    • Best new theme concept for Epic Universe’s village of Darkmoor
    • Best new coaster for Epic Universe’s Stardust Racers
    • Best new attraction installation for Epic Universe’s Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry
    • Best dark ride for Epic Universe’s Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment​ 
    • Best water park for Volcano Bay

    This year marks the first time a new winner has been named in the best water park category in 26 years. Volcano Bay, opened in 2017, beat out the previous titleholder: Schlitterbahn Waterpark Resort in New Braunfels, Texas. 

    While Epic Universe, the theme park’s highly anticipated new venture that opened this summer, helped the amusement giant score big, Disney World was left in the dust. 

    Disney World took home no wins. Maybe next time, Mickey.

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    Monsters and cryptids and Florida wildlife, oh my!



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    Chloe Greenberg
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  • Get scared: Halloween Horror Nights 2024 begins Friday in Orlando

    Get scared: Halloween Horror Nights 2024 begins Friday in Orlando

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    With 10 terrifying haunted houses, five spine-tingling scare zones and frighteningly immersive entertainment, Halloween Horror Nights 33 offers guests the chance to experience their worst nightmares face to face starting Friday.

    Running longer than ever before, with 48 dates through Nov. 3, the event will transport attendees to some of horror’s scariest scenes.

    Here are some of the highlights guests can expect this year:

    Brave guests can zip their lips and experience A Quiet Place, one of this year’s hallmark haunted houses, up close. If you know what’s good for you, don’t stray from the pack — and definitely don’t make a sound.

    A genre-defining horror franchise also makes its return to the HHN stage this year: Insidious: The Further invites guests — or victims — to join the Lambert family as the red door welcomes them into a deathly demonic realm.

    Halloween Horror Nights-goers also have the chance to encounter battles between classic female Universal Monsters, save the city from vindictive spirits with the Ghostbusters and experience six new twisted houses.

    This year’s house roundup includes: A Quiet Place, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, Insidious: The Further, Universal Monsters: Eternal Bloodlines, Slaughter Sinema 2, Goblin’s Feast, Major Sweets Candy Factory, The Museum: Deadly Exhibits, Monstrous: The Monsters of Latin America and Triplets of Terror.

    In one of this year’s scare zones, icons from horror production company Blumhouse — including The Black Phone‘s Grabber, M3GAN and Happy Death Day’s killer — will make appearances in the park’s San Francisco area. Four other original scare zones are scattered around the rest of the park, promising guests no escape from eerie encounters.

    This year’s five scare zones are Enter the Blumhouse, Duality of Fear, Torture Faire, Demon Queens and Swamp of the Undead.

    While waiting for the next fright, guests can recharge and experience HHN’s infamous Nightmare Fuel: Nocturnal Circus live show, featuring an ominous atmosphere and agile aerialists performing alongside rock music and pyrotechnics. If they’re in need of updated merchandise, guests can get their fix at the all-new tribute store.

    Even demons and monsters need to eat. Straight from this year’s haunted new menus is Pork Carniceria, inspired by Monstrous: The Monsters of Latin America; Mini Stay-Puft S’mores, inspired by Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire; and Abbott’s Farm Corn Chowder, inspired by A Quiet Place.

    Tickets for Halloween Horror Nights 2024 are available online now.

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    Lucy Dillon

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  • Blumhouse, Demon Queens and all the other scare zones coming to Orlando for Halloween Horror Nights 2024

    Blumhouse, Demon Queens and all the other scare zones coming to Orlando for Halloween Horror Nights 2024

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    Photo via Halloween Horror Nights/Facebook

    There’s no escape from the scares at Halloween Horror Nights thanks to five immersive scare zones set up around Universal Studios Florida.

    With 10 haunted houses and a live show already revealed, HHN finally told us what the last scare zone theme would be this week. Based on not-so-subtle spoiler photos of a Blumhouse logo-covered structure in the park, it was no surprise the horror film studio was making an appearance this year.

    HHN officially confirmed a Blumhouse scare zone on Wednesday. As you walk through the (probably) fog-filled San Francisco area of the park, you’ll run into iconic Blumhouse characters like The Grabber (The Black Phone), M3GAN, the baby mask-wearing slasher from Happy Death Day and more.

