It’s official: Universal sets Epic Universe’s opening date

Grand opening day for Epic Universe theme park will be May 22, Universal Orlando announced Thursday morning. And the first phase of its ticket sales will begin next week, the company confirmed.

Epic’s first day of operation will be the Thursday that leads into Memorial Day weekend of 2025.

“This is such a pivotal moment for our destination, and we’re thrilled to welcome guests to Epic Universe next year,” Karen Irwin, president and chief operating officer of Universal Orlando Resort, said in a news release Thursday.

Step one of Epic ticket sales begin Tuesday and be limited to specific multiday tickets and vacation packages with three, four or five days admission to Universal parks — but with a limit of one day at Epic Universe.

On Oct. 24, Universal Orlando’s annual passholder will be able to buy single-day tickets for Epic Universe before they go on sale to the general public. There will be a limit of six transactions per account.

Ticket prices vary with date and length of stay. Universal’s pricing example for a three-day ticket package is $352 to $521 per person. The ranges will be posted on universalorlando.com.  The first tickets sold will be valid for use through Dec. 31, 2025, the website says.

More ticket options for Epic Universe including single-day tickets for the general public, additional multi-day ticket options, Florida resident tickets, Universal Express passes and others will be available “in the months to come,” according to the Universal Orlando news release. Annual passholders also will be made aware of an Epic “soft opening” in the future.

Reservations for the 500-room Helios Grand Hotel, which will be adjacent to the new theme park, will be available as of Tuesday for stays beginning May 22, 2025.

Limiting early access to Epic may be a crowd-control strategy Universal gleaned from the opening of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Islands of Adventure in 2010, said Dennis Speigel, CEO of International Theme Park Services.

“I think all of that historical information has come into play in how they’re positioning this. It’s going to have a major turnout when it opens,” he said. “At this early time, they control the spigot, and they allow how much water – a.k.a. people – come and when they come.”

The May opening will begin Epic’s history before the full-on heat of Florida summer.

“I was happy to hear that it’s opening in spring instead of summer. Late spring, but that was a nice surprise,” said Matt Roseboom, editor and publisher of Attractions Magazine.

The opening of a theme park is a rare occasion, and folks interested in going to Epic need to weigh their ticketing options among the uncertainly of how it will unfold, he said.

“You just don’t know. So if you want to be sure and guaranteed, you’re going to have to jump on that multiday ticket offer,” Roseboom said. “Even when single-day tickets are announced … you don’t know how quick those are going to be out. Are we going to have the thing where we’re online all day and people are like No. 30,000 in line?”

Universal Orlando has rolled out details about Epic in waves. The theme park will feature lands called Super Nintendo World, How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk, Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic, Dark Universe (featuring classic monsters) and Celestial Park, an opening act that includes rides, restaurants and other attractions.

The debut of Epic Universe will mark the first new theme park in metropolitan Orlando in this century. Disney’s Animal Kingdom opened in 1998, and Universal expanded with Islands of Adventure in 1999.

Epic, announced in 2019, is currently under construction near Orange County Convention Center and about 2.5 miles southeast of Universal’s current attractions, including IOA, Universal Studios theme park, Universal CityWalk entertainment district and Volcano Bay water park.

The original properties and the Epic area will be connected by shuttle buses. Two additional hotels near Epic Universe – Stella Nova and Terra Luna – are set to open in January and February, respectively.

Epic: Universal Orlando details its next ‘Harry Potter’ land