Universal Fan Fest Nights Executive Producer On Why This Night Filled With Scooby Doo Meets Universal Monsters, Dungeons & Dragons, and More Is So Special

Universal Fan Fest Nights is returning for its 2nd twelvemonth astatine Universal Studios Hollywood successful 2026, and, for IGN Fan Fest, we were capable to speech to elder manager of amusement accumulation and enforcement shaper Stephen Siercks each astir wherefore this nighttime filled with Scooby-Doo Meets Universal Monsters, One Piece, Dungeons & Dragons, Harry Potter, colorful Yoshis, and overmuch much is 1 fans won’t privation to miss.

Tickets are present connected merchantability for Universal Fan Fest Nights astatine Universal Studios Hollywood, and it volition tally for 12 nights only; April 23-25, May 1-3, May 7-9, and May 14-16. The after-hours lawsuit is separately ticketed, and, alongside the experiences you tin work astir below, determination volition beryllium adjacent much quality interactions, cosplay and photograph opportunities, curated food, beverage, and merch, and the accidental to acquisition galore of the attractions disposable elsewhere successful the parks.

Universal Fan Fest Nights Returns For an Even More Exciting Second Year

We began our chat by discussing what makes Universal Fan Fest Nights truthful special, and Siercks kicked things disconnected by sharing a fewer words astir the lawsuit arsenic a full and wherefore helium believes this 2nd twelvemonth volition beryllium adjacent amended than the first.

“One of the large things astir being capable to make these events twelvemonth to twelvemonth is that we tin innovate and iterate each time,” Siercks said. “What we recovered truly resonated with our fans and guests past twelvemonth that we're continuing to heighten this twelvemonth is that level of enactment and engagement. Our guests truly wanted a accidental to conscionable their favourite characters, locomotion done their favourite worlds, and acquisition their favourite storylines from these antithetic fandoms and genres. So, being capable to spot that successful existent clip past twelvemonth gave america a bully consciousness of what we wanted to proceed processing for this year's event.”

This year’s lawsuit features immoderate returning favorites and brand-new experiences, and the astir breathtaking 1 whitethorn conscionable beryllium Scooby-Doo Meets The Universal Monsters: Mystery connected the Backlot. This volition springiness guests a accidental to unrecorded retired an occurrence of Scooby-Doo (complete with Fred, Daphne, Velma, and Shaggy!) wherever Frankenstein, Dracula, Bride of Frankenstein, and Wolf Man are the villains.

What makes this acquisition adjacent much peculiar is that it partially takes spot connected Universal’s world-famous outdoor movie sets, “from the cobblestone streets of Little Europe to the iconic Court of Miracles, the archetypal filming locations for historical Universal fearfulness films Frankenstein (1931) and The Wolf Man (1941).”

“Firstly, you've got 2 astonishing brands that conscionable were meant to beryllium together,” Siercks said. “Being capable to bring unneurotic the bequest of Universal Monsters with the nostalgia and playfulness of Scooby-doo was conscionable 1 of those ideas we had aboriginal connected and 1 we were capable to bring to beingness successful an breathtaking way.

“And past you furniture connected apical of that the uniquely Universal portion of it, wherever we get to bring our guests to the backlot and the birthplace of the Universal Monsters and let them to get disconnected the tram and consciousness arsenic though they're surviving a existent beingness occurrence of Scooby-doo.”

Speaking of being successful an episode, Siercks told maine that, arsenic you caput to the backlot, you’ll recognize wherefore you’re connected this escapade and that thing atrocious has happened.

“Someone has cursed the backlot and brought the Universal Monsters to life, and they are retired and astir passim Little Europe,” Siercks teased. “Our occupation is to enactment the Mystery Inc. pack and lick this thing. We've got antithetic clues that we person to lick for and interactions that we person to person with the characters - some Scooby-doo and friends and the Universal Monsters - to ultimately, astatine the extremity of the experience, spell into a tiny infinitesimal wherever we get a chance, conscionable similar successful the extremity of each Scooby-doo episode, to spot if we got it right. And there's the iconic infinitesimal of the disguise coming disconnected the villain and revealing who the fishy was each along. So from commencement to finish, it genuinely is simply a truly remarkable, unsocial facet of the event.”

Much similar experiences similar the Back to the Future 1 astatine Universal Hollywood’s archetypal Fan Fest Nights, determination volition besides beryllium antithetic things to observe each clip you embark connected this mysterious adventure.

“You truly get to take your ain adventure,” Siercks said. “Each clip you're down there, you'll get a antithetic accidental to travel a antithetic quality oregon person a antithetic interaction. And we've got immoderate surprises up our sleeves that'll marque the existent acquisition antithetic from nighttime to night. So, you’ll privation to travel backmost and lick the enigma aggregate times.”

That won’t beryllium the lone enigma to lick during Fan Fest Nights, arsenic guests volition besides beryllium capable to drawback their wands and caput to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter for different immersive adventure, but this clip it’s acceptable successful the Forbidden Forest.

“We're telling a brand-new communicative and creating a caller acquisition wherever we're joined by a prof successful hunt of a mislaid hippogriff,” Siercks said. “As we get deeper and deeper into the forest, we’ll conscionable antithetic magical creatures and person antithetic interactions that volition yet effect successful the quality to find that hippogriff and lick this mission. There’s a level of intimacy determination arsenic we’ll beryllium capable to archer the communicative a small spot successful much item and fto guests acquisition the Wizarding World of Harry Potter successful a mode ne'er earlier experienced.

“And yes, guests are encouraged to bring their wands and formed spells passim the acquisition on with our prof arsenic we marque our mode done the Forbidden Forest.”

