We’re in the dog days of summer and hurricane season is tipping off.

Halloween Horror Nights 35

LET THE NIGHTMARES BEGIN! Halloween Horror Nights 35 is here! The nation’s premier Halloween event kicked off August 28 with 10 haunted houses, four scare zones, street entertainment, and select USF attractions open. This year’s major houses include an anniversary house celebrating 35 years of Horror Nights, a walkthrough the mind of Ozzy Osborne, a house that relives Sinners, a house someone solved the lament configuration and summoned Hellraiser, and one last goodbye to Stranger Things. Halloween Horror Nights 35 runs from August 28 through November 1, 2026.

Halloween Hotel Bar Overlays

Want some free Halloween decorations while having a cocktail or snack? Check out the Universal Orlando hotels for their bar overlays! Each one has a bar or location decked out for Halloween, from the Thirsty Fish’s haunted harbor setting (above), Jake’s American Bar & Grille at Royal Pacific getting into the monster tiki game, and the return of the pumpkin bar at Cabana Bay. Oh, and if you’re in CityWalk go check out the Dead Coconut Club on the second floor. All these locations include special drinks and food for the Halloween season, so stop by soon!

Portofino Bay Harbor Nights

Harbor Nights returns October 16 with La Dolce Vita, an evening of music, wines, and food. The event takes place in the iconic Harbor Piazza at Loews Royal Pacific Resort. For a full menu of food and wine plus tickets visit the Harbor Nights La Dolce Vita Ticketing site.

Lost Continent First Aid & Restrooms Moving

Demolition is complete on Sindbad’s Seven Voyages theater and Poseidon’s Fury walkthrough attraction while Mythos and Fire Eater’s Grille remains open. The First Aid station and restrooms are moving soon as Universal is planning on demolishing the building and service road in the middle of the land for new attraction development. The new First Aid location will be in temporary trailers closer to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter before a new permanent location is built. The new location should open within the next few weeks or months.

Construction Updates

Lets catch up on the major projects happening around the resort…

Fast & Furious Hollywood Drift coaster circuit is now complete. Additional work on theming and landscaping has started.

With Halloween Horror Nights now open we can see some of these supports and track pieces up close. Here we see theming of what appears to be a jack-knifed semi-truck at the start of the ride.

Outside the park the start of landscaping for walkways and plants has begun.

Another shot of the two hills over the Music Plaza Stage.

The entrance and load station area for the new coaster. Landscaping has started for the entrance and continuation of the roads in the New York area of the park.

One last nighttime shot during Horror Nights.

Over in Epic Universe the sound stage and office space at the front of the park is continuing its progress. This new space will be event space for Universal events while the offices will be for on-site services.

Over in CityWalk, Joey Fatone’s Fat Ones is under construction at the former Hot Dog Hall of Fame location. The old bleacher seating is gone and the dome is now painted red and black.

Luke Comb’s Category 10 Orlando construction is continuing with mass grading and utilities work.

Universal Studios Florida’s entrance arch is under major construction as it prepares to receive a new coat of white paint and a classic logo design. While the arch is under refurbishment a themed scrim has been placed in front for folks looking for a photo with the HHN medallion.

Refurbishment Calendar

REMINDER: Volcano Bay closes October 26, 2026 through at least April 1, 2027 for a park refurbishment.

Universal Epic Universe

• The Untrainable Dragon: September 15th, 2026 – September 20th, 2026
• Fyre Drill: January 25th, 2027 – February 4th, 2027

Universal Islands of Adventure

• Jurassic Park River Adventure: January 5, 2026 – November 19, 2026
• Popeye & Bluto’s Bilge-Rat Barges: January 4, 2027 – February 2, 2027
• Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey: February 8, 2027 – February 19, 2027

Universal Studios Florida

• Finnegan’s Bar & Grill: now – Winter 2026
• Universal Orlando’s Horror Make-Up Show: now – Winter 2026