I Tried To See T-Pain In A Theme Park, And It Highlights How Wild The 'Free' Concert Experiences Can Be At Universal Orlando

As a theme park fan, I had been looking forward to experiencing Mardi Gras at Universal Orlando for years. The last time I visited during the event was under pandemic restrictions, so most of the entertainment was not available. This meant no parade, and also, no concerts.

One of the biggest parts of Mardi Gras is the concerts. Performances from major stars take place every Saturday night during the event and they're included in park admission, so it won't cost you anything extra. I had planned to attend the show this past Friday night, by the godfather of autotune, T-Pain. Unfortunately, I simply wasn't prepared for just how crazy this concert was going to be.

A Universal Madi Gras Concert Crowd Is Impressive, Even or A Theme Park

When I arrived at Universal Studios Florida I assumed I would watch the Mardi Gras parade, and then move on to the concert. The parade is scheduled for 7:30 pm and the concert takes place about an hour later.

I didn't think this would be a problem, I have migrated with theme park crowds between fireworks and Fantasmic at Disneyland countless times, There's plenty of time to see the one and then go to the other, right?

Not so much. I had a great spot to watch the Mardi Gras parade from the beginning of the route, which is also the end as the parade is on a loop. Once the parade was over, I headed over to the concert location, only to find the concert space at maximum capacity and a massive crowd spilling over taking up every available space nearby as people tried to see whatever they could, and simply be close enough to hear.

I have spent a lot of time in theme parks in my life. It's what I do for fun and work. I have been in some pretty incredible crowds in that time. I have been in line for new attractions on opening day. I have watched brand-new fireworks shows, but I had never seen a crowd like this before.

And the crowd spills out into the rest of the park. Every line for the special Mardi Gras food booths, and any place you could purchase an adult beverage, had lines that were far beyond anything I'd ever seen at Universal Studios Florida.

You'll Need To Commit To Attend A Universal Orlando Concert

If you've ever been to any sort of general admission concert, then you know how those experiences can get. Arriving as early as possible is necessary to get a good spot, and since Universal Studios Florida opens about 12 hours before the concert starts, you absolutely can arrive really early if you want to. I'm not sure if anybody was there quite that early, but lots of people appeared to spend most of their day waiting for a concert.

I can only hope all those people sitting and waiting all day are locals with Universal Orlando Annual Passes. I can't imagine spending several hours of your theme park day holding down a space at a concert when there's an entire theme park around you that should be experienced.

Perhaps other artists won't quite "sell out" the concert space, but several of the performers this year, including Joe Jonas and others, are probably popular enough that they're going to easily fill the space and then some.

Maybe if I was a massive T-Pain fan I would have been willing to deal with the crowd. Instead, I worked my way out of the park, which was no easy feat due to the crowd, and headed back to my hotel. The Strong Water Tavern is much more my speed anyway.