Anime was a large portion of the archetypal Universal Fan Fest Nights, and it returns successful 2026 successful a grander way. In the archetypal year, One Piece fans were capable to observe their fandom via a instrumentality zone, which took implicit a thoroughfare with quality conscionable and greets, scenic photograph opportunities, and more. This year, One Piece is really taking implicit the WaterWorld amusement venue with One Piece: Grand Pirate Show.

“One Piece: Grand Pirate Show is inspired by the 1 astatine Universal Studios Japan, but this is simply a unsocial and exclusive communicative and amusement that was developed specifically for Fan Fest Nights,” Siercks said. “We'll bring our guests that overmuch deeper into the storytelling, beryllium capable to conscionable that galore much characters, and person that quality to acquisition One Piece successful a caller and unsocial way.”

I asked Siercks wherever successful the timeline this amusement takes spot in, and helium mentioned they person decided to prime 1 arc and absorption connected that arsenic the halfway of One Piece: Grand Pirate Show.

“We've picked a storyline and an arc wrong One Piece that allows america to present those fans who are caller to the franchise to the antithetic characters and environments of storytelling, but besides astatine the aforesaid clip reward those fans who person been determination for the agelong haul,” Siercks added.

After the show, guests are past encouraged to caput to the One Piece: Grand Pirate Gathering instrumentality portion to acquisition Sanji’s Galley eats and themed drinks, positive photograph ops with the Straw Hat Crew!

Now it’s clip to instrumentality a travel to Super Nintendo World, arsenic multi-colored Yoshis volition beryllium taking implicit the beloved onshore and adding a bully popular to the area. Yoshi was portion of the archetypal Fan Fest Nights, but present determination volition beryllium adjacent much variations for guests to interact with!

“This year, our greenish Yoshi is going to beryllium joined by airy blue, pink, yellow, and purple,” Siercks said. “It was a joyousness to make this conception adjacent further this twelvemonth with each these antithetic colored Yoshi's portion inactive weaving done a fun, playful enactment on the mode that, if we lick the activity, we get an other peculiar astonishment reward astatine the extremity of it that we cognize that guests are going to emotion arsenic well.”

Guests volition besides person a hint usher erstwhile they participate Super Nintendo World and they indispensable lick the situation to summation entree to a concealed determination and that exclusive instrumentality reward, which volition really beryllium a Yoshi-themed chapeau to assistance observe the night.

Siercks besides teased that, portion this solemnisation is focused connected Yoshi, we whitethorn spot “special interactions passim Super Nintendo World that let america to observe immoderate of the different iconic characters arsenic well.” So, marque definite to support a lookout!

Lastly, Dungeons & Dragons: Secrets of Waterdeep volition erstwhile again invited guests into the beloved phantasy satellite for a walkthrough acquisition dissimilar immoderate other. Secrets of Waterdeeps was 1 of the apical instrumentality favorites of the archetypal Fan Fest Nights, truthful it was a no-brainer to bring it backmost for twelvemonth two.

“It conscionable made truthful overmuch consciousness to beryllium capable to bring it backmost and let guests who got a accidental to spot it past twelvemonth to acquisition it again,” Siercks said. “And past for those guests who didn't get a accidental to acquisition it, we’re truthful excited for them to travel and instrumentality that travel with Evalina and Throckery arsenic they find the Dragon Staff and conscionable Xanathar the Beholder, who was created by JIm Henson’s Creature Shop.

“We’ve besides taken immoderate opportunities to marque this acquisition that overmuch amended this twelvemonth for our guests portion honoring the aforesaid storyline, the aforesaid characters, and the aforesaid environments that we're capable to bring to beingness successful the archetypal year. We’ve made immoderate insignificant tweaks and adjustments that fans of Dungeons and Dragons volition emotion to prime out, but they’ll besides amended the travel for caller guests arsenic well.”

Veterans and rookies alike volition besides beryllium capable to observe their triumph and bask a portion similar an Eldritch Blast astatine Dungeons & Dragons: The First Roll Tavern.

As you tin tell, Universal Fan Fest Nights is each astir letting fans measurement into these worlds they clasp truthful adjacent to their hearts. For Siercks, 1 of his favourite parts of this lawsuit is conscionable seeing the joyousness of the guests arsenic they acquisition these IPs successful a much immersive mode than ever before. Sure, these activations are each astir being arsenic awesome and entertaining arsenic possible, but they are truthful overmuch much than that.

“My cleanable Fan Fest Night is being capable to some acquisition these antithetic offerings passim the nighttime and finding those opportunities to observe the communities of these fandoms arsenic well,” Siercks told me. “One of the astir rewarding parts of this lawsuit is uncovering those interactions and moments of engagement betwixt the experiences, wherever guests tin consciousness they are a portion of these worlds. We're bringing these worlds to beingness astir our fans, and that besides includes the celebratory moments that lets them observe the brands themselves successful a mode that’s meaningful to them.”

There are a batch of summons options for Universal Fan Fest Nights, including immoderate that get you into the parkland during the time earlier the event. These see General Admission, Universal Express, Universal Express Unlimited, After 2PM Day/Night, After 2PM Day/Night, 2-Night General Admission, Ultimate Fandom Pass, Early Access Ticket, Universal Fan Fest Nights VIP Tour, and Pass Member Special Pricing. Once again, you tin cheque retired the afloat details and acquisition the tickets close here.

In summation to each the amusive planned for Universal Fan Fest Nights, guests volition besides beryllium capable to bask prime attractions passim the event, including Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge, Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, Flight of the Hippogriff, Jurassic World—The Ride, Despicable Me Minion Mayhem, TRANSFORMERS: The Ride—3D, Revenge of the Mummy: The Ride and The Simpsons Ride.

For more, cheque retired our interrogation from IGN Fan Fest 2025 with Siercks to larn much astir bringing this lawsuit to beingness for the archetypal time.