Universal Orlando Releases 2025 Calendar Featuring New Event and Extended Holidays

Universal Orlando has followed Universal Studios Hollywood in releasing their entire calendar of events for 2025 which includes one BIG event we are looking forward to the most.

The calendar features all the dates for popular events like Halloween Horror Nights and the holiday season plus a brand new summer event.

Let's get into the full calendar released by Universal Orlando for 2025 including my thoughts on the new events and changes to existing holiday timelines!

Rock the Universe

Rock the Universe takes place at Universal Orlando January 24 and 25, 2025. Rock the Universe is a large Christian musical festival that takes place at Universal Orlando every year in January. This multi-day ticketed event includes multiple concerts inside Universal Studios Florida.

This is a fun event for any fan of this musical genre!

Universal Mardi Gras

Universal Mardi Gras is one of my favorite spring events at the Orlando theme parks and takes place February 1 through March 30, 2025. This year's Mardi Gras celebration is the 30th anniversary of the event and will include six new floats inspired by the most famous Krewes in New Orleans. The new floats will highlight food, beads, and the bayou. The event also features street performers, live music, and specialty food items including authentic Cajun specialties.

This is a great event and the parade floats are absolutely stunning. In many ways, this parade was even better than the holiday parade!

Epic Universe Opening

The big event of the year is going to be the opening of the brand new theme park, Epic Universe, at Universal Orlando. This is easily the most anticipated theme park event of the year. Epic Universe opens on May 22, 2025 and features multiple new lands themed to Harry Potter, Super Nintendo, How to Train Your Dragon, and Universal Monsters.

We will be at Epic Universe opening day and I can't wait for this theme park to open. I am most excited about the technologically advanced Universal Monsters ride!

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Butterbeer Season

Butterbeer Season takes place March 1, 2025 through May 31, 2025. This event allows guests to enjoy butterbeer in “all new ways” at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. There will be new treats, including a Butterbeer popsicle and Butterbeer caramels, made available.

This sounds just like an ongoing opportunity to offer more Butterbeer treats which I'm all on board for.

Universal Volcano Bay Nights

NEW this year is Universal Volcano Bay Nights which will take place April 19, 26 and May 3, 10, 17 in 2025. Details so far are scarce but so far we know that guests will be able to immerse themselves into the”Waturi culture” with character interactions and live entertainment.

This sounds like a similar approach to the ticketed evening events Walt Disney World does at their water parks. This is a great way to offer more experiences in the spring months.

Halloween Horror Nights

Universal's best event of the year, Halloween Horror Nights, returns select nights from August 29 through November 2, 2025. This year's Halloween Horror Nights takes place earlier than ever which allows more guests to experience the event. This ticketed event features Hollywood quality haunted houses filled with professional scare actors and movie style effects featuring well-known horror films and monsters! Each year the lineup of haunted houses changes making it the ideal repeat event for Halloween fans. More information about this year's houses is often released in the summer months.

If you love Halloween and horror, this event is a must do experience. This is easily the best Halloween theme park event! It's a no brainer to extend the timeline for this event since it is so popular.

Back to Hogwarts

Back to Hogwarts is an event already announced for Universal Studios Hollywood and will also take place at Universal Orlando. This event will take place in the Fall and celebrate “back to school” with a Harry Potter twist.

We haven't received many details yet for this event, so far it seems a bit lackluster but considering the large Harry Potter presence at Universal Orlando maybe it will include more offerings.

Holidays at Universal

The holiday season at Universal Orlando takes place November 21 through December 31, 2025. The holidays at Universal Orlando offer plenty to see and do in terms of entertainment, activities, and seasonal decor. Experience a Universal Orlando Christmas in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, meet the Grinch during the celebration in Whoville, and enjoy the Universal Holiday Parade.

This is a great time to visit Universal Orlando especially with the impressive Universal Holiday Parade and Grinchmas entertainment. I only wish Universal Orlando would start their holiday celebrations sooner in the beginning of November but this date is consistent with past celebrations which usually kick off around Thanksgiving. This year's celebration takes place a week before Thanksgiving which does extend it a bit, last year's celebration only started a few days prior to the holiday.

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