Universal’s Christmas Cheer

If it’s October, it must be time to talk about Christmas. Yes, we know. We’re barely halfway to Halloween, but Orlando’s voracious appetite for “What’s New? What’s next?” is kicking in with the first real signs of autumn.

And we do have some early (by Florida standards) autumnal weather, with the night-time temperatures dropping down into the – Gasp! – 60sF, and the usual humidity rapidly leaking out of the atmosphere. Usually, it’s the end of the month before we feel any significant changes, but it is always welcome news when we can dial back the air-conditioning settings.

We’re not sure if it’s the weather that has prompted our attractions to send out their first news and information about their Christmas programmes (or “The Holidays,” as they call it over here), but Universal Orlando has been very quick out of the traps this month with some essential seasonal updates and programmes to tickle our festive tastebuds.

Christmas at Universal

Just to get the Yuletide fun up and running, Universal has announced that this year’s festivities will run from November 21 to January 4 – fully 45 days – featuring their trademark array of eye-catching events and seasonal overlays at all three of their theme parks. Foremost among them are Seuss Landing at Islands of Adventure transforming into Grinchmas; the three Wizarding Worlds of Harry Potter putting on their Christmas best; and the annual highlight of Universal’s Holiday Parade featuring Macy’s at Universal Studios.

Add in the joyful extras of all-new tastes and treats, wide-ranging merchandise and special events like The Grinch & Friends Character Breakfast, and you have a splendid panorama of winter merriment to delight all the family. There’s even a new Universal Holiday Tour (a walking tour, Grinch meet-and-greet and reserved parade and show seating for an additional fee) to soak up all the jolly extra elements in more detail.

Best of all, the entire seasonal programme is all part of regular park entry – including The Grinchmas Who-liday Spectacular show, the Magic of Christmas at Hogwarts Castle and the grand Holiday Parade. They all run daily, and you just need to make sure you include these seasonal highlights in your own touring plan for Universal.

Christmas in the Wizarding World

Regular visitors to Orlando – and Universal aficionados – will already know that the original Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Hogsmeade in the Islands of Adventure park is a snowy wonderland year-round thanks to its superb scenic design and detailing, but this goes into overdrive once late November arrives.

The additional wintery touches and festive merchandise add a totally compelling Christmas vibe to the Hogsmeade scene and the chance to sip hot Butterbeer with a genuine chill in the air is another must-sample aspect of the Wizarding World’s spell-binding atmosphere. The same is also true of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Diagon Alley in Universal Studios and the brand new Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic in Epic Universe. There are also Holiday additions to the live entertainment, notably from The Frog Choir (Hogsmeade) and Celestina Warbeck & The Banshees (Diagon Alley), while each shop is suitably decorated for the season.

The real highlight, though, is The Magic of Christmas at Hogwarts Castle, an eight-minute projection show on the huge exterior Hogwarts edifice that plays every 20 minutes and includes snippets of the Yule Ball, a majestic Christmas tree, carol-singing ghosts and exploding snowmen! It is all accompanied by a unique soundtrack and cool pyrotechnics.

PS: You can see a full video of the show on the YouTube channel of our friends at Veness Travel Media, on this link.

Grinchmas at Islands of Adventure

Sticking with the movie-themed celebrations, Islands of Adventure also boasts Universal’s other big live showpiece as the Seuss Landing area of the park is turned into Who-ville for the festive period. That’s right, the entire land is decorated with the Holiday charm and cheer of Dr. Seuss’s classic story of The Grinch Who Stole Christmas.

Visitors are invited to get together with the resident Whos and put a little snark in their holiday spirit with the Grinch himself, who is literally the star of the show. Here, you can enjoy the music and fun of the theatrical The GrinchmasWho-liday Spectacular, plus meet the maven of mischief himself for a photo opportunity.

You can also savour a Grinchy good morning and meet the mean, green one at the special Breakfast with The Grinch & Friends. Held on select dates from November 21 to January 4, this is hosted by the Circus McGurkus Café Stupendous, where fun is also on the menu as you treat yourself to a sit-down feast of festive foods.

Here comes the Parade!

Of course, no Christmas is complete without a cavalcade of all the best seasonal elements, allied with a little Hollywood razzamatazz, and Universal offers one of the best in the daily Universal’s Holiday Parade featuring Macy’s. This grand showcase of Yuletide splendour happens at 5.30pm each day and showcases the signature larger-than-life balloons that make the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York so special.

Here, they float through the streets of Universal Studios along with personal appearances by the Minions from Illumination’s Despicable Me film franchise as well as some of the headline characters from DreamWorks Animation’s Shrek and Madagascar movies. It culminates in a finale float featuring the star of the season, Santa himself. Elves dance alongside the float, while his reindeer accompany them on two more floats, with the parade ending with one final balloon – a gold star displaying the Macy’s logo. It lasts a good 30 minutes and some of the best viewing spots are in the New York area of the park.

And there’s more!

Universal has made an art form out of their Christmas merchandise offerings, and you will find the best of it at the extensive Holidays Tribute Store in Universal Studios (in the New York area). Get into the Holiday spirit and create some new family traditions with themed merchandise that also features Universal’s seasonal character, Earl the Squirrel. You can also deck your halls with seasonal merch from each of Universal Islands of Adventure, Epic Universe and Universal CityWalk.

Finally, you can also make your spirits bright with Seasonal Food and Beverage treats from all three parks, plus CityWalk. Seek out the flavours of the season with exclusive, limited-time Holiday food and drink offerings, like gingerbread macarons, Christmas tree cupcakes and much more.

So, it may be only half past October, but it’s definitely not too soon to start your Christmas planning – and even book that big festive holiday to escape the British weather!

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