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Credit: Andrew Boardwine, Inside the MagicUniversal Orlando’s newest theme park, Epic Universe, continues to face operational challenges just months after its highly anticipated opening. The latest issue? The Burning Blade Tavern—one of the anchor dining spots in the park’s Dark Universe land—has lost the very feature that gave it its name: its burning, rotating windmill blades.
The dramatic, fire-tipped blades were designed to be the tavern’s visual centerpiece, igniting multiple times an hour to give the otherwise grim Gothic landscape a burst of cinematic energy. But as of early November, fans have noticed that the “burning” part of the Burning Blade has gone dark.
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Theme park news account My Epic Universe shared the update on Instagram, writing:
“Universal Parks News reported today that the Burning Blade Tavern at Epic Universe is currently ‘blade-less.’ This is the entire draw of the building, as the windmill blades catch fire multiple times an hour.”
Attached photos showed the tavern’s windmill standing motionless, stripped of the fiery blades that once made it one of Dark Universe’s most photographed landmarks.
Fan responses poured in quickly, with visitors confirming the change in person. One commenter wrote:
“I was there on Sunday and noticed that they never burned.”
Another person, claiming to be a Team Member, added:
“The Burnless Bladeless Tavern… It’s so annoying working in there and guests complaining about the issues.”
The sentiment reflects a growing frustration among parkgoers—and even employees—over the loss of details that defined the park’s immersive promise.
A Park Built on Spectacle
When Epic Universe officially opened earlier this year, the Dark Universe area stood out as one of the most ambitious lands in the park. Drawing inspiration from Universal’s classic monsters—Frankenstein, Dracula, and the Wolf Man—the land was designed to blend Gothic horror with cutting-edge theme park technology.
The Burning Blade Tavern, a towering, medieval-style pub set amid flickering torches and looming stone towers, quickly became a fan favorite. The flaming windmill blades that spun above the building weren’t just a decoration—they were a symbol of the land’s identity. The flames visually connected to the surrounding storyline, suggesting that the village below was living under constant threat from the supernatural.
More Than Just One Broken Effect
The removal of the blades may seem like a small issue, but it comes amid a series of operational hiccups that have left fans wondering if Epic Universe is struggling to maintain its lofty standards.
Universal’s parent company, Comcast, recently released its Q3 2025 earnings report, which included the first full quarter of Epic Universe’s performance. While executives described the park’s debut as an “early success,” the numbers suggest a more tempered reality.
Comcast reported that theme park revenue rose 19% in Q3, with EBITDA increasing 13% to $958 million. However, the overall growth rate—18.7%—was slightly down from the previous quarter’s 18.9%, despite Epic Universe’s massive opening hype.
The figures are hardly disappointing, but for a project marketed as the next generation of theme park design, the modest growth hints at some early growing pains.
Meanwhile, Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando’s chief competitor, reported a 22% increase in domestic theme park operating income in its last quarter—without introducing a new park.
A Pattern Emerging in Dark Universe
The burning blades aren’t the first technical issue in Dark Universe. Just last week, the land’s marquee attraction, Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment, was forced to close for a full day due to an unexpected malfunction. Guests arriving at the towering gothic manor were greeted not with bolts of lightning and thunderous roars, but with something decidedly less monstrous: wooden cornhole boards.
According to reports from Coaster101 and social media users, Team Members placed the beanbag-tossing game outside the attraction to entertain disappointed guests. Online reactions ranged from amusement to disbelief. “Cornhole Unchained,” one fan joked, though others saw it as a worrying sign that Universal was struggling to maintain the park’s immersive standards.
While short-term maintenance issues are common for new parks, the symbolic loss of both Frankenstein’s attraction and the Burning Blade’s fiery windmill within weeks of each other raises concerns about long-term upkeep and reliability.
“Burnless” and “Bladeless”
Fans have already given the tavern’s new look a nickname: the “Burnless Bladeless Tavern.” What was once an eerie, flickering focal point of Dark Universe now looks comparatively tame.
For Team Members, it’s more than just a cosmetic change—it’s an operational headache. Guests who’ve seen marketing materials showing the burning blades often approach the restaurant expecting that same visual drama. Without it, some leave disappointed.
As one worker reportedly said online, it’s “annoying working in there and guests complaining about the issues.”
That’s a sentiment echoed by visitors who’ve noticed the missing flames. For a park that sold itself on immersion above all else, even small visual downgrades can chip away at the illusion Universal spent billions to create.
Growing Pains for a Giant
Epic Universe is still less than a year old, and any new theme park is bound to face teething issues. However, the consistency of these incidents—ride closures, decor malfunctions, and now a major show element going dark—suggests that Universal’s rapid development schedule may have left some systems fragile or under-tested.
In the grand scheme, losing the windmill’s flame effects isn’t catastrophic. The tavern continues to serve food and drink, and Dark Universe still offers rich theming throughout. But the loss is symbolic. The fire effects were an integral part of the land’s mood and storytelling—a tangible reminder of the danger and intensity that define Universal’s monster legacy.
For fans who prize authenticity, the absence of those flames feels like a step backward.
Universal has not yet commented on why the blades were removed or whether they’ll return. Given the complexity of pyrotechnic systems and the strict fire safety codes governing theme parks, it’s possible the effects were disabled for inspection or refurbishment.
Still, the silence has fueled speculation online. Some fans suspect the removal may be tied to maintenance or operational safety, while others worry the effect could be permanently cut due to costs or complications.
If Universal wants to reassure fans, communication will be key. The company has a long track record of responding quickly to technical issues, and it’s likely that the team is already working to bring the tavern’s signature feature back online.
For now, though, guests visiting Epic Universe will find the Burning Blade Tavern living up to only half its name. The drinks may still flow, the ambiance may still impress—but the fire that once crowned the Dark Universe’s skyline has been extinguished, leaving the park’s most dramatic landmark eerily still.
Whether the flames return or not, this episode adds to the growing list of small frustrations at Universal’s biggest and boldest park to date. And for fans who came expecting epic fire and fury, “blade-less” might just feel like another reminder that even the grandest dreams of theme park magic sometimes need a little maintenance.