    The other four scare zones at HHN 33 are original themes.

    Duality of Fear: The HHN entrance scare zone will force you to choose between SINIST3R — visceral horror — and SURR3AL — unearthly terror. There’s no lesser of two evils with these scream queens.

    Torture Faire: SINIST3R’s renaissance faire is a gory showcase of all her favorite medieval torture devices.

    Demon Queens: SURR3AL’s hellscape is filled with terrifying and fanatical followers of her unique brand of terror.

    Swamp of the Undead: The Louisiana swamp comes to undead life with hordes of zombie trespassers.

    Halloween Horror Nights 33 kicks off at Universal Studios Florida on Aug. 30 and runs select nights through Nov. 3. The ticketed event includes haunted houses inspired by A Quiet Place, Ghostbusters, Insidious, Universal Monsters and six original stories.

    This year’s live entertainment includes Nightmare Fuel: Nocturnal Circus — a showcase of pyrotechnics and aerialists set to pulse-pounding rock music. There will also be themed food and drinks throughout the park, and chances to ride some of the best attractions in the park after dark.

    Tickets, upgrades and vacation packages are available to purchase now through UniversalOrlando.com/HHN.

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    Chelsea Zukowski

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  • All-female Universal Monsters house coming to Halloween Horror Nights

    All-female Universal Monsters house coming to Halloween Horror Nights

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    Image via Universal Orlando

    This year’s Halloween Horror Nights is shaping up to be all for the girls.

    Universal Orlando recently revealed the 10th and final house theme — Universal Monsters: Eternal Bloodlines, which features an all-female monster cast.

    In the all-new, original storyline, guests will join Saskia Van Helsing, daughter of famed hunter Abraham Van Helsing, as she faces off against Dracula’s daughter, Countess Marya, who wants revenge for her father’s killing. The character inspired by 1936’s Dracula’s Daughter then teams up with the She-Wolf (1946’s She-Wolf of London) and Princess Anck-Su-Namnu (1932’s The Mummy) to destroy the Van Helsing bloodline.

    Surprise, surprise, Saskia has an unlikely alliance as well — with the Bride of Frankenstein. Guests become the innocent, terrified bystanders in this epic, deadly battle between hunters and monsters.

    Universal also announced this house will get an original score composed by Emmy-nominated composer Sara Barone (Planet Earth III, Silver and the Book of Dreams).

    Besides Universal Monsters: Eternal Bloodlines, this year’s HHN also has two scare zones filled with demon queens and monstrous females. The Duality of Fear zone contains the physical manifestations of visceral horror and unearthly terror — SINIST3R and SURR3AL. These two creepy ladies welcome you at the front gates, where you to choose a path of fear to follow.

    The Demon Queens scare zone is the realm of four ruthless queens and their fanatical followers who are all loyal to SURR3AL. With one more scare zone theme to announce, it will likely feature followers of SINIST3R.

    Universal Orlando’s Halloween Horror Nights opens on Aug. 30 and runs select nights through Nov. 3. All tickets and packages are available to purchase, including the Premium Scream Night on Aug. 29.

    The other houses this year include Insidious: The Further, A Quiet Place, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire and six original stories.

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    Chelsea Zukowski

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  • Universal Orlando unveils even more Halloween Horror Nights 33 houses

    Universal Orlando unveils even more Halloween Horror Nights 33 houses

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    Photo via Halloween Horror Nights/Facebook

    Three months ahead of opening night, we now know six of the 10 haunted houses coming to Halloween Horror Nights 33 at Universal Orlando.

    Breaking tradition and keeping fans on their toes, HHN took to the Spooky Empire convention last weekend to reveal the first house — Slaughter Sinema 2, a sequel to the horror movie drive-in maze from 2018. The next day, the fright fest announced Goblin’s Feast, a new original house full of hungry goblins, orcs and witches.

    Then every day this week, at 10:33 a.m. on the dot, HHN announced Major Sweets Candy Factory, The Museum: Deadly Exhibits, Monstruos: The Monsters of Latin America and Triplets of Terror.

