Universal Studios Hollywood’s Fan Fest Nights 2024: More Interactive Experiences and Anime Focus

Universal Studios Hollywood’s Fan Fest Nights, a springtime extension of the after-hours formula used for Halloween Horror Nights, has returned for its second year with significant improvements in interactivity and anime integration.

The event, which debuted in 2023, is a hard-ticket after-hours experience where guests are encouraged to express their fandom by participating in themed activities and dressing as their favorite characters. For example, attendees arrived dressed as characters from Cartoon Network’s Over the Garden Wall, even though the series wasn’t officially represented.

The first year of Fan Fest Nights featured a mix of experiences, including walkthrough attractions inspired by Star Trek and Dungeons & Dragons, a 3D anime movie imported from Universal Studios Japan, and a scavenger hunt in Super Nintendo Land centered around Yoshi. The standout attraction, however, was the Back to the Future experience in Courthouse Square, a famous filming location featured in classics like It Came From Outer Space, Tarantula, and The Twilight Zone.

During the Back to the Future experience, guests could watch actors reenact key scenes, such as Marty’s arrival in 1955, Biff’s reprimand by the principal, and the Enchantment Under the Sea dance. The experience also included props like flaming pavement strips and a spinning license plate, recreating the DeLorean’s iconic time-travel moment. While highly popular, the 2023 version lacked structure, allowing guests to spend hours observing scenes unfold without clear progression.

For 2024, Universal Creative and the park’s entertainment team have addressed these concerns by introducing structured experiences. One of the most anticipated is The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Forbidden Forest: A Search for the Hippogriff, which builds on the success of the first year’s attractions.