Universal Fan Fest Nights is returning for its second year at Universal Studios Hollywood in 2026, and, for IGN Fan Fest, we were able to talk to senior director of entertainment production and executive producer Stephen Siercks all about why this night filled with Scooby-Doo Meets Universal Monsters, One Piece, Dungeons & Dragons, Harry Potter, colorful Yoshis, and much more is one fans won’t want to miss.
Tickets are now on sale for Universal Fan Fest Nights at Universal Studios Hollywood, and it will run for 12 nights only; April 23-25, May 1-3, May 7-9, and May 14-16. The after-hours event is separately ticketed, and, alongside the experiences you can read about below, there will be even more character interactions, cosplay and photo opportunities, curated food, beverage, and merch, and the chance to experience many of the attractions available elsewhere in the parks.
Universal Fan Fest Nights Returns For an Even More Exciting Second Year
We began our chat by discussing what makes Universal Fan Fest Nights so special, and Siercks kicked things off by sharing a few words about the event as a whole and why he believes this second year will be even better than the first.
“One of the great things about being able to develop these events year to year is that we can innovate and iterate each time,” Siercks said. “What we found really resonated with our fans and guests last year that we're continuing to enhance this year is that level of interaction and engagement. Our guests really wanted a chance to meet their favorite characters, walk through their favorite worlds, and experience their favorite storylines from these different fandoms and genres. So, being able to see that in real time last year gave us a good sense of what we wanted to continue developing for this year's event.”
This year’s event features some returning favorites and brand-new experiences, and the most exciting one may just be Scooby-Doo Meets The Universal Monsters: Mystery on the Backlot. This will give guests a chance to live out an episode of Scooby-Doo (complete with Fred, Daphne, Velma, and Shaggy!) where Frankenstein, Dracula, Bride of Frankenstein, and Wolf Man are the villains.
What makes this experience even more special is that it partially takes place on Universal’s world-famous outdoor film sets, “from the cobblestone streets of Little Europe to the iconic Court of Miracles, the original filming locations for historic Universal horror films Frankenstein (1931) and The Wolf Man (1941).”
“Firstly, you've got two amazing brands that just were meant to be together,” Siercks said. “Being able to bring together the legacy of Universal Monsters with the nostalgia and playfulness of Scooby-doo was just one of those ideas we had early on and one we were able to bring to life in an exciting way.
“And then you layer on top of that the uniquely Universal part of it, where we get to bring our guests to the backlot and the birthplace of the Universal Monsters and allow them to get off the tram and feel as though they're living a real life episode of Scooby-doo.”
Speaking of being in an episode, Siercks told me that, as you head to the backlot, you’ll understand why you’re on this adventure and that something awful has happened.
“Someone has cursed the backlot and brought the Universal Monsters to life, and they are out and about throughout Little Europe,” Siercks teased. “Our job is to support the Mystery Inc. gang and solve this thing. We've got different clues that we have to solve for and interactions that we have to have with the characters - both Scooby-doo and friends and the Universal Monsters - to ultimately, at the end of the experience, go into a small moment where we get a chance, just like in the end of every Scooby-doo episode, to see if we got it right. And there's the iconic moment of the mask coming off the villain and revealing who the suspect was all along. So from start to finish, it truly is a really remarkable, unique aspect of the event.”
Much like experiences like the Back to the Future one at Universal Hollywood’s first Fan Fest Nights, there will also be different things to discover each time you embark on this mysterious adventure.
“You really get to choose your own adventure,” Siercks said. “Each time you're down there, you'll get a different chance to follow a different character or have a different interaction. And we've got some surprises up our sleeves that'll make the actual experience different from night to night. So, you’ll want to come back and solve the mystery multiple times.”
That won’t be the only mystery to solve during Fan Fest Nights, as guests will also be able to grab their wands and head to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter for another immersive adventure, but this time it’s set in the Forbidden Forest.
“We're telling a brand-new story and creating a new experience where we're joined by a professor in search of a lost hippogriff,” Siercks said. “As we get deeper and deeper into the forest, we’ll meet different magical creatures and have different interactions that will ultimately result in the ability to find that hippogriff and solve this mission. There’s a level of intimacy there as we’ll be able to tell the story a little bit in more detail and let guests experience the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in a way never before experienced.
“And yes, guests are encouraged to bring their wands and cast spells throughout the experience along with our professor as we make our way through the Forbidden Forest.”
Anime was a big part of the first Universal Fan Fest Nights, and it returns in 2026 in a grander way. In the first year, One Piece fans were able to celebrate their fandom via a fan zone, which took over a street with character meet and greets, scenic photo opportunities, and more. This year, One Piece is actually taking over the WaterWorld show venue with One Piece: Grand Pirate Show.
