Credit: UniversalIf you’re looking for the perfect holiday getaway to help you get into the Christmas spirit, look no further than Universal Studios Hollywood. This park is such a fun place to visit year-round — with attractions like Jurassic World, Transformers: The Ride 3D, and Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem — but it truly comes alive every holiday season with Grinchmas and Christmas at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. We recently had the opportunity to spend the evening at Universal Studios Hollywood, so here’s our guide to all things holiday at this southern California theme park.
Grinchmas
Grinchmas is our favorite time of year at Universal Studios Hollywood. There’s just no denying the holiday cheer that this annual event brings! At Grinchmas, you can meet and greet with your favorite characters from How the Grinch Stole Christmas — including Max the dog, Cindy Lou Who, the Mayor of Whoville, and of course, The Grinch himself!
Grinchmas also brings some delicious seasonal treats to the theme park, including peppermint hot cocoa and a huge donut-shaped like The Grinch. You can even purchase green cotton candy! There is also plenty of holiday merchandise available for purchase for a limited time.
By far our favorite thing about Grinchmas is the Whoville Christmas atmosphere. The entire area of the park comes alive with holiday cheer when the tree illuminates the night every night, snow falls all around, and the soundtrack from How the Grinch Stole Christmas plays. Happy Who-lidays, everyone!
Holidays at the Wizarding World
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is completely enveloped in wintery holiday cheer every year, and this year did not disappoint. From beautiful decorations all throughout the land to The Magic of Christmas at Hogwarts Castle projecting whimsy and Christmas spirit, this area of the park is truly stunning this time of year. This is also the only time of year you can get hot butterbeer — our absolute favorite version of the signature drink! The guest experience in this Harry Potter world is truly like no other — especially if you’re a superfan of the films and books.
Every night, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter comes alive with The Magic of Christmas at Hogwarts Castle, a nighttime spectacular in which projection mapping technology illuminates Hogwarts in the most visually stunning and spirited way. We absolutely love the Christmas cheer that we experience every time we see this show, which happens nightly just after 5:20 p.m. Whether or not you’re familiar with Harry Potter, you’re going to want to see this show.
Want to book a trip to Universal Studios Hollywood in California?
Academy Travel can help you live out your holiday dreams at Universal Studios Hollywood! Their agents are experts on all things Universal and can help plan the vacation of a lifetime. Whether you’re a fan of Harry Potter, The Grinch, or the holidays in general, you’re going to want to plan a trip to Universal Studios Hollywood — and it’s not too late to visit this season! You can book a trip to celebrate the holidays (or you can even plan ahead so you can experience Halloween Horror Nights or Grinchmas in 2020). Click here for a free, no-obligation vacation quote from Academy Travel.
