Top 5 Additions to Universal Parks in 2019

Happy New Year Attraction Insight fans! In the last few years, we have seen incredible new attractions, hotels, and additions to theme parks all around the globe. That trend will continue in 2019 as some new and very exciting projects will debut this year. For today’s article, we will explore the plans that Universal parks across the planet have in store for the calendar year. We have compiled this list in a top-five format, starting with five and working down to number one.

Without further ado, let’s rank the top 5 Universal park additions for 2019.

5) “Hogwarts Magical Celebration” Show – Universal Studios Japan

Ever since the debut of the Wizarding World to Universal parks around the world, there have been constant new upgrades made to these lands, including a nighttime projection show on Hogwarts Castle. Several iterations of the show exist, and each has unique show elements attached to them. For 2019, Universal Japan will celebrate the 5th anniversary of the Wizarding World’s opening with a special projection show set to debut in the spring. The show will feature segments dedicated to the four houses of Hogwarts. This appears at #5 purely because it will be very similar to the shows found in Universal Studios Hollywood and Universal Orlando.

4) New CityWalk Restaurants – Universal Studios Hollywood and Universal Orlando

Universal CityWalk is the hub that connects directly to both of these parks and is filled with a wide variety of food and retail venues. Both coasts have seen a renovation of the CityWalk areas, and with it has come new restaurants. In Hollywood, Camacho’s Cantina closed earlier in 2018 to make way for an all new mexican restaurant, Antojito’s. This original concept is brought over from CityWalk Orlando. Speaking of Orlando, the Emeril’s location situated right in the heart of CityWalk, closed on July 7th. Word on its replacement has been mum, but Universal recently filed a trademark for Big Fire Grill. It is rumored that this new concept will replace Emeril’s in 2019.

3) New Action Show To Replace T2: 3D – Universal Orlando

Terminator 2: 3D was a unique show featuring both live actors and screens to bring audiences to the world of machines. After a very long run at the park, T2 closed forever in 2017, making way for a new project that Universal describes as an “all-new live-action experience based on a high-energy Universal franchise.” It has been rumored by various outlets that this new show will be themed to the spy-thriller Jason Bourne film franchise. The building has been completely gutted and recent aerial shots have revealed the new construction expansions on the side of the old theater. Universal has not revealed when or what exactly is coming to this space in 2019, but a new live-action show should be a breath of fresh air to a park dominated by screen-based attractions.

2) Jurassic World Ride – Universal Studios Hollywood

The beloved Jurassic Park attraction at Universal Studios Hollywood closed forever this past fall to make way for a new experience based on the sequel series of Jurassic World films. The ride will essentially be the same, but it will feature brand-new theming and animatronics based on the first Jurassic World film. Construction crews have been hard at work transforming the attraction in a very short time frame. While exact details on upgrades have been sparse, it has recently come to light that the entire opening lagoon scene on the ride is now enclosed in a building. It will be very interesting to see all of the changes that have been made once the ride reopens in 2019.

1) Harry Potter Roller Coaster – Universal Orlando

Of course, at number one we arrive at by far the biggest project coming to any Universal Park in 2019. In late 2017, the famed dueling steel coasters, Dragon Challenge, closed forever and were demolished to create a whole new adventure set in the Wizarding World. This one-of-a-kind coaster will have guests traverse the Forbidden Forest and encounter infamous creatures from the films along the way. The coaster has several launches, a near-vertical spike that you fall down backward, and a track that can drop horizontally in a free fall in total darkness, all while weaving in and out of old ruins in the middle of the forest. The level of detail on this ride is insane and will without a doubt become one of the most popular attractions at any Universal park.

Well, that wraps up our list of the top 5 Universal park additions for 2019. As each of these projects nears completion, we will be sure to provide updates for all of you. Stay tuned to attractioninsight.com as we tackle Disney’s 2019 projects very soon.