If you’ve ever wanted to spend time in Epic Universe without the crowds and the long lines, you need to know about Universal Orlando’s NEW after-hours event, Universal Nights. It lets you experience the park with fewer people and shorter waits. And we’ll be there for the very first night on October 3rd!

Universal Nights is Epic Universe’s first-ever special-ticketed event, and it’s proven so popular that Universal has already added MORE dates. Before we head in, here’s everything you’ll be able to do once the regular day guests head home, and what we’ll be checking out for you.

Universal Nights: The Basics

Universal Nights at Epic Universe is a limited-capacity, special-ticketed event that gets you into the park after hours, from 9 PM to midnight. You can enter as early as 7 PM, which gives you up to five hours in the park. It’s a lot like the After Hours events at Disney World.

The event was originally announced for October 3rd and 17th. It’s now happening on five nights:

• Saturday, October 3rd
• Saturday, October 17th (SOLD OUT)
• Saturday, October 24th
• Friday, November 6th
• Friday, November 20th

Tickets are on sale now and start at $179.99 plus tax per person. Universal Orlando Annual Passholders save 10% on tickets. Your event ticket is all you need to get in at 7 PM, so there’s no need to buy a separate daytime ticket. Just know that the event isn’t included with regular park admission, and it happens rain or shine.

EVERY Ride Is Open

Universal says all attractions will be open during the event, across all five worlds. Here’s what you can ride.

Celestial Park

• Stardust Racers
• Constellation Carousel

Super Nintendo World

• Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge
• Mine-Cart Madness
• Yoshi’s Adventure
• Power-Up Band interactive games throughout the land

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic

• Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry

How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk

• Hiccup’s Wing Gliders
• Dragon Racer’s Rally
• Fyre Drill

Dark Universe

• Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment
• Curse of the Werewolf

On a regular day, headliners like Battle at the Ministry, Mine-Cart Madness, and Stardust Racers can post hours-long waits. With capacity capped, we’ll be tracking wait times all night to see how many rides you can realistically fit in. We’ll also look for the best order to tackle them.

Watch Celestial Goodnight

That 7 PM entry means you can catch Universal Celestial Goodnight, Epic’s nighttime spectacular, before the event officially begins. Fountains, lights, and fireworks take over Celestial Park, and it’s a pretty magical way to start the night. We’ll share where to watch and how to get to your first ride as soon as the show ends.

Unlimited FREE Snacks

This is the perk we’re most excited about. Unlimited complimentary snacks are available throughout the event, including berry-flavored Celestial Popcorn and crispy Kimchi Bao in Celestial Park.

We’ll be taste-testing everything to find out:

• Whether the free snacks are actually good
• Whether they’re filling enough to count as dinner
• Whether there are any surprise snacks beyond what’s been announced
• What (if anything) is worth paying extra for

Free Drinks, Too

You’ll get a provided cup with refills from any Coca-Cola Freestyle location, with 100+ drink choices. We’ll let you know where to find the machines and whether the lines get long.

Characters and Entertainment

Universal has promised character meet-and-greets throughout the park, along with entertainment and streetmosphere across all five worlds. The full lineup hasn’t been revealed yet, so we’ll be hunting for every character we can find. We’ll especially be watching for anyone you can’t meet during the day. Epic Universe also has two big stage shows, The Untrainable Dragon in Isle of Berk and Le Cirque Arcanus in the Ministry of Magic. We’ll report back on whether they’re running during event hours.

Passholder Perks

On top of the 10% ticket discount, Premier Passholders save 15% and Preferred Passholders save 10% on food and merchandise at the event. We’ll be on the lookout for any event-exclusive merch worth using that discount on.

So… Is It Worth $180?

That’s the big question, and we’re going to answer it. We’ll compare Universal Nights to Disney’s After Hours events and give you our honest verdict on whether it’s worth the splurge or whether you’re better off with a regular park day.

We’ll be in Epic Universe on October 3rd with wait times, snack reviews, character sightings, merch finds, and our final verdict. Don’t miss it, be sure to sign up for the DFB newsletter to get our full coverage straight to your inbox.

Are you going to Universal Nights at Epic Universe? What do you want us to check out? Let us know in the comments!