Our pros and cons from Fan Fest Nights at Universal Studios Hollywood
This was the first weekend of an all-new hard ticket event here in LA, so we trekked over to Universal Studios Hollywood to see for ourselves.
The event takes place after the regular park hours on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays throughout the spring and is being talked about as a non-horror Halloween Horror Nights. Basically, all the spectacle and immersion that Universal Studios parks have come to be known for, but focused instead on different franchises. Marketing touts themed food, merchandise, immersive experiences and cosplay, with access to some of the park’s attractions.
The 2025 event line-up boasts a celebration of Star Trek, Back to the Future, Dungeons & Dragons, One Piece, Jujutsu Kaisen, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, Super Nintendo World and even a last-minute announcement of Wicked. That’s a lot of fandom to squeeze into one night!
I scoured the Universal Studios website to try to form a plan of attack, but very little information was published in advance. That’s when I found the park’s app, which gives you access to menu items and prices as well as the entertainment descriptions and locations laid out on the map. Pro tip! The app takes a few minutes to set up, link tickets and add payment method, so I’d recommend doing this at home before you arrive for the event.
We attended the second-ever night of Fan Fest Nights at Universal Studios Hollywood on Saturday, April 26. The total cost for the two of us after tickets and food at the event was over $500. So was it worth it? Let us break it down for you.
The Pros
Seriously, the Back to the Future: Destination Hill Valley area was neato. The license plate even rotated in place!
Back to the Future: Destination Hill Valley was swell
Universal Studios has converted their standard tram tour into transportation down to the outdoor sets of Hill Valley from Back to the Future. And it doesn’t disappoint! The tram trip down the hill has some cute spiels and pre-recorded videos, as well as some killer views of the San Fernando Valley skyline. Once you arrive, you walk through the 1955 Lyon Estates housing development gates and right into the clocktower square from the film. Flaming tire tracks and a spinning license plate mark the spot in the road where Marty traveled back to 1985. Very talented lookalike actors portray key roles from the movie and roam around the square interacting with Guests and recreating key moments. There’s a live Enchantment Under the Sea band, some cute photo ops, and some carnival games. The whole experience loops the same story actions every so often, ending with a finale projected on the old clocktower with accompanying pyrotechnics. Honestly, we wish Universal Studios would turn this into its own event – it would be amazing to see a Secret Cinema type of experience in this space!
Forgive us for not having a great photo for this concept, but we don’t love posting people’s photos online without their permission. Instead, please enjoy this photo of a Beholder from Dungeons & Dragons: Secrets of Waterdeep.
The fan cosplay was impressive
Universal Studios invites attendees to show off their fandom with cosplay, as long as it meets their event guidelines. The result was a cool Comic Con-esque array of outfits ranging from full costumes to casual t-shirts. We saw Marios and Luigis, Doc Browns, Dungeons & Dragons fantasy creatures, Hogwarts students and most notably, dozens of One Piece and Jujutsu Kaisen characters. We attended on a particularly chilly evening, so I’m sure there were plenty of folks who opted for jackets instead of their planned attire. But overall, it was great to see the passion and creativity the fans have. It’s what makes us proud to be Seriously Nerdy.
There was a Yoshi Egg Hunt as part of the event that we suspect ended with a special Yoshi meet and greet, but we didn’t get to finish it since we ran out of time.
A lot of the park is still open
Although the heart of the event is the theme overlay of Fan Fest Nights, there are still a lot of the standard park offerings available to guests. Food locations like Krusty Burger and Jurassic Café are still operating, many of the gift shops are still open, and a select number of attractions like Despicable Me Minion Mayhem and Revenge of the Mummy are still running. Alex and I hadn’t been to Universal Studios Hollywood in years, so it was fun to see Nintendo World and ride Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge.
I don’t know how it’s possible that the line to meet a REAL ACTOR DOG EINSTEIN was shorter than any Food & Beverage line of the night. Insane. Look at this perfect little friend!
Kudos on the photo ops
There is a sprinkling of pop-up photo ops throughout the park, such as a giant gelatinous cube for D&D fans and a One Piece wall of wanted posters. They were creative, well-produced and very influencer focused. But what stuck with me the most is how well-lit the photo op locations were, and that many of them were staffed with a Universal Studios crew member who was happy to take photos on your phone, no photo package upsell whatsoever. That was really impressive to me, especially in a world of theme parks where places love to sell you pictures. Our favorite photo op was a live doggo sitting in a DeLorean recreating Einstein from Back to the Future. Absolutely perfect!