    Major Sweets Candy Factory makes you a chaperone on a field trip that turns sour when your child charges turn into sugar-fueled fiends. In The Museum: Deadly Exhibits, something evil escapes from a new folklore museum and sets out to destroy everything in its path.

    In the Monstruos house, La Muerte is your guide to exploring the terrifying legends of Tlahuelpuchi (a shapeshifting vampiric witch), La Lechuza (a shapeshifting owl witch) and El Silbón (a cursed whistling spirit who carries the bones of their victims).

    And in the Triplets of Terror house, you’re invited to a gory party for the Barmy triplets, who celebrate their birthday by recreating their family’s murders. How precious!

    With seemingly all of the original houses revealed for this year’s event, fans are left to speculate what IP-themed experiences we’ll get.

    In years past, HHN announced one or two of the big IP houses first, sprinkling in original houses throughout the summer. Is it a good omen that Universal announced all the original houses first? Maybe they’re saving the best ones for last.

    Either way, HHN has grown exponentially in popularity over the last three decades – blockbuster IP houses or not. Longtime diehard fans have even expressed on social media that HHN doesn’t need even one IP house. The classic, campy and lore-filled original houses are consistently among the best experiences.

    We’ll still be checking the HHN Twitter page every day at 10:33 a.m. for the foreseeable future. There are still four more houses, five scare zones and live entertainment to announce.

    Halloween Horror Nights returns on Aug. 30 and runs for 48 select nights through Nov. 3. Tickets are on sale now, and some new merch is already available in the parks and online.

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    Chelsea Zukowski

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  • Universal Orlando reveals first two haunted houses coming to Halloween Horror

    Universal Orlando reveals first two haunted houses coming to Halloween Horror

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    Photo via Halloween Horror Nights/Facebook

    Universal Orlando’s Halloween Horror Nights has kept fans on their toes for weeks, as they searched for the tiniest teases of what’s coming to this year’s event.

    Finally, the fright fest revealed two original haunted houses setting up shop — Slaughter Sinema 2 and Goblin’s Feast.

    Revealed at horror convention Spooky Empire, Slaughter Sinema 2 is a new iteration of a fan-favorite house from 2018. Perfect for fans of horror B-movies, the house brings a drive-in theater to life with terrifying scenes from monster movies, gory grindhouse films, spaghetti westerns and more.

    The original Slaughter Sinema included scenes from 11 different movie scenes created just for HHN, including “Sorority Sacrifice,” “Pumpkin Guts,” “The Cult of the Beast Baby” and “Attack of the Swamp Yeti.”

    Goblin’s Feast is a new original house where guests venture to a goblin village and visit the tavern for a lavish feast. There’s just one problem: They’re the main course for the hungry goblins, orcs and witches.

    This time of year is peak HHN announcement season, and Universal has kept the fandom glued to social media so they don’t miss any hints or reveals. What’s throwing many die-hard fans for a loop is how the first houses were announced.

    In years past — roughly since 2019 — HHN has announced at least one IP (intellectual property)-themed house first. Last year, it was Chucky: Ultimate Kill Count, while the event was still running. In 2022, it was Universal Monsters: Legends Collide. In 2021 and 2019, Beetlejuice and Stranger Things 2 were announced first, respectively.

    Another strange bit: Slaughter Sinema 2 and Goblin’s Feast are not yet listed on the HHN website. With HHN tweeting the number 3 and posting reveals three days apart at 10:33 a.m., 12:33 p.m. and 12:33 a.m. over the weekend, it wouldn’t be surprising to see a third announcement sometime this week.

    We’ll keep our eyes peeled and our X (formerly Twitter) notifications turned on.

    Halloween Horror Nights returns earlier than ever this year, starting on Aug. 30 and running 48 select nights through Nov. 3. Beyond Slaughter Sinema 2 and Goblin’s Feast, there will be eight more haunted houses, five scare zones and likely other live entertainment and shows.

    Tickets are on sale now, and new HHN 33 merch is available online and in select shops in the parks.

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    Chelsea Zukowski

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