The first thing that comes to mind when I hear Universal Studios is doing something after dark is usually how scary it’s going to be—and that’s not surprising. Halloween Horror Nights has built that reputation with intense scares, haunted houses, and scare zones designed to keep you on edge. But you don’t have to love HHN to enjoy Universal after dark.
For those of us who still want to explore the park, go through immersive walkthroughs, see characters, and take in the atmosphere without constantly worrying what might be lurking around the corner, Universal’s Fan Fest Nights – now in its second year – offers a different kind of experience. That’s because it’s focused more on fun, fandom, and immersion than fear.
There is no shortage of ways fans can delve into some of their favorite stories throughout the evening. This year alone, fans can stick their tongues out with multi-colored Yoshis, join Scooby-Doo and the gang as they take on Universal’s classic monsters in unravelling a mystery on the backlot, and enter the world of One Piece with Luffy and the crew as they set sail on high-energy adventures (while doing many backflips along the way).
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So when CinemaBlend was invited to the opening night festivities, we had to make sure that this was going to be a night filled with fun, not fright.
That feeling is immediately apparent the moment you step into the park. The lighting is warm and inviting, Sailor Moon is hosting meet-and-greets, the food is playful and whimsical, and—most importantly—no one is coming at you with a chainless chainsaw.
However, if you are in the mood for some light-hearted scares, you can still find them with Scooby and the gang in the aforementioned backlot mystery. This immersive walkthrough in “Little Europe” has you helping Scooby-Doo and the Mystery Inc. crew solve a whodunit as Universal’s classic monsters are on the loose, with Wolfman, Frankenstein (no ’90s pop song number this time) and his Bride, or Dracula, potentially lurking in the shadows, ready to pounce. It’s less about being terrified and more about playful surprise—though, admittedly, a few of them still got me.
Those monsters are about as scary as it gets during Fan Fest Nights. The only other moment that gave me pause was entering the Forbidden Forest with a Hogwarts professor (no name or real backstory) to help a Hippogriff in need. It also didn’t help that it was the first experience I did, and I was still shaking off some lingering HHN-style instincts from walking through Universal at night in the dark. That feeling faded quickly, though, once we ran into a group of pesky pixies causing chaos in the woods.
Overall, there is a lot to love about Universal Fan Fest Nights, and it is all very doable within one evening. One small word of warning: the Forbidden Forest walkthrough had the longest wait of the night, hovering around 70 minutes most of the evening. If you’re short on time, this is probably the one experience I’d consider skipping first.
Fan Fest Nights is an after-hours, separately ticketed event, and all experiences are included with admission. It runs for a limited time on select nights—April 25, May 1–3, 7–9, and 14–16—before wrapping up, hopefully to return next year.
