Visiting Universal Studios Hollywood during the holidays is festive and fun. Recently my family and I went to the theme park to check out “Christmas in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter” and “Grinchmas.”
(Photo courtesy of Universal Studios Hollywood)
What is “Grinchmas” exactly? This Who-lebration returns in joyous fashion with a 65 foot-tall “Grinchmas” tree in Universal Plaza. When evening sets in and the skies are dark, a dazzling tree lighting ceremony accompanied by a snowfall flurry will take place. We made it a point to check the showtimes when we got to the theme park so that we could plan our agenda accordingly.
My daughter enjoys watching the Grinch movies and loves dogs, so we knew that meeting The Grinch’s faithful dog Max was a must!
One of our favorite rides is near Universal Plaza, so we made our way to The Secret Life of Pets: Off the Leash. Seeing Max, Duke and Gidget always puts a smile on our faces.
As we ran from ride to ride, we naturally got hungry and after grabbing lunch, we also made sure to try out their holiday sweet treats!
While over in the The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, we went on the rides and also watched the Hogwarts students entertain guests and pose for photos.
Did you know there is an a cappella Frog Choir that sings holiday-themed songs?
(Photo courtesy of Universal Studios Hollywood)
Our last ride of the day was The World-Famous Studio Tour. It ended just as the sun was setting and we made our way back to the Upper Lot so that we could watch “The Magic of Christmas at Hogwarts Castle” which is a dazzling light projection show that brings the iconic Hogwarts castle to life.
The stunning imagery and animation, along with the music from the Harry Potter film series is so impressive!
(Photo courtesy of Universal Studios Hollywood)
Before we left Universal Studios Hollywood, we walked over to watch the nightly tree lighting ceremonies at “Grinchmas.”
It was such a special way to end the evening! Thanks Universal Studios for hosting me and my family!
Looking for something fun to do over the holidays and winter break? Visit Universal Studios Hollywood from now until January 9th, to celebrate the magic of the season!
For more information about the holiday season at Universal Studios Hollywood, visit their website here. Know before you go – Universal Studios Hollywood adheres to LA County’s Public Health order regarding COVID-19. Get the details here on face masks, proof of vaccination, etc. Don’t forget to follow their Facebook page for the latest updates!
Disclosure: No monetary compensation was received for this post. I received complimentary tickets to the theme park which helped facilitate this review. All images are mine unless otherwise noted. As always, my opinions are 100% my own.
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We’ll be there for New Years. This got me so pumped!!
We’re going in the next couple of days.
Do you think if we don’t come until 1pm, we’ll still be able to see most things?
If you mean the rides, then it depends on the crowds, as I believe the LA-area schools have a winter break starting on Monday. On great option is to purchase the Universal Express tickets which gives you a ONE-TIME express access to each ride, attraction, and seated show. We had those tickets in the summer when it’s crowded and got to get on all of the major rides, plus the tram tour. If we didn’t have that, we would have been standing in line for a while and probably not get on all of the rides.
In terms of the holiday decor and evening festivities – you’ll see it for sure. The holiday shows, Grinchmas and the light show on Hogwarts castle, seem to run every 30 minutes but you’ll need to check with a theme park employee when you arrive to get the schedule for the day.
Have fun!