“One Piece: Grand Pirate Show is inspired by the one at Universal Studios Japan, but this is a unique and exclusive story and show that was developed specifically for Fan Fest Nights,” Siercks said. “We'll bring our guests that much deeper into the storytelling, be able to meet that many more characters, and have that ability to experience One Piece in a new and unique way.”
I asked Siercks where in the timeline this show takes place in, and he mentioned they have decided to pick one arc and focus on that as the core of One Piece: Grand Pirate Show.
“We've picked a storyline and an arc within One Piece that allows us to introduce those fans who are new to the franchise to the different characters and environments of storytelling, but also at the same time reward those fans who have been there for the long haul,” Siercks added.
After the show, guests are then encouraged to head to the One Piece: Grand Pirate Gathering fan zone to purchase Sanji’s Galley eats and themed drinks, plus photo ops with the Straw Hat Crew!
Now it’s time to take a trip to Super Nintendo World, as multi-colored Yoshis will be taking over the beloved land and adding a nice pop to the area. Yoshi was part of the first Fan Fest Nights, but now there will be even more variations for guests to interact with!
“This year, our green Yoshi is going to be joined by light blue, pink, yellow, and purple,” Siercks said. “It was a joy to develop this concept even further this year with all these different colored Yoshi's while still weaving through a fun, playful activity along the way that, if we solve the activity, we get an extra special surprise reward at the end of it that we know that guests are going to love as well.”
Guests will also receive a clue guide when they enter Super Nintendo World and they must solve the challenge to gain access to a secret location and that exclusive fan reward, which will actually be a Yoshi-themed hat to help celebrate the night.
Siercks also teased that, while this celebration is focused on Yoshi, we may see “special interactions throughout Super Nintendo World that allow us to celebrate some of the other iconic characters as well.” So, make sure to keep a lookout!
Lastly, Dungeons & Dragons: Secrets of Waterdeep will once again welcome guests into the beloved fantasy world for a walkthrough experience unlike any other. Secrets of Waterdeeps was one of the top fan favorites of the first Fan Fest Nights, so it was a no-brainer to bring it back for year two.
“It just made so much sense to be able to bring it back and allow guests who got a chance to see it last year to experience it again,” Siercks said. “And then for those guests who didn't get a chance to experience it, we’re so excited for them to come and take that journey with Evalina and Throckery as they find the Dragon Staff and meet Xanathar the Beholder, who was created by JIm Henson’s Creature Shop.
“We’ve also taken some opportunities to make this experience that much better this year for our guests while honoring the same storyline, the same characters, and the same environments that we're able to bring to life in the first year. We’ve made some minor tweaks and adjustments that fans of Dungeons and Dragons will love to pick out, but they’ll also improve the journey for new guests as well.”
Veterans and rookies alike will also be able to celebrate their victory and enjoy a drink like an Eldritch Blast at Dungeons & Dragons: The First Roll Tavern.
As you can tell, Universal Fan Fest Nights is all about letting fans step into these worlds they hold so close to their hearts. For Siercks, one of his favorite parts of this event is just seeing the joy of the guests as they experience these IPs in a more immersive way than ever before. Sure, these activations are all about being as impressive and entertaining as possible, but they are so much more than that.
“My perfect Fan Fest Night is being able to both experience these different offerings throughout the night and finding those opportunities to celebrate the communities of these fandoms as well,” Siercks told me. “One of the most rewarding parts of this event is finding those interactions and moments of engagement between the experiences, where guests can feel they are a part of these worlds. We're bringing these worlds to life around our fans, and that also includes the celebratory moments that lets them celebrate the brands themselves in a way that’s meaningful to them.”
There are a lot of ticket options for Universal Fan Fest Nights, including some that get you into the park during the day before the event. These include General Admission, Universal Express, Universal Express Unlimited, After 2PM Day/Night, After 2PM Day/Night, 2-Night General Admission, Ultimate Fandom Pass, Early Access Ticket, Universal Fan Fest Nights VIP Tour, and Pass Member Special Pricing. Once again, you can check out the full details and purchase the tickets right here.
In addition to all the fun planned for Universal Fan Fest Nights, guests will also be able to enjoy select attractions throughout the event, including Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge, Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, Flight of the Hippogriff, Jurassic World—The Ride, Despicable Me Minion Mayhem, TRANSFORMERS: The Ride—3D, Revenge of the Mummy: The Ride and The Simpsons Ride.
For more, check out our interview from IGN Fan Fest 2025 with Siercks to learn more about bringing this event to life for the first time.
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