Epic Universe Crowd Calendar: Here’s What We’re Forecasting

TouringPlans Crowd Calendar Update: Forecasting Crowds at Epic Universe

With the upcoming debut of Epic Universe at Universal Orlando, we’re excited to share a major update to our Crowd Calendar that includes projected crowd levels for this brand-new theme park. The update will go live by the morning of Tuesday, May 13, 2025.

Forecasting crowds for a park that hasn’t yet opened brings a unique set of challenges, and we want to be transparent about how we’re making these predictions and what assumptions go into them.

No History? No Problem — But It’s Complicated

Unlike Universal Studios Florida or Islands of Adventure, Epic Universe has no historical crowd data. That means we can’t use observed wait times, operational logs, or past guest behavior to estimate how busy the park will be.

Instead, our predictions are based on modeled assumptions, including:

• The expected ride capacity of key attractions
• Estimated daily attendance caps
• Similar opening patterns from other parks (e.g., Hagrid’s or VelociCoaster openings)
• Park layout, guest flow modeling, and past trends from other Universal parks

What We’re Forecasting

Based on our models, we currently estimate that Epic Universe will average between a 7 and 8 on our 1-to-10 crowd level scale for Summer 2025. That means high but manageable crowds, similar to what you might experience at Universal during Spring Break — busy, but not crushing.

This is a starting estimate and will be updated frequently as we learn more.

⚠️ What Could Affect These Estimates?

We’ve built our forecasts with a number of assumptions — but real-world conditions can and will shift. Here are some key factors that could influence actual crowd levels:

• Ride Reliability: New attractions often face downtime early in their life. If key rides are down frequently, it could lengthen waits elsewhere or impact perceived crowding.
  • We’re expecting some level of ride downtime for the first few weeks the park is open
• Ride Capacity: Once Epic is open, we expect some attractions, such as Ministry of Magic, to run at reduced capacity while issues are sorted out. Other attractions, such as Dragon Racer’s Rally, could see their ride durations changed to increase ride capacity.
• ️ Florida Weather: Bad weather days could thin out crowds or create spikes on “make-up” days.
• ️ Ticketing & Reservations: Universal’s decisions on ticket sales and park reservations will affect how many people can enter the park each day.
  • We think the last few weeks of previews have capped attendance at around 13,000 guests per day.
  • We expect that Epic Universe will open at around half capacity, or around 17,000 guests.
  • Because the park is new, we expect more guests will want to experience more attractions, than for a typical guest at an established park. If a half-filled park should be roughly a crowd level of 5 (as an example), these factors plus ride reliabilty and capacity, would indicate a higher crowd level than that.
• Popularity and Social Buzz: If Epic Universe has positive buzz for one or more standout attractions, demand could exceed expectations.

What TouringPlans Is Watching

We have already collected thousands of observations from the preview days, but once the park opens officially, we’ll continue collecting real-time data on:

• Wait times by hour and attraction
• Attraction downtime
• Park entry/exit flow
• Guest movement patterns

This will allow us to refine our crowd forecasts quickly and with increasing accuracy over time. You can expect regular calendar updates as data roll in.

Plan Ahead — But Stay Flexible

If you’re planning to visit Epic Universe this summer, our Crowd Calendar is a great starting point — but treat it as a forecast, not a guarantee. Just like the weather, theme park crowds can be unpredictable, especially at a brand-new park.

We’ll keep tracking it all — and adjusting — so you can make the most of your trip.

Let us know what you’re most excited to ride at Epic Universe — and stay tuned for updates as we get closer to opening day!