Imagining the holiday season décor coming to Epic Universe
Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios Hollywood will celebrate the holiday season for the first time in 2024 — do the new decorations provide a sneak peek at potential festive cheer at Epic Universe? What could the holidays look like in each of Epic Universe’s five worlds?
Nintendo holiday decorations in Hollywood
A huge Christmas tree topped with — what else? — Mario’s signature super star will greet guests this holiday season at Super Nintendo World in Universal Studios Hollywood. The theme park near Los Angeles, Calif. will celebrate with new Nintendo holiday decorations from Nov. 29, 2024 – Jan. 6, 2025, Universal announced this week.
2024 will mark the first time Super Nintendo World in California has celebrated the holidays. Though the land opened in early 2023, it remained in its usual state during the 2023 holiday season.
How adorable are the Nintendo holiday decorations? Mushrooms, item boxes, and stars adorn the garland adorning Peach’s castle, and a resident of Mushroom Kingdom has even created snowmen resembling Mario and Luigi.
Universal Studios Japan has celebrated the holiday season in its version of Super Nintendo World in the past; the photos Universal shared for the Hollywood announcement are likely from that park.
Universal Studios Hollywood will also sell holiday-themed Nintendo merchandise at various retail locations and treats at Toadstool Café.
Elsewhere throughout Universal Studios Hollywood during the 2024 holiday season, guests can meet the Grinch in Universal Plaza or watch a nightly holiday projection show in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter.
Imagining holiday seasons at Epic Universe
Meanwhile in Florida, construction continues on the third iteration of Super Nintendo World, opening in 2025 as part of the new Universal Epic Universe theme park. The photos of Hollywood’s Nintendo holiday decorations begs the question: Might this be what Epic Universe will look like during Christmastime, too?
Fanfare surrounding Epic Universe has largely (and understandably) been focused on the park’s grand opening (specific date still TBA). It’s natural, though, to think ahead of what might await during the holiday season 2025 and beyond at Epic Universe, not just within Super Nintendo World but in the park’s other four worlds as well: Celestial Park, Dark Universe, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic, and How to Train your Dragon – Isle of Berk.
There’s a precedent from Universal’s other parks, and in the Warner Bros. movies, of The Wizarding World celebrating Christmas.
DreamWorks Animation has created multiple holiday specials taking place in the “How to Train Your Dragon” story, though the characters celebrate their own festival called Snoggletog. Would Snoggletog come to Epic Universe? Will guests be able to sip on Yaknog?
Dark Universe, themed to Universal Classic Monsters, is perhaps the biggest leap to envision draped in holiday cheer. That being said, Universal Creative does have a track record of holiday-themed haunted houses over the years at Halloween Horror Nights, so anything’s possible.
Celestial Park, too, with its themes of Greek gods and astronomy, might not integrate with Christmas directly, though some Christmas traditions have Greek origins, according to Greek Reporter. Furthermore, with its shiny statues and manicured landscaping, Celestial Park does possess the feeling of grandeur that sometimes accompanies deluxe holiday decorations.
Another, ever-important question: Nintendo holiday decorations aside, will Epic Universe inherit the pop-radio holiday hits soundtrack that plays throughout Universal Studios Florida and Universal Islands of Adventure?
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