Credit: UniversalA fight broke out at a Universal Studios park this week, revealing a broader issue with how rules and guest expectations differ across parks and cultures.
Fights aren’t a rare occurrence at major theme parks – even those with the joy and spectacle of Universal Studios. While most visits remain peaceful, tensions can flare in crowded conditions, long lines, and high emotions. Incidents have ranged from spontaneous brawls to targeted attacks, underscoring safety and security as ongoing concerns.
For example, at Universal Orlando’s CityWalk parking garage in July 2022, a fight among several juveniles escalated into a full-scale panic. The altercation prompted an evacuation when guests mistook it for an active shooter situation, though no weapons were found and no injuries were reported.
Inside the parks themselves, rowdier incidents have involved fights breaking out in ride queues. For example, a 28-year-old woman was arrested after engaging in a physical altercation while waiting for VelociCoaster at Universal Orlando in July 2021. Later that same year, another fight broke out at Halloween Horror Nights, with yet another kicking off over the festive season while guests were waiting to watch the holiday parade.
Violence isn’t limited to guest-on-guest conflicts. In March 2025, a visitor at Volcano Bay allegedly hurled a rock at a team member’s back, injuring staff and triggering an aggravated battery arrest.
Conflict Breaks Out at Universal Studios Beijing
Yet another confrontation occurred at a Universal theme park this week.
This time, Universal Studios Beijing was the site of conflict. According to local news reports, two female guests at the China theme park – which is home to the likes of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, Kung Fu Panda Land of Awesomeness, Jurassic World Isla Nublar, and Minion Land – accused another parkgoer of secretly filming them in the queue while the latter was using their phone in the queue for an attraction.
Footage of the heated confrontation quickly spread across social media, with tensions escalating further when the two guests making the accusation mistakenly identified the other guest – who had short hair – as male, despite them being female.
The falsely accused guest grew emotional and showed evidence that she hadn’t been filming. She soon started shouting at the two other guests for accusing her of doing so, with one reportedly remarking, “I’m sorry, we misunderstood! You look like a man…”
Tensions reportedly grew to a point that a Universal team member stepped in and mediated the situation.
Filming and photography tend to be more sensitive topics at some international theme parks than in the U.S. While recording strangers without their consent at Disney World or Disneyland might be considered rude, it’s often taken much more seriously in countries like Japan and China, where privacy norms and social etiquette place a stronger emphasis on personal boundaries.
Notably, the practice is taken even more seriously in the likes of the United Arab Emirates, where Disney plans on opening its next theme park, Disneyland Abu Dhabi.
Have you ever witnessed a fight at a theme park?