Universal Studios Hollywood’s Fan Fest Nights: A Game-Changer for After-Hours Fun!

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Scott Strobl, the executive vice president and general manager of Universal Studios Hollywood, spoke excitedly to the media about their upcoming event, Fan Fest Nights, without appearing overzealous. He likened it to this: If you’re familiar with the immersive atmosphere we create during Halloween Horror Nights, imagine it’s like a fusion between Halloween Horror Nights and Comic-Con.

Over the course of twelve nights, spread across the four consecutive weekends from April 25th to May 18th, fans of science fiction, anime, fantasy, and gaming will have a chance to revel in beloved franchises through various activities and exhibits scattered all over the park. As Stephen Siercks, the senior director of entertainment production at Universal Studios Hollywood, explained to The Hollywood Reporter, “Fan Fest is a full-park takeover, allowing guests to immerse themselves in every genre, every piece of content, throughout the entire event, each and every night.”

For 12 nights over four consecutive weekends (April 25th – May 18th), Fan Fest at Universal Studios Hollywood will see all areas of the park filled with activities celebrating science fiction, anime, fantasy, and gaming. Guests can expect to experience a variety of genres and content throughout the event every night. This was explained by Stephen Siercks, senior director of entertainment production, to The Hollywood Reporter.

An exclusive evening event, Fan Fest, offers ticketed access – featuring express, multi-night, and early entry options – that became available for purchase on Wednesday. For enthusiasts of franchises such as Star Trek, Back to the Future, Dungeons & Dragons, One Piece, Jujutsu Kaisen, Harry Potter, and Super Nintendo, it presents a unique opportunity to immerse oneself in these universes, participate actively, and encounter them in an extraordinary manner, as stated by Strobl.

Some of the upcoming experiences at this event will draw heavily from Universal Studios Hollywood’s roots in studio tours and its history of collaborative partnerships. These experiences will be built within the park and will offer interactive environments focused on immersive storytelling and character interactions. This milestone event is meant to honor the genres themselves, as well as the fans who love them. (Universal Studios Hollywood’s representative, Siercks, stated this.)

Over the course of many years, this project has been developed based on two core values: genuine authenticity and putting fans first. It’s a chance, as Sierks explained, to offer something fresh while staying true to the “legacy of unique, genuinely Universal experiences.

Universal Studios Hollywood’s rich history traces back to 1964 with the introduction of the Studio Tram Tour, offering a peek behind the curtains of movie magic and production. Today, it boasts blockbuster attractions such as The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, is currently working on a thrilling Fast and Furious-themed roller coaster, and plays host to one of the industry’s most anticipated after-hours events, Halloween Horror Nights.

The HHN event is scheduled on the park’s calendar alongside events such as passholder days, Butterbeer season, Fourth of July celebrations, winter holidays, and New Year’s. Originally a casual, separately ticketed event for locals, it has transformed into an internationally acclaimed three-month experience, largely due to its immersive production design and the adaptation of horror franchises into haunted houses as key factors.

The HHN event, initially a local, casually arranged separately ticketed event, has grown over time into an internationally celebrated three-month spectacle on the park’s calendar, sharing space with events like passholder days, Butterbeer season, Fourth of July celebrations, winter holidays, and New Year’s. This evolution can be attributed to its exceptional production design as well as the incorporation of popular horror franchises into haunted houses.

Each year, events are created by our internal teams, some of whom come from the entertainment industry, on an active movie set using a vast collection of props – the largest in the business. This highly engaging event has gained significant popularity over the past ten years. Separately ticketed and taking place after regular hours, it transforms the traditionally sluggish fall season into an immersive brand experience that seamlessly connects the park’s summer and winter holiday attendance.

Previously, Hollywood lacked a connection between its New Year and summer seasons, unlike its counterpart in Orlando, U.S., or international parks like Universal Studios Japan. However, that’s all about to change! Just like in Japan, where special events such as “Detective Conan: The World” (based on the anime and manga series of the same name) and “Peril at the Masquerade” (inspired by Keigo Higashino’s Masquerade Hotel mystery books series) draw fans into the park to interact with popular fandom titles alongside the park’s attractions, Hollywood is now following suit. I can hardly wait to immerse myself in these exciting experiences!

As a devoted fan, I’m excitedly anticipating the 30th anniversary of Universal Studios Florida’s Mardi Gras: International Flavors of Carnaval! Back in its early days, they introduced this special event as a way to draw in our local crowd and audiences from neighboring states during springtime. This fascinating insight was shared by Lora Sauls, the assistant director of creative development and entertainment for Universal Orlando Resort, with THR.

