After a thrilling 24 hours for theme park enthusiasts, Universal Destinations & Experiences has officially confirmed it has purchased land in England, United Kingdom, and is “very early in planning this potential project.” A project that will likely be called Universal Great Britain.

Universal Great Britain
Yesterday, December 18, 2023, Alicia Stella for Orlando Park Stop reported on obtained information relating to the expansion of Universal’s theme park portfolio. The information released included purchased land in Bedford, England, as well as the company obtaining the domain names for Universal Great Britain and Universal Studios Great Britain. The URLs were obtained in September 2023, right after the company was said to have bought land in the UK.
Now, the Bedford Independent has exclusively revealed that Universal Destinations & Experiences has indeed bought land, 240 acres in fact, in Bedford, England. “We recently acquired land in Bedford [Borough] and are at the early stages of exploring its feasibility for a potential park and resort at this site,” a spokesperson told the publication. “It will be many months before we are ready to make a decision to proceed, and we look forward to engaging with all relevant stakeholders and the local community.”

The news of Universal’s investment into its theme park portfolio comes after Comcast shared that $271 million had been spent to acquire land for “potential theme park expansion opportunities.” In addition to this major investment, Orlando Park Stop also reported that the corporation bought UK construction company Cloud Wing UK Limited in 2022.
Related: Universal Digs Through the Archives to Humiliate Disney World Fans
While saying they were “very early in planning this potential project,” the spokesperson told the Bedford Independent that the connectivity of the area to London and Europe was a factor in the decision to purchase the large portion of land. “We support Bedford’s vision of becoming a prosperous place to live, work, and visit, and we take a proactive approach to partnering with local communities and stakeholders, like Bedford Borough Council, when pursuing potential projects,” they said.

There is no information regarding what types of lands and attractions “Universal Great Britain” would feature, but the original report suggests that Universal would not want to include any copycat attractions from its overseas parks to keep the lucrative tourist market from the UK going strong. That said, the close proximity to the Harry Potter Studio Tour in Watford and the fact the fictional Wizarding World is very much centered in the UK would likely suggest that theme park fans can expect more Harry Potter if Universal Great Britain gets off the ground.
Related: “It’s Like the 90s,” Fans Pull Disney Apart After Universal Completely Changes Theme Park Model
At present, there are three projects from Universal Destinations & Experiences in the works: the major new theme park in Orlando, Central Florida, called Universal’s Epic Universe, Universal Kids coming to Frisco, Texas, and Universal Horror Unleashed in Las Vegas, Nevada.
If Universal Great Britain were to open, it would join the likes of Universal Orlando Resort, Universal Studios Hollywood, Universal Beijing Resort, Universal Studios Singapore, and Universal Studios Japan.
Are you excited about this new potential theme park expansion for Universal? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!