{"id":373679,"date":"2026-08-17T13:38:12","date_gmt":"2026-08-17T13:38:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/373679\/"},"modified":"2026-08-17T13:38:12","modified_gmt":"2026-08-17T13:38:12","slug":"whats-happening-at-the-universal-parks-week-of-august-17-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/373679\/","title":{"rendered":"What\u2019s Happening at the Universal Parks \u2013 Week of August 17, 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Here\u2019s a look around at what\u2019s happening at Universal Orlando and Universal Studios Hollywood, from August 17, 2026, to August 23, 2026.<\/p>\n<p>Passholder Appreciation Days continues until Sept 30. Passholder Appreciation Days celebrates Universal\u2019s Passholders with extra perks and benefits, including dedicated entrances and lines, exclusive menu items and merchandise, and extra savings.<\/p>\n<p>Volcano Bay Nights enters its final week, with event nights on Thursday, August 20, Friday, August 14, and Saturday, August 21, 2026. The event invites guests to enjoy the water park after dark with special entertainment, exclusive food and drinks, and access to many of Volcano Bay\u2019s most popular attractions.<\/p>\n<p>Back to Hogwarts returns to Universal Orlando beginning August 1 with new experiences, including a new\u00a0limited-edition Butterbeer mug, available while supplies last, along with specialty food and beverage offerings throughout The Wizarding World of Harry Potter.<\/p>\n<p>Refurbishments<\/p>\n<p>Please keep in mind that refurbishment dates can change.<\/p>\n<p>Jurassic Park River Adventure\u00a0at Islands of Adventure is closed for a major refurbishment. It is scheduled to reopen on November 20, 2026.<\/p>\n<p>Horror Make-Up Show\u00a0at Universal Studios Florida will close May 12, 2026, for a \u201creimagining\u201d. It is scheduled to reopen in Winter 2026.<\/p>\n<p>Finnegan\u2019s Bar &amp; Grill\u00a0at Universal Studios Florida is closed for a major refurbishment. It is scheduled to reopen in Winter 2026.<\/p>\n<p>Fast &amp; Furious: Hollywood Drift has begun technical rehearsals with the general public, better known as a \u201cSoft Opening\u201d. For those unfamiliar, a \u201cSoft Opening\u201d is essentially a technical rehearsal of a new attraction. \u201cSoft Openings\u201d are never promised. There is no guarantee the ride will open. The ride might only be open for a limited time, all day, or not at all, depending on any issues or changes. There is no set schedule or guarantee that it will be open until it officially opens, which Universal Studios Hollywood has not yet announced.<\/p>\n<p>Universal Studios Hollywood is celebrating its Pass Members with another round of Pass Member Appreciation Days from August 15 to September 30, 202, when Pass Members can take advantage of limited-time giveaways and special offers throughout the park and CityWalk.<\/p>\n<p>Back to Hogwarts returns to Universal Studios Hollywood beginning August 1 with new experiences, including an encounter with the Monster Book of Monsters, Hogwarts house-themed giveaways, specialty treats, and additional limited-time offerings throughout the land.<\/p>\n<p>Refurbishments<\/p>\n<p>Please keep in mind that refurbishment dates can change.<\/p>\n<p>None at this time.<\/p>\n<p>Stay tuned to Inside Universal for all the latest news on Universal Parks &amp; Resorts. Want to join the conversation? Head over to our\u00a0Forums\u00a0where fans are discussing the latest Universal news, rumors, and park updates.\u00a0<a class=\"forum-button\" href=\"https:\/\/www.insideuniversal.net\/forums\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Join the Discussion!<br \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Planning a Universal trip?\u00a0Get a free, no-obligation quote from our trusted travel partner,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.insideuniversal.net\/mei-travel\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">MEI Travel<\/a>. Their team can help with hotels, tickets, and planning at no extra cost to you.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Here\u2019s a look around at what\u2019s happening at Universal Orlando and Universal Studios Hollywood, from August 17, 2026,&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":373680,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[139,141,140],"class_list":["post-373679","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-orlando","tag-orlando","tag-orlando-headlines","tag-orlando-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/373679","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=373679"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/373679\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/373680"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=373679"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=373679"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=373679"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}