Author: Brian Glenn

Universal Orlando has announced a new “Halloween Seasonal Experience Testing” event for Sept 19th and 20th, where guests can enjoy some Halloween fun; including 2 haunted houses that were originally part of the Halloween Horror Nights 30 line-up. Universal Monsters: The Bride of Frankenstein Lives and Revenge of the Tooth Fairy will be the 2 haunts included with daytime admission. Premier Annual Passholders will get the first crack on Friday, Sept 18. Registration will open on Sept 16 at Noon. No other dates have been announced at this time. Halloween Horror Nights 30 was cancelled earlier this year due to…

For a limited time, Hard Rock Cafe has rolled out its new Festival menu for guests to celebrate the last remaining days of Summer. Inspired by music festivals, the menu offers guests the choice of either two, three, or four festival bites, which include all-new items or fun twists on loved Hard Rock classics. We were given the opportunity to try the new dishes. The new menu offers 10 appetizer-sized portion options and 7 cocktails to select from. Prices are pretty straightforward – 2 for $20, 3 for $30, and 4 for $40. Our favorite dish was the Let’s Get…

Knott’s Berry Farm has announced Taste of Fall-O-Ween, a new outdoor food and retail  experience celebrating the Halloween season and the flavors of Fall. Knott’s Taste of Fall-O-Ween will take place Fridays through Sundays, September 25 – November 1. The only way to experience Knott’s Taste of Fall-O-Ween is with a tasting card purchased in advance at knotts.com (a tasting card is required for event entry). Event hours will be Fridays and Saturdays from 12pm -9pm and Sundays from 12pm to 8pm. Halloween décor that will transform the park for the season, and guests of all ages can dress up in costumes…

Busch Gardens Tampa has revealed its 10 scare zones for this year’s modified Howl-O-Scream event and will feature 4 new zones. The event will run every Friday through Sunday from September 25-November 1, 2020. The scare zones are designed to scare safely, as Busch Gardens states the creative production team has consulted with medical experts to modify this year’s zone designs with a physical distancing focus, as well as enhanced health and safety measures. The 4 new scare zones are: Lycan Landing: It’s always a full moon at this campground and the park rangers can’t hear you scream. When the…

Universal Studios Japan has announced new Halloween-themed experiences that will be coming to the park from September 18 to November 8, 2020 The park also confirmed they will not be holding the daytime parade “Festa de Parade”, “Universal Surprise Halloween”, or it’s Halloween Horror Nights event due to the ongoing pandemic. Simply called “Halloween Event 2020”, Universal Studios Japan will be decorated with exciting decorations and Halloween appropriate music will be played throughout the park. Popular characters in costume will welcome guests, including Minions dressed up as monsters. Other experiences announced include Trick or Treating; where guests are encouraged to talk…

Passholder Appreciation Days continues at  Universal Orlando, and one of the benefits is exclusive menus and food items. Over at Lombard’s Seafood Grille at Universal Studios Florida, passholders can enjoy an AP Exclusive Prix Fixe Menu for $45+tax per person until September 30. Prix Fixe (pronounced pre-fix) is a French term that means “fixed price” and refers to a type of menu featuring a pre-selected list of dishes at a set price. In this case, Universal is offering a 3-course meal featuring a trio of samples on each dish. Don’t let the word sample make you think the meal wasn’t…

Voodoo Doughnut at Universal Orlando has released 2 new limited-time seasonal doughnuts for guests to enjoy; a Jack the Clown doughnut and Pumpkin Spice doughnut. The Jack the Clown doughnut features vanilla frosting, Bavarian filling, and raspberry jelly. The Pumpkin Spice is a large pumpkin-shaped doughnut with vanilla frosting and pumpkin spice Bavarian filling. Both doughnuts are available for Universal Orlando Annual Passholders starting today. General guests will be able to purchase both tomorrow. The doughnuts will be sold through November 1, 2020. Our quick review: While both doughnuts are good, we’re kind of over every specialty doughnut featuring raspberry…

LudoBird, known for Chef Ludo Lefebvre’s fried chicken-based menu, has permanently closed at CityWalk Hollywood. The restaurant opened in 2016, replacing Jody Maroni’s Sausage Kingdom. LudoBird was one of many restaurants that remained closed after CityWalk’s re-opening in June. Part of the marquee has been removed, specifically the “Not your mother’s fried chicken…” slogan. No official replacement has been announced at this time.

Universal Studios Beijing has released a new concept art image of their upcoming Jurassic World: Isla Nublar land. The concept art comes courtesy of China State Construction Engineering Co. Jurassic World: Isla Nublar is one of 7 themed lands slated to open at Universal Studios Beijing, tentatively scheduled for May 2021. Details are limited, but the land is expected to feature several attractions, including a 3D ride similar to The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man. Other lands include Hollywood Blvd., Kung Fu Panda: Land of Awesomeness, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, Transformers: Metrobase, Minion Land, and WaterWorld. Stay tuned to…

Midnight Syndicate has teamed up with Universal Orlando to release a limited-edition “Music of Halloween Horror Nights” album on red vinyl featuring favorite songs from the event, as well as some unreleased material. The album is being sold in the Horror Nights Tribute Store. The limited-edition run of 500 copies are hand-numbered and pressed on red vinyl for $30+tax. For more than twenty years, the music of Midnight Syndicate has been a part of Universal Orlando Resort’s Halloween Horror Nights. In the liner notes of the album, T.J. Mannarino, Vice President of Entertainment Art & Design at Universal Orlando says,…