Universal Studios Hollywood Isn’t Bringing Back The Best Part Of Fan Fest Nights, But The Replacement Might Be Even Better

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Let me tell you about one of my favorite theme park experiences from last year – Universal’s Fan Fest Nights. Think of it like Halloween Horror Nights, but instead of scares, it celebrated all the franchises we love. They really went all out! I was blown away by the detail – they actually rebuilt the bridge of the Enterprise-D for the Star Trek section, and the Beholder animatronic they created with the Henson Creature Shop for Dungeons & Dragons was incredible. But honestly, the highlight for me was the Back to the Future experience. It was just phenomenal.

Visitors can still explore the iconic Hill Valley set on the Universal Studios backlot tour, giving you the feeling of stepping right into the movie. Universal Studios Hollywood recently announced tickets are now available for Fan Fest Night 2026. While ‘Back to the Future’ won’t be featured this time, the new theme promises to be just as exciting.

Scooby Doo X Universal Monsters Will Take Guests To The Back Lot

We already knew Scooby Doo X Universal Monsters would be a big part of Fan Fest Nights this year, combining the Scooby gang with Universal’s famous monsters. But until now, we didn’t know what to expect from the attraction itself.

Universal Studios Hollywood announced that the new Scooby Doo X Universal Monsters experience will be located on the studio backlot. Guests will ride the Studio Tour tram to the backlot, then join Scooby and the gang on foot as they investigate and battle classic monsters.

What’s really amazing is that this is the actual Universal Studios backlot – the place where so many of the original Universal monster movies were made. The Little Europe set, which still exists today, was used to film classics like Frankenstein and The Wolf Man in the 1930s and 40s. It’s a dream location for any classic movie fan.

Fan Fest Nights Has A Lot More To Offer, And It’s Not Done Yet

The Back to the Future experience isn’t coming back this year, but fans will be happy to hear that Dungeons & Dragons: Secrets of Waterdeep will return. If you missed the amazing mechanical beholder last year, you’ll get another opportunity to see it!

Another popular series from last year is returning, but with a much bigger presence. While One Piece was only available for photos at Fan Fest Nights before, this year it will be featured in a full show – ONE PIECE: Grand Pirate Show – at the Waterworld arena.

Fan Fest Nights is promising exciting new things to do in both Super Nintendo World and the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Last year, Yoshi first appeared in Super Nintendo World during the event, and this year, you’ll see even more Yoshis – in lots of different colors – roaming around the land. In the Wizarding World, guests will be able to explore attractions set in the Forbidden Forest, joining a Hogwarts professor on a quest to find a missing Hippogriff.

We’ll be revealing more details soon, but what we’ve planned so far for this year’s Fan Fest Nights looks fantastic – it promises to be as good as, or even better than, last year’s event.

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2026-01-15 21:40