If you’re looking for some spring-time thrills, look no further than Universal Studios Hollywood’s second-ever Fan Fest Nights. This limited-time event caters to the fandoms out there who love movies, anime, animation, gaming, and books.
During Fan Fest Nights, Universal Studios Hollywood gets transformed in the evenings into a place where cosplay is encouraged and exploration and participation is baked into every event.
This year, the events center on Scooby-Doo Meets the Universal Monsters, the Japanese anime series One Piece, the Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon series, and new events in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter and Super Nintendo World.
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When are Fan Fest Nights at Universal Studios Hollywood?
The 2026 Fan Fest Nights run for 12 evenings only: April 23-25; May 1-3, May 7-9, and May 14-16, 2026.
Last year’s inaugural Fan Fest Nights helped inspire what guests will experience at the 2026 event, according to Stephen Siercks, the Senior Director of Entertainment Production at Universal Studios Hollywood.
“Guest feedback is so important for us in developing Fan Fest Nights, because we really want this to connect and resonate with those fan communities and those fandoms,” Siercks told NBC Insider about how the theme park created the 2026 roster. “We look at trends. We look for where people are wanting to explore, what people are wanting to explore, and that’s what really allowed the opportunity to continue enhancing the interactivity and the exploratory nature of the event to really rise to the surface.
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“Then we started to marry that with brands and IP brands that we might want to work with, or could have the opportunity to work with, and that’s what started building this year’s lineup, which we cannot be more thrilled about,” Siercks added. “I think it’s an awesome iteration of some of the success from last year, while continuing to tell new stories and bring new characters and environments to life.”
Below, Siercks details to NBC Insider all of the big new attractions at Fan Fest Nights 2026.
Universal Studios Hollywood’s Fan Fest Nights 2026 Attractions
Scooby-Doo Meets The Universal Monsters: Mystery on the Backlot
Considering that it’s the most immersive experience of Fan Fest 2026, visitors should plan at least 90 minutes of their time for this Scooby-Doo and Universal Monsters collaboration that takes place in the depths of the Universal backlot. Entry is at the Studio Tour queue and the tram is the only way for visitors to travel to the experience (unless you have a VIP Tour ticket or need ADA assistance). While on the tram, guests will see a produced video introducing them to the concept, the mystery, the suspect and the villain. All of this is prep for when guests arrive and can collect a clue pamphlet and pen to track the suspects. Throughout a beautifully dressed Little Europe, including authentic ’70s Scooby-Doo cartoon music, fans can meet and interact with the gang and the Universal Monsters. Everything leads to a “Big Reveal” mini show when guests are finished exploring.
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“This year, we’re able to take our guests to a brand new area of the backlot, and they’ll be able to explore Little Europe, which, from an authenticity standpoint, is the birthplace of the Universal Monsters,” Siercks said of the locale for the event. “It’s where the monster movies were filmed almost 100 years ago. Now, being able to bring the monsters back to Little Europe in this interactive way, with the opportunity to overlay the Scooby-Doo brand on top of it really is a blend of the perfect balance between the nostalgia of Scooby-Doo and then that authenticity and legacy of the Universal Monsters.”
SUPER NINTENDO WORLD – Colorful Yoshi Celebration
This year, visitors who enter Universal Studios Hollywood’s Super Nintendo World on the Lower Lot will be given a Yoshi-themed paper crown and a set of clues to follow that will help them piece together a password that results in a special surprise. And if you don’t want to chase the clues, visitors can just meet and greet a whole lot of colorful Yoshi versions. Scattered throughout the land, you might meet a Yellow, Blue, Purple, or Pink Yoshi. And at least once an hour, they come together in the center of the land and sing a song together.
Jurassic World – A Journey Through the Eras
Located underneath the escalator that exits near Jurassic World: The Ride on the Lower Lot is a brand new walkthrough experience, Jurassic World – A Journey Through the Eras. Guests are greeted at the “Jurassic Park” arch by John Hammond, the billionaire character at the heart of the franchise’s original films who created the fictional dinosaur-packed theme park.
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Once walking through the arch, guests will find dinosaurs to scale and vehicles from the original Jurassic Park film trilogy. There are dinosaur handlers walking around with baby dinos, and computer programmer Dennis Nedry might be there defending himself from the angry dinos and crowds. There’s also a paddock at the back of the walkthrough where you’ll find massive velociraptor shows.
ONE PIECE: Grand Pirate Show
For Fan Fest Nights, the alcove near the WaterWorld theater on the Upper Lot is transformed into the Grand Line for the hit anime series, One Piece. Expanded from 2025, there’s a One Piece themed food area, a bar area, and photo areas with Luffy and his crew.
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“One Piece last year was a perfect surprise hit for us in terms of the level of excitement that the fans had for the characters and the brand,” Siercks told NBC Insider. “So it made natural sense for us to expand upon it this year. It allowed us to create the Grand Pirate show at the Water World venue. We’ve got a great collaboration and partnership with our Universal Studios Japan entertainment partners and they’ve been producing One Piece shows in their Water World venue for the last almost 20 years. We got to see their show, and work with them on what story is best to be told here at Fan Fest Nights. Our 20-minute show is essentially an origin story of the One Piece characters and storylines. For those casual fans of One Piece, you’re going to appreciate getting to know these characters and the overall story arcs. For those deep fans of One Piece and super fans of One Piece, you’re going to get that much more out of it with all the nuances and the Easter eggs.”
Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon the Miracle: Moon Palace Chapter Deluxe
Around the corner at the DreamWorks Theatre, the anime fun continues. With the popularity of the anime Jujutsu Kaisen area at 2025’s Fan Fest Nights, this year, the event has gone bigger with a Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon the Miracle: Moon Palace Chapter Deluxe show, and a meet and greet area with Sailor Moon on the Upper Lot.
“Sailor Moon is such a multi-generational fan favorite anime brand, that it made natural sense,” Siercks said of this year’s new anime partnership. “Seeing the support and the energy for it since its announcement has been really exciting. I cannot wait to see the fans out in the park interacting with the Sailor Moon content we have, including a media based attraction that with a partnership with Universal Studios Japan, we’re able to make its debut here at Universal Hollywood as part of Fan Fest Nights.”
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter — Forbidden Forest: Search for the Hippogriff
Located inside The Wizarding World of Harry Potter land on the Upper Lot, you’ll find a brand new experience, Forbidden Forest: Search for the Hippogriff. It can be accessed via the exterior ride queue for Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey.
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“We’ve been looking at ways to extend the storytelling within the Wizarding World of Harry Potter for a number of years now, and this just was a natural fit with the evolution of Fan Fest Nights,” Siercks said. “Forbidden Forest: Search for the Hippogriff allows us to explore a brand new area of Wizarding World and venture deep into the Forbidden Forest. It’s the largest seasonal content edition within The Wizarding World of Harry Potter since it opened 10 years ago.”
Tickets to Universal Fan Fest Nights:
Universal Fan Fest Nights is an after-hours, separately ticketed event at Universal Studios Hollywood. To learn more about the events and different ticketing options, click here.
