Credit: Andrew Boardwine, Inside the MagicIt’s a big day for Epic Universe fans.
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This year is a monumental one for the theme park industry, with large-scale changes, expansions, and projects underway worldwide. However, 2025 is the year of Epic Universe, the first new theme park from either Universal or Disney to open in the U.S. in over twenty years.
While it may seem wild that Epic Universe has already been open to the park-going public for several months at this point, the park was a long time coming. Universal announced Epic Universe back in 2019, sending a shockwave throughout the theme park community. Fans watched the park slowly come together over the last few years, with Epic Universe officially opening on May 22, 2025.
This was a large undertaking by Universal, as Epic Universe features some of the company’s most impressive, complex, and immersive rides and attractions to date.
At the top of this list is Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry. Located inside the park’s Ministry of Magic area, Battle at the Ministry will feel familiar to those who have experienced Harry Potter at the Forbidden Journey at Universal Islands of Adventure.
However, Epic Universe offers much more than Harry Potter-themed attractions; the park features several distinctly themed lands, too.
Now, Universal is making it easier for guests to enjoy some of the park’s hottest experiences.
Universal Adds Epic Universe Rides to Express Pass
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Express Pass has been expanded to include Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry and Donkey Kong Mine-Cart Madness at Epic Universe. Until now, the two rides have been excluded from Express Pass but have since been added.
Universal Express Pass allows guests to skip the line once per select ride/attraction. Express Passes range between $190 and $340 per person, per day, at Epic Universe.
Universal offers an “Unlimited” version of Express Pass for both its Universal Studios Florida and Universal Islands of Adventure theme parks, but not for Epic Universe. This pass allows guests to skip the line for select rides and attractions an unlimited number of times.
These two attractions are some of the most popular at the new park. Battle at the Ministry takes riders on an exhilarating Harry Potter adventure. Mine-Cart Madness transports guests into the world of Nintendo’s classic Donkey Kong video games.
Of course, these are just a handful of the rides and attractions featured at Epic Universe, with the park boasting some of the best roller coasters and dark rides in the country.
Stardust Racers, a dueling roller coaster, has become an instant classic, as has Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment, a gothic horror dark ride.
Have you visited Epic Universe yet?