Every year, once the monsters and terror goes away, the theme parks break out their holiday best to turn a seasons screamings into a season of merry greetings. At Universal Studios Hollywood, it’s no different, as the park is transformed into a winter wonderland of fun for all of your holiday enjoyment!

The entire park gets an overlay, as holiday cheer spreads throughout! When we attended on Saturday, not even the rain could keep the holidays away. The upper lot’s cityscapes have decorations all about, as fake snow adorns many of the fronts of buildings and wreaths make an appearance. Mrs. Hattie’s Home for Girls looks more festive than usual, and the minions are all suitably appropriate for the time of year.

 

Who-bilation

But also on the Upper Lot is one of the main attractions for the season, where the Holiday Who-bilation is taking place. All the Whos down in Who-ville gather to celebrate the season for Grinchmas!

Universal seemed to really nail the Grinchmas this year, as everything seemed streamlined. Taking place in the central plaza area, everything is spread out enough, but also self-contained, to make it feel nice and cozy. Crowds were moderate when we visited throughout the day but it never felt like it was overbearingly crowded in there.

Whos a-plenty wander the area, allowing for unique and spontaneous photo opportunities. They are also incredibly playful, each armed with interactions to keep you entertained. One Who even pulled me in front of the crowd for an impromptu game of Rock-Paper-Scissors that kept us all laughing.

Of course, there was also photo ops to meet the Grinch himself (always hilarious to interact with) and his faithful dog, Max. Grinch’s line was always fairly long, but quickly moved. Max’s was slightly shorter, and it brought joy to our hearts to see this doggo in action.

To top it all over, once the sung goes down, there are nightly Grinchmas tree lighting ceremony, accompanied by a flurry of snow! Unfortunately, the inclement weather canceled the performance we attended, but we did manage to catch the tail end of a later one. The snow, brand-new this year, was appropriately heart-felt and perfect for the holiday season. Not to mention the fact that the tree itself is GORGEOUS. Standing over 55-feet tall, the topsy-turvey Grinchmas tree was beautiful!

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The Wizarding World of Harry Potter

Making our way toward Hogsmeade, we were excited to see The Wizarding World of Harry Potter also taking on the holidays. Holiday-themed fare ruled at The Three Broomsticks, as you had your choice of seasonal offerings from the Wizarding World. Of course, because of the cold weather, we couldn’t resist a hot butterbeer (or three…they are so good!).

Not only that, but there is the every so entertaining a cappella Frog Choir where Hogwarts students entertain guests with their harmonized holiday-themed songs. Their voices rang out throughout the town, and they sounded fantastic.

To top it all off, The Magic of Christmas at Hogwarts Castle is a dazzling light show that is incredible. Using start of the art technology and projection mapping, Hogwarts transforms into a stage for holiday cheer. It is impressive what they can go with just some high definition lighting, I loved every minute of it, and I cannot wait to see it again.

Overall, the holidays are the ideal time to visit Universal Studios Hollywood. There is ton to see and do, and it’s perfect to bring the family, too. Christmas in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter and Grinchmas runs daily from Thursday, November 28 through Sunday, December 29.

For more information and to buy tickets, visit them online at: https://www.universalstudioshollywood.com

About the Author

Jeff Heimbuch writes. A lot. On a variety of things and in different mediums. He also created the fiction podcasts LIGHT HOUSE and RETURN HOME (of which you can find both on all podcasting platforms), loves all things horror, works in social media, and is probably writing something right now. You can find him on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok at @jeffheimbuch.