The Cons
I was so excited for Dungeons & Dragons: First Roll Tavern. The storytelling and immersive environment possibilities are endless! Unfortunately it was a 40 minute wait for an area with some painted rockwork and a couple barrel tables.
The longest lines were for food – and we were mostly there for food!
If you know anything about Seriously Nerdy, it’s that I am obsessed with themed food and drinks. So with the opportunity to enjoy a three-course meal at The Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade or drink Romulan Ale in Quark’s Bar from Star Trek, I bought tickets as soon as they went on sale. Unfortunately, that may have been my downfall. I got too hyped for the food and I underestimated the queues.
I read up in advance and had a plan of attack to try all 11 of the themed cocktails at the event. Spoiler alert: we only got four, and spent about half of our total event time (no joke) in line at restaurants. The cocktails we did have were fine, but not particularly noteworthy. I’d say Tasha’s Caustic Brew (spiced rum, elderflower liqueur, mango and lime juice, honey, Tajin rim and tamarind straw) was the only standout.
Granted, we were there on the first weekend, so maybe they’ll get more efficient as they go along. But on the night we went, we waited 30 minutes at Quark’s Café, 40 minutes at Dungeons & Dragons: First Roll Tavern and 30 minutes at Toadstool Cafe. We were able to secure a reservation at The Three Broomsticks, but after we arrived, there was a one-hour queue just to order food. After waiting 20 minutes in slow-moving switchbacks, we decided it wasn’t worth it for us and bailed out of line, hungry and somewhat demoralized.
If we could do it over again, we would eat in advance and focus on the experiences. The themed food and drinks were kinda expensive, and weren’t tasty or interesting enough to justify the long wait times.
Future years may be different, but it certainly seems like they planned on hours-long waits for experiences that never got over 5 minutes.
Rethink Express Pass
We purchased Express Pass in advance, an additional $100 per person, to ensure we could see everything once. But that didn’t help at all with the aforementioned food lines. We did notice that VIP Tour guests had access to a shorter line at Dungeons & Dragons First Roll Tavern, but that ticket is $300 above the base price of the event ticket.
If we could do it over again, we would have just purchased general admission. Most of the immersive experience and attraction wait times hovered around 5 minutes all evening, so we didn’t think the Express Pass was worth it for the types of things we wanted to do. If you really want to be sure you see it all, they have a 2-night pass that is cheaper than a 1-night admission with Express Pass, and that might be a better way of experiencing the event.
The park layout requires a lot of transport time
There’s something special about this historic film studio built alongside a mountain, but it does make for lengthy navigation to get from Point A to Point B in a theme park that has grown over decades. Whether taking the 10-minute shuttle down to Hill Valley or riding the four (yes four!) escalators that take you to the lower lot, it isn’t easy to zip around like it is at a classic hub-and-spoke park like Disneyland.
If we could do it over again, we would have started at the bottom of the park and worked our way back up. It would have saved us time on the escalators, and allowed us to avoid the crowds who pour into the first things they see when they enter the park, driving up those wait times. We’d move from the lower lot with Super Nintendo World and Dungeons & Dragons, head up to Back to the Future and Wizarding World of Harry Potter, and end with Star Trek, One Piece, Jujutsu Kaisen, and Wicked. But as always, prioritize your fandoms to make sure you get to see what matters most to you. We didn’t end up experiencing everything, but with the right strategy, we could have experienced more of our favorite fandoms.
The Lesson; Dear Readers
I think you’ll love Fan Fest Nights if one of the fandoms really speaks to you. The night we attended, One Piece and Jujutsu Kaisen fans were out in full force and seemed to be having a great time. If you’re just a casual fan, you may not appreciate all the die-hard franchise references or details, and the price tag is awfully steep.
We saw lots of people who came out with their tribes of friends and family in cosplay, and I think that could be what makes the event really special as it grows. The more folks who get in on the play aspect, the deeper the immersive experience can become.
If you don’t spend all your time in line for food like we did, I do think the $80 general admission is a great value to see Universal Studios, ride some classic rides, and see a couple of the immersive experiences.
The secret, like anything, is to set your expectations appropriately.