12 unique floats, a blend of New Orleans tradition and international cuisine, serve as the focal point of this event, crafted in partnership with Kern Studios – a company specializing in float construction and entertainment design. Sauls explains, “Together we brainstorm ideas. Kern Studios designs the floats and provides us with props. Sometimes they even create brand-new props for our use. It’s truly an authentic taste of Mardi Gras in New Orleans at Universal Studios.

From the dozen initial creations, which draw inspiration from some of the largest and well-known krewes in New Orleans (as stated by Sauls), half are freshly made every year. These pieces, decorated with props repurposed and adorned with glitter from actual past Mardi Gras floats, boast an impressive scale due to passengers tossing beads (Sauls explained). Unlike many krewes in New Orleans that throw various items, we maintain tradition by sticking solely to the use of beads.

To celebrate its 30th anniversary, the parade will include a leading band playing New Orleans zydeco music, along with special appearances by Mardi Gras Indian Irving ‘Honey’ Banister. Alongside this, the annual concert series will see acts like T-Pain, Joe Jonas, and TLC take the stage, while the food and drink offerings will draw inspiration from New Orleans cuisine and dishes from more than 10 international countries.

In other words, the parade will feature a first line band playing zydeco music and Mardi Gras Indian Irving ‘Honey’ Banister making appearances, in addition to this year’s concert series starring T-Pain, Joe Jonas, and TLC, and an extensive food and drink menu showcasing dishes from over 10 countries inspired by New Orleans flavors.

Fan Fest Nights, created by the same team as L.A.’s HHN, aims to deliver genuine authenticity with a distinctly Hollywood flair and an innovative, pop culture-centric twist on the West Coast. This was emphasized by Strobl during Tuesday’s preview event, as he pointed out that “since The Back to the Future movies were born right here on this lot, there’s no more fitting location than Universal Studios Hollywood to bring it to reality.

By capitalizing on NBCUniversal’s intellectual properties and the park’s storied history as a filming location, Fan Fest Nights will replace the spine-tingling indoor mazes and terror tram experiences of the Bates Motel, Psycho House, War of the Worlds crash site, and Jupiter’s Claim sets from Nope with the “fan tram,” transporting Back to the Future enthusiasts to the outdoor Courthouse Square back lot, resembling Marty McFly’s journey, complete with the destination “Hill Valley.

This backlot event combines scenic set decoration, live musical performances, props from the movie, and engaging character encounters – even Einstein, the dog, will make an appearance. The experience aims to immerse visitors in story-driven interactions, taking them back to 1955 while playing “Mr. Sandman” as its soundtrack. Every hour, a reenactment of Back to the Future‘s thrilling time-travel finale will unfold.

Apart from providing an innovative way to engage with the studio backlot, Fan Fest Nights will also reflect the Universal parks’ tradition of cross-studio collaboration, as demonstrated by “Star Trek: Red Alert.” This partnership with Paramount brings a heart-racing story experience, where participants are united for an extended, interactive action-filled attraction. This experience takes place in the era of the Star Trek franchise centered around Picard.

Fan Fest Nights offers a unique interaction with the backlot and will showcase teamwork between Universal parks and Paramount, as seen in “Star Trek: Red Alert.” This collaboration brings an exciting, interactive action-packed event set within the Picard era of the Star Trek universe.

Visitors will step into the Starfleet Museum, home to legendary spaceships displayed in zero-gravity environments, bridging classic “Star Trek” with its modern versions. Guests are given exclusive access to explore the U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-D, but an alien menace emerges, causing turmoil aboard the vessel. Amidst the chaos, enthusiasts will traverse the shuttle bay, sick bay, control room, and turbolift before being led to the ship’s bridge.

Experience stepping onto a bridge replica built by Paramount, modeled after the Enterprise-D from the Picard series. This authentic set piece offers visitors the chance to walk where their favorite characters and actors once stood. The event is billed as an exhilarating narrative journey, culminating in a nostalgic Star Trek moment as participants are teleported back to Earth.

The “Fan Fest Nights” will grow their connection to immersive gameplay experiences akin to those in Super Nintendo World, such as “Dungeons and Dragons: Secrets of Waterdeep.” This tabletop-style attraction, taking up all of Sound Stage 15, is the second experience at the event that relies on pulse technology.

Visitors will gain access through a preliminary event that readies their team for a time travel journey to the past. There, they’ll encounter the Harpers, an influential spy network, before navigating different settings while dealing with extraordinary dangers in search of a missing artifact. The interactive adventure will eventually bring groups to confront their adversary Xanathar at his doorstep, where they will engage in a battle against a giant replica of the enemy, crafted in collaboration with the Jim Henson Company.

