{"id":274548,"date":"2026-05-17T23:21:15","date_gmt":"2026-05-17T23:21:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/274548\/"},"modified":"2026-05-17T23:21:15","modified_gmt":"2026-05-17T23:21:15","slug":"universal-confirms-plans-for-new-2-month-theme-park-shutdown","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/274548\/","title":{"rendered":"Universal Confirms Plans for New 2-Month Theme Park Shutdown"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you are planning a Universal Orlando trip for 2026 and you have not checked the refurbishment calendar recently, now is the time to do it.<\/p>\n

\"ACredit: Universal Orlando Resort<\/p>\n

The list of closed and closing attractions across the resort is longer than it typically is, and it includes some permanent losses that represent meaningful changes to what Universal\u2019s parks have been for decades. There is also a new closure to add starting next week: Per Inside Universal, who reported it on X, Po\u2019s Kung Fu Training Camp and Po Live! in DreamWorks Land at Universal Studios Florida are closing for refurbishment on May 18, 2026, with a planned reopening by July 4, 2026.<\/p>\n

\"FamiliesCredit: Universal Orlando Resort<\/p>\n

For families with young children who were planning around the DreamWorks Land interactive experiences, that six-week closure during the early summer window is worth knowing about before you book. Here is the full breakdown of what is currently offline and what is on its way out across every part of the resort.<\/p>\n

Po\u2019s Kung Fu Training Camp, along with Po Live!, in DreamWorks Land will be closing for refurbishment starting May 18, 2026. The area is expected to reopen by July 4, 2026. @UniversalORL<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/3uEaCGA5hN<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Inside Universal (@insideuniversal) May 17, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

Universal Studios Florida: What Is Closed and What Is Leaving
\n\"closeCredit: Universal<\/p>\n

Finnegan\u2019s Bar and Grill has been closed since January 12, 2026, with Winter 2026 listed as the estimated reopening window. That is a long stretch offline for one of the more characterful dining spots in the park\u2019s New York area. Guests who have relied on it for lunch or a post-park drink should make alternate plans for any visits through the fall.<\/p>\n

Universal Orlando\u2019s Horror Makeup Show went offline on May 12, 2026, also with a Winter 2026 return estimate. The show has been part of the Universal Studios experience for years and offers something genuinely different from anything else on the property. Its absence for most of 2026 is not a small thing.<\/p>\n

MEN IN BLACK Alien Attack closes June 1 and is expected back June 16, 2026. Short window, specific dates, easy to plan around. If June is your travel month and MEN IN BLACK matters to your group, the second half of June is the window to aim for.<\/p>\n

The bigger permanent news at Universal Studios Florida is Fast and Furious: Supercharged closing in 2027. Whatever is coming in that building will be a defining story for the park, but for 2026 the ride is still operating.<\/p>\n

Universal Islands of Adventure: The Closures Are Significant
\n\"HogwartsCredit: Andrew Boardwine, Inside the Magic<\/p>\n

Jurassic Park<\/a> River Adventure closed January 5, 2026, and the scheduled reopening is November 19, 2026. Nearly eleven months offline for one of the park\u2019s anchor experiences. For any trip to Islands of Adventure before late November, guests should accept that the Jurassic World area is without its centerpiece ride and plan accordingly.<\/p>\n

Pteranodon Flyers was down from February 27 and is scheduled to return May 21, 2026, which means it should be back just in time for the main summer season. Me Ship, The Olive follows with a shorter closure from May 26 through June 9, 2026.<\/p>\n

Harry Potter<\/a> and the Forbidden Journey remains open. Hogwarts Castle has visual refurbishment work happening on the exterior but no closure is scheduled for the attraction itself. Guests will see work in progress on the castle but can still ride the attraction.<\/p>\n

Now for the permanent closures, because these deserve their own attention.<\/p>\n

The Lost Continent is closing permanently in phases throughout 2026 and 2027. One of the park\u2019s original lands, it has been part of Islands of Adventure since it opened in 1999. Its gradual removal is the kind of change that alters the footprint and identity of the park in a lasting way.<\/p>\n

Mythos Restaurant, which has earned recognition as one of the best theme park restaurants in the world, is closing permanently at a TBD date in 2027. Guests who have been meaning to eat there and keep pushing it to the next trip should move it to the top of the list on their next visit.<\/p>\n

Thunder Falls Terrace Restaurant in Jurassic World is closing this summer and will be transformed into a new full-service restaurant opening in 2027. The closure is a precursor to something new rather than a loss with nothing replacing it, but the transition period still leaves a gap in the Jurassic area\u2019s dining options.<\/p>\n

Universal Epic Universe: Just One Closure Listed
\n\"flowersCredit: Universal<\/p>\n

Viking Training Camp in the How to Train Your Dragon world closed May 4 and is scheduled to reopen May 22, 2026.<\/a> That covers most of the first three weeks of May. No other Epic Universe refurbishments or closures are currently listed, which makes it the most complete of the Universal parks right now in terms of operational offerings.<\/p>\n

Volcano Bay and CityWalk<\/p>\n

Volcano Bay has no attraction refurbishments currently listed. The seasonal closure beginning October 26, 2026, is the main planning note, with a scheduled reopening on or before March 24, 2027. Fall and winter guests should confirm park hours before traveling since the water park closes on select dates and can also close due to inclement weather during those seasons.<\/p>\n

At CityWalk, the Burger King Whopper Bar closed April 21 and is being replaced by a Five Guys opening this summer. Hot Dog Hall of Fame closes in July 2026 and will become Fat One\u2019s Hot Dogs and Italian Ice. Both are tenant transitions with confirmed replacements rather than permanent eliminations.<\/p>\n

What This Means If Universal Is Part of Your Orlando Trip<\/p>\n

Universal Orlando now occupies a genuinely different position in Orlando vacation planning than it did before Epic Universe opened.<\/a> Guests splitting time between Walt Disney World and Universal are increasingly treating the two resorts as near-equals rather than a primary destination and a secondary stop.<\/p>\n

The current refurbishment situation at Universal\u2019s original two parks is a real factor in how that equation plays out. Islands of Adventure is running without Jurassic Park River Adventure through most of the year, and Universal Studios Florida has extended closures at Finnegan\u2019s and the Horror Makeup Show that reduce the park\u2019s dining and entertainment variety. Epic Universe, with only the short Viking Training Camp closure on its current list, is operating more fully than either of the original parks.<\/p>\n

For guests building a Universal portion of a larger Orlando trip, the practical implication is that Epic Universe deserves more days in the current allocation than it might have received in a pre-2026 itinerary<\/a>, at least while the original parks are carrying these extended closures.<\/p>\n

Check the specific dates of whatever Universal parks are on your itinerary against the current closure list before your trip. The Jurassic Park River Adventure closure at Islands of Adventure runs almost all year and is the kind of thing that genuinely affects a park day if Jurassic World is a priority. Inside Universal keeps the most current version of the full refurbishment calendar and updates it weekly, which makes it worth checking again as your trip date approaches.<\/p>\n

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