Author: Chris Glass

For sheer entertainment factor alone, the Queen Mary Dark Harbor panel at Midsummer Scream has become a must-do, for the great banter between the Captain and the Ringmaster riffing on the seriousness of the rest of the panelists. That kind of aloofness is what has really elevated Dark Harbor in the last few years as their talent during the event is given far more freedom than other competitors, allowing for more intense and personal experiences. Right out of the gate, there was a new member of the Dark Harbor family introduced, but it wasn’t a monster, rather a bigger name,…

Taking a cue from their studio across town, the Warner Bros. Studio has been making strides lately in the theme park side of entertainment, heavily upgrading and promoting their studio tour and running a successful Halloween event for the last two years. From their panel, it was clear the Warner folks were proud of their event. They strongly stressed how they wanted to avoid the conga lines by keeping crowds small, bringing this point up many times throughout the panel. It also takes place entirely on the backlot, a transformed backlot, feeling like a party, or a festival of frights,…

Kicking off Midsummer Scream in 2018 was the Knott’s Scary Farm panel. Midsummer Scream is the premier Halloween-themed convention that takes place at the Long Beach Convention Center and has quickly become the tipping point for when Halloween announcements are made regarding theme parks, home haunts, and everything in between. Last year, Knott’s was a bit short in their presentation for Knott’s Scary Farm at Midsummer Scream, which is understandable, given how they have their own big gala at the end of August. But this year, they found a way to have a substantial amount of news while still keeping…

While the technical beginning of summer hasn’t started yet, we are definitely past Memorial Day – the traditional start of theme park summer events. For Knott’s, this means a whole host of shows and traditions, with the headliner being Ghost Town Alive. What started two years ago as an ambitious injection of life into Ghost Town is now a staple of the park. We gushed about how much fun Ghost Town Alive is last year, and this year is just the same. To be as concise as possible, Ghost Town Alive is western-themed role-playing in the theme park. In a…

If you had a chance to visit Universal Studios Hollywood during Lunar New Year, you probably saw the new addition that got all the attention was Mr. Ping’s Noodle Shop. Setup in Universal Plaza, guests could wait in line to speak to an impressive Mr. Ping puppet, straight out of Kung Fu Panda, and get their photo taken. Due to the popularity of his shop during the Lunar Year, it has been revealed that he’ll be returning for the summer, alongside the opening of the new DreamWorks Theatre featuring Kung Fu Panda: The Emperor’s Quest. If the draw of the…

If you’ve been following along on our photo updates, you may have noticed that Shrek 4D had closed down in August last year to make way for a new attraction. On June 15th, the former Shrektacular spot will now be home to the DreamWorks Theatre featuring “Kung Fu Panda: The Emperor’s Quest”. We were able to get a special behind-the-scenes tour of the new attraction before it officially opened, which allowed us to get a real in-depth look at the final touches being put on the newly-transformed location. While it ultimately is still a theater-type attraction playing a 3D film,…

It’s time for April’s photo update around Universal Studios Hollywood! Let’s get started! Park Update Index » CityWalk Hollywood » Baker Street » Animation Studio Store » DreamWorks Theater » Studio Tour » StarWay Refurbishment » Lower Lot » Jurassic Park: The Ride » The Mummy Greets » A Little Bit of This and a Little Bit of That CityWalk Hollywood The guitar outside the Hard Rock Cafe is looking a little worse for the wear. They’re claiming it’s being refurbished, which seems likely, but we’ll continue to keep an eye on it. No shrimp outside today, but there’s lots…

Knott’s Boysenberry Festival has returned for 2018. What started five years ago as Knott’s Berry Bloom has become a bigger event each year. While it’s always hard to avoid boysenberries year-round at Knott’s, during the festival, it’s the focal point of the park.

Knott’s Berry Farm has been on a roll the last few years with their in park events. They were already known for having a solid Halloween and Christmas lineup. Recently, they curated the Boysenberry Festival into something that’s just an all-out spring carnival and for the last two years, Ghost Town Alive has become an award-winning, living, interactive experience during the summer. While that covers the major seasons, a lot of other theme parks in the last few years have been taking advantage of a little lull in late January/early February to celebrate Lunar New Year. Instead of copying what…

Happy New Year, everyone! Hope you had a blast, especially if you went to Eve, Universal’s own party. This is mostly a continuation of what we’ve seen, along with a surprise refurbishment. Park Update Index » Saddle Ranch Chop House » CityWalk Hollywood » Johnny Rockets » Grinchmas » New Animation Studio Store » DreamWorks Theater » Parisian Courtyard » StarWay Refurbishment » Lower Lot Expansion » Mummy Treats » Despicable Delights » Studio Infrastructure » A Little Bit of This and a Little Bit of That Saddle Ranch Chop House Well, as predicted Saddle Ranch has closed. This location…