For the first time at the park, Hollywood collaborated with Universal Studios Japan to develop a fan-focused area similar to HHN’s scare zone, named “One Piece: Grand Pirate Gathering,” as part of its anime premiere. This experience will let visitors stroll through the streets and engage in character interactions and photo opportunities inspired by the popular anime and manga series. Additionally, “Jujutsu Kaisen: Hunger of the Cursed” will be shown at the DreamWorks Theater, offering a modified version of Japan’s film experience that includes 4D effects but no 3D elements, only available during Fan Fest Nights.

Beyond a Super Nintendo-themed drone spectacle and the opportunity to encounter Yoshi, plus a unique egg hunt for an event-exclusive Yoshi variant; there’s also a castle light show and character encounters with the Niffler, a baby dragon, as well as the premiere of the Occamy in Harry Potter’s Wizarding World. Plus, you can join group gatherings, cosplay festivities, trivia games, and live music performances in Universal Plaza.

For the initial event, we’ve already got a wide variety of intellectual properties (IPs), but Sierks told The Hollywood Reporter that they haven’t ruled out adapting additional properties in future years. “Our main goal is to provide an exceptional first-year experience and then build upon it. However, it’s thrilling to be nearing the end of this inaugural year and seeing what connects with audiences and how,” Sierks explained. “But having the chance to create this experience during the springtime is a significant milestone for us.

In a separate discussion at the preview, Strobl highlighted Sci-fi, anime, fantasy, and gaming as primary intellectual properties we’re aiming to acquire. He also stressed that our theme park will heavily emphasize food and retail experiences, seamlessly integrating them into [FFN]. You can expect to immerse yourself fully, even touching, tasting these worlds.

Julia Thrash, the vice president and executive chef at Universal Studios Hollywood, has immersed herself in creating a menu that aligns with their vision. This process necessitated the team getting thoroughly acquainted with the company’s intellectual properties, as Julia put it. The aim is to present dishes such that viewers can immediately recognize them without any additional explanation.

60 or more items have been thought up so far, ranging from savory dishes and portable snacks to vibrant, detailed desserts, as well as a variety of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks designed to stimulate the senses. More are in development, all influenced by the thematic and narrative aspects of the initial event’s seven Intellectual Properties (IPs). Unlike the more street-food oriented Mardi Gras event in Orlando, Fan Fest offers a more refined menu catering to fans, with its selection partly defining the overall presentation.

Regarding ‘Star Trek’, what we’re really setting up is Quark’s restaurant, and when you survey the entire setup, it’s more about served meals and seating arrangements since there’s an outdoor table available,” Thrash explained.

Both parks’ spring events offer distinct sensory adventures. Orlando is focusing on narrating a tale of food with authentic cultural representation. As Jens Dahlmann, the head chef at Orlando, explained to THR, “The aim is to bring culture to life through scents and flavors.” If we can captivate guests by providing multi-sensory experiences that introduce them to new foods and cultures, then that’s our goal.

) The spring events at both parks provide unique sensory journeys. Orlando aims to recreate a story of food with accurate cultural context. According to Jens Dahlmann, the head chef at Orlando, “The objective is to make culture tangible through scents and tastes.” If we can engage guests by offering multi-sensory experiences that introduce them to new foods and cultures, then that’s what we strive for.)

At Fan Fest, the team is facing a traditional approach to food inspired by fandom, often favoring how visually appealing the food and drinks are over their flavor profiles. However, Thrash’s team focused more on presentation initially, but as she put it, “Initially, we didn’t even factor in our intellectual property or the overall experience.” She continued, “We eat with our eyes first, but what about the aroma? What sensations are you experiencing?

The “Dungeons & Dragons” Fireball Dessert, drawing inspiration from an in-game spell, serves as both a delightful culinary treat and an engaging interactive experience designed to bring joy to attendees. It features pop rocks on the exterior and Tajin inside, creating a sensation where the dessert seems to ‘pop’ upon eating. As you reach the center, it simulates the sensation of a fireball.

The menu, along with the attractions and activities, provide fans another opportunity for them to engage in these experiences, as stated by Strobl. In conjunction with FFN, we are leveraging the foundation laid by events such as Halloween Horror Nights to enhance the level of immersion and storytelling across all aspects of this event, explained Sierks.

One fantastic aspect of Halloween Horror Nights, which has grown to encompass Fan Fest nights as well, is the opportunity to transport our attendees into the realms of these narratives, genres, and intellectual properties. After placing them within these worlds, we allow them to explore and engage with the immersion that follows. This element is crucial to our vision for what Fan Fest aims to be in the future, serving as a point of distinction from other events and experiences available. We’re working on creating an entirely novel way to interact with this experience.

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2025-01-31 00:26