Universal Orlando Resort has confirmed a fresh slate of attractions, restaurants and events arriving in 2026 and 2027, barely a year after opening Universal Epic Universe, the fifth theme park at the resort and the largest single expansion in the company’s history, which debuted May 22, 2025, according to Universal Destinations & Experiences’ own announcement of the park’s opening.
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The centerpiece of the new wave is Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift, a high-speed roller coaster confirmed for Universal Studios Florida in 2027. Universal describes it as the fastest coaster the company has ever built, reaching speeds up to 72 miles per hour, according to the resort’s official press release announcing the attraction. It replaces Fast & Furious—Supercharged and sits on the former footprint of Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit, which closed in August 2025.
Universal is also retiring The Lost Continent at Islands of Adventure, closing the area in phases to make way for a new themed land whose details haven’t been revealed yet, along with Mythos restaurant, which shuts down permanently in 2027, according to local coverage from Click Orlando. Thunder Falls Terrace closes this summer and is being replaced by a new full-service dining concept opening in 2027.
On the events calendar, Universal confirmed Halloween Horror Nights will mark its 35th anniversary this year, running August 28 through November 1, followed by a resort-wide holiday celebration from November 14 through January 3, 2027, and Rock the Universe on January 22-23, 2027, according to the resort’s own events press release. CityWalk is also adding Fat One’s Hot Dogs and Italian Ice, a concept from former NSYNC member Joey Fatone, this summer.
Epic Universe itself keeps expanding its own programming rather than sitting still a year after opening. Universal Nights, a new after-hours ticketed event, debuted at the park in October 2026, and Dark Arts at Hogwarts Castle returns to the Wizarding World this fall alongside roaming Death Eater encounters in Diagon Alley, per the same events release. CityWalk is picking up two more additions on top of Fat One’s: a Five Guys location and Category 10, a bar tied to country singer Luke Combs.
Universal has also restructured how guests pay to see all of it, rolling out new multi-day tickets for 2026 that bundle access to every park at the resort, Epic Universe included, on a single pass.
Key Points
- Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift opens at Universal Studios Florida in 2027, reaching 72 mph.
- The Lost Continent and Mythos restaurant are both being phased out for new concepts.
- Halloween Horror Nights turns 35 this year, running August 28 through November 1.
The pace of announcements suggests Universal intends to keep guests returning well beyond Epic Universe’s opening-year novelty, layering new reasons to visit onto a resort that already expanded its theme park footprint dramatically in a single year.
