When Will Universal Studios Hollywood Reopen?

Universal Studios Hollywood was outspoken when it came to the theme park reopening restrictions set by the State of California, and fought hard for the ability to reopen their theme park safely amid the pandemic.

Now that Universal Studios Hollywood is able to reopen within the state guidelines as soon as April 1, why have they not announced an opening date?

After an update to the California theme park reopening guidelines, large theme parks became eligible to reopen after a year of extended closures. This will bring employees back to work and Guests back to the parks.

Disneyland promptly announced a reopening date for its theme parks once guidelines were updated by the state government — now we know that Disneyland and Disney California Adventure will reopen in late April. So what is stopping Universal from doing the same with its Los Angeles theme park?

Universal Studios Hollywood

Currently, Universal Studios Hollywood is hosting a limited-time special event called Taste of Universal. This event combines food and fun inside the theme park — it is the first time in a year Guests have been able to enter the park!

Universal has also reopened CityWalk for some to-go and table-service food options — so you can visit CityWalk or purchase a ticket for Taste of Universal which runs until April 11 and enjoy a bit of Universal magic before the official reopening of the theme park.

Tickets for the Taste of Universal event can be purchased here.

We got a chance to visit the Taste of Universal event, and we thought it was an awesome way to reintroduce the park to fans who have missed visiting the theme park for the past year. There were plenty of food options, and we even spotted some surprise character meet and greets.

When will Universal Studios Hollywood Reopen?

Universal has not announced a reopening date for Universal Studios Hollywood, but we know that the theme park will not reopen until sometime after the Taste of Universal event ends on April 11.

It appears that Universal is using the Taste of Universal event to slowly reopen more and more of Universal Studios Hollywood. Universal recently announced that they would be opening the Jurassic Cafe on the lower lot for Guests who visit the Taste of Universal event. Guests can also now see Bumblebee and Optimus Prime for a socially distanced meet and greet on the lower lot, too.

Previously, Taste of Universal was confined to the upper lot only, so this expansion was a welcome addition to the offerings of the event. We may see more offerings open on the lower lot as Universal as they inch closer to reopening.

Disneyland Resort is reopening its theme parks on April 30, and we could see a similar reopening date for Universal. We will have to wait and see.

With the new theme park reopening guidelines having just been released, we know some more details about park operations. With Los Angeles County in the red tier, Universal Studios can reopen to 15% capacity. However, it is predicted that LA County could reach the orange tier very soon, meaning that theme parks can operate at 25% capacity. It’s possible that Universal Studios Hollywood may be announcing a reopening date very soon, or the theme park could decide to wait to welcome back Guests until LA County is in a less restrictive tier with fewer restrictions on park operations. Still, Universal could surprise us by announcing a reopening date only a few days or weeks in advance.

Certainly, there are many factors that go into reopening a theme park, and it seems that Universal is taking their time to get things right and have a smooth and safe reopening. A reopening done right is better than a reopening that is rushed.

Personally, I believe we could see an early May reopening but my fingers are crossed for an April reopening announcement for Universal soon. In any case, I am looking forward to returning to Universal Studios Hollywood in the near future.

When do you think Universal Studios Hollywood will reopen? Let us know your thoughts in the comments. 

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