Perhaps one of the biggest and most popular events at the Universal theme parks in Hollywood and Orlando is the annual Halloween Horror Nights. Each year, the event draws in thousands of Halloween and horror fans to experience a variety of haunted houses, scare zones, and themed entertainment, making it one of the biggest Halloween events in the theme park industry. In 2023, Universal announced that a year-round horror experience would be coming to Las Vegas, and fans were finally given more information earlier this week, including an opening date.

Universal Horror Unleashed was first announced in October 2023 as the company’s first-ever year-round horror experience, with its four featured houses announced a year later in October 2024. The experience will bring fan-favorite houses “The Exorcist: Believer,” “Universal Monsters,” “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre,” and “Scarecrow The Reaping” to Las Vegas, allowing fans to enjoy their favorite immersive horror houses all year long. The Universal Monsters specifically have been featured at the events each year since 2018 and the Dark Universe will be a major area in the upcoming Epic Universe park opening at Universal Orlando.

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Universal Orlando Reveals Halloween Horror Nights Dates

Universal announces on social media that Halloween Horror Nights kicks off at Universal Studios Florida on its earliest date yet.

Earlier this week, Universal released new information on Horror Unleashed, including an opening date and other experiences for guests to enjoy. Universal Horror Unleashed will officially open on August 14 in Las Vegas’s newest entertainment district, AREA15, located right off of the Vegas Strip. Tickets are now on sale as well, with options including a one-time general admission, a Nevada resident one-time general admission, and unlimited general admission access, which would allow visitors to tour the houses as many times as they want on the day of purchase. Universal Horror Unleashed will also provide guests with a variety of themed entertainment, retail, and dining experiences to enjoy.

Universal Horror Will Be Year-Round As Company Expands

Along with Universal Horror Unleashed opening in August, the Universal Orlando Resort confirmed that this year’s Halloween Horror Nights will start on August 29, and run through November 2, making this year the earliest start of the event in its 34-year history, while Universal Studios Hollywood will run from September 4 through November 2. Universal Hollywood is also bringing a brand-new after-hours event to guests on the West Coast this spring with the introduction of Universal Fan Fest Nights, which will run from late April to mid-May and feature popular franchises like Back to the Future, Jujutsu Kaisen, and Star Trek, among many others.

Universal Horror Unleashed is one of several projects currently underway in the Universal theme park sector, with Universal looking to expand its reach across the country and around the world. The company is expected to break ground on a new theme park in the UK sometime this year and plans to open its first-ever kid-focused park, Universal Kids, in Frisco, Texas, in 2026. In addition, the Universal Orlando Resort is set to open Epic Universe this May, featuring areas inspired by the Universal Classic Monsters, Super Nintendo World, and How To Train Your Dragon. With so many projects underway, theme park fans should be excited about what is in store for the company.