I honestly didn’t think anything could get me more excited for 2025 than the fact that Epic Universe is finally set to open at Universal Orlando Resort. It’s not every year that you get a brand new state-of-the-art theme park opening (in fact next year we’re getting two new theme parks) and with everything from new Harry Potter attractions to the thrilling Stardust Racers roller coaster, the park was already looking incredible. But it looks even more amazing on fire.
Epic Universe is just about five months away from opening, and so all the folks at Universal Creative are hard at work making sure everything is going to be perfect. This includes testing the fire effects at the Burning Blade Tavern. The location is part of the park’s Dark Universe land dedicated to Universal Monsters and a new video from Bioreconstruct, who regularly gives us a a bird's eye view of the works in progress at Orlando theme parks, has absolutely blown me away. Check it out.
Dark Universe was already shaping up to be the part of Epic Universe I was most excited about, and this only solidifies that. Not only that, I know exactly where I need to stay at the new Helios Grand Hotel, seen in the background of the video, because I need a room with a view of the windmill.
The windmill, a reference to Universal's original production of Frankenstein, stands above the Burning Blade Tavern, one of the main dining locations inside Dark Universe. While the blades won’t be permanently on fire when Epic Universe is open, we know it will light up on a regular schedule in the evenings, just like we see here, and it looks amazing.
I can only imagine what this is going to be like standing on ground level and looking up at it. The end of the video also includes a look at some of the lighting attached to the Frankenstein tower. Lighting design is one of my favorite things about any theme park. The way they light up at night is nothing short of breathtaking when done well, and Epic Universe seems to be on it.
Epic Universe is going to be incredible. That much seems all but certain right now. Unfortunately, getting into Epic Universe is looking a little tough right now. If you don’t have a Universal Orlando Resort Annual Pass the only way to get a ticket to Epic Universe is to buy a ticket package for all three parks, and only one day can be spent at the new location. Individual tickets will certainly be made available, it’s simply unclear when that will happen, or if it will happen at all before Epic Universe opens in May.
