The 9 Best Ways to Celebrate Universal Studios Holidays! There’s a ton to offer from Grinchmas to Harry Potter Christmas events! Thank you to Universal Studios Hollywood for inviting us to check out all that they have to offer during the holiday season!
9 Best Ways to Celebrate Universal Studios Holidays
Universal Studios Hollywood rings in the Awesomest Celebration of the Season with the return of fan favorites Christmas in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter™ and Grinchmas™ beginning Friday, November 25, 2022 and running daily through Sunday, January 1, 2023. Here are the best inclusions in the Universal Studios Holidays Celebration! All holiday festivities are included in the price of theme park admission. Visiting is a great way to celebrate the season!
Grinchmas at Universal Studios
The cheerful Grinchmas Who-bilation returns in jolly fashion to Universal Plaza, located in the heart of the theme park. Festive park-goers can marvel in amazement at the topsy-turvy 65 foot-tall Grinchmas tree decorated with hundreds of ornaments and thousands of LED lights.
Who-ville Tree Lighting
Every evening, a jovial tree lighting ceremony will excite guests as they listen to the Grinch himself tell his story along with the Who-ville Whos, ending in a snowball flurry, bringing joy and merriment to all. The tree is stunning in person and a true wonder to behold!
It looks great at night all lit up, as well as during the day. Inside of the Grinchmas Who-bilation there is a lot more to see, but the tree is the centerpiece as it is absolutely stunning! During the day, guests can enter through any side of the Who-bilation, but as it grows closer to the time of the first tree lighting ceremony, there is only one entrance and exit.
The show lasts about ten minutes, telling the story of The Grinch Who Stole Christmas before ending in a “snowfall” flurry. This is absolutely worth checking out!
Grinchmas Character Meet and Greets
One of the best things about seasonal events at theme parks is the special character meet and greets that you cannot otherwise get. For Grinchmas this includes a lot of Whos wandering around the Grinchmas Who-bilation like the Mayor and others — but there are a few that are must meets!
Cindy-Lou Who hangs out mostly to the right side of the tree, although she does move around so you might be able to catch her throughout the day. We happened to see her after she went to visit Max first thing in the morning.
What you need to know about The Girnch’s faithful dog Max is that he is a real dog. During our visit guests were able to give him treats, and he is very well behaved. However, at the time of this publishing guests are not allowed to pet Max during the Universal Studios Holidays Celebration. He is adorable and a must see!
The Grinch meets for the majority of the day, although as night is going on he is a part of the tree lighting. Since he meets right in Grinchmas this means he takes breaks to pop up on stage every now and again. First thing in the morning is the best time to visit him, but the line does grow to be quite long as the day goes on. When we went, the wait time was about forty minutes. There are Whos around the waiting area to keep guests entertained.
It should be mentioned that the wait is so long because The Grinch does spend several minutes with each party if they wish to. While you can use your own camera, there are professional photographers and the option to purchase your photo with The Grinch right next to where he meets.
Story Time with Cindy-Lou Who
Cindy-Lou Who leads daily story time for young visitors looking to learn of How the Grinch Stole Christmas. She has a puppet of The Grinch and her telling is extremely entertaining as she does voices and clearly has an absolute blast! The event lasts for about ten minutes and there are benches around so guests do not have to stand when watching.
Other Who-ville Offerings
The Who-ville post office will be accepting postcards with holiday messages that help support tutoring for homeless youth.
Guests can fill out a card to tell The Grinch how their heart grew three sizes throughout the year, listing things like good deeds. They then drop it in the Who-ville mailbox. For every postcard sent Universal Studios Hollywood’s Discover a Star Foundation will make a donation to School on Wheels.
There are lots of special treats offered during Grinchmas at the Universal Studios Holiday Celebration including The Grinch donuts and The Grinch cotton candy. They are reasonably priced.
Harry Potter Themed Holiday Offers
Christmas in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter brings the spirit of the holiday season to the village of Hogsmeade™, which is transformed with festive décor and merriment. Activities include holiday shopping for exclusive items within the village shops, including personalized ornaments and notebooks, and dining on hearty holiday fare at Three Broomsticks™.
Hot Butterbeer
Hot Butterbeer™ can only be purchased during this time of year, and only at Three Broomsticks™. The butterbeer carts parked nearby still offer the regular and frozen options. The best time to get yourself a Hot Butterbeer™, which is almost like a hot butterscotch, is any time that is not a normal meal time.
During lunch and dinner time the line for Three Broomsticks™ is massive, and wraps around outside the building. Even if you wish to just get the butterbeer, you must wait in that line to order.
A Capella Frog Choir
Be sure to check out a special holiday a capella performance from the Hogwarts Frog Choir outside of the Hogwarts Castle at the stage. They sing four holiday songs and are extremely entertaining. Some are funny, and then they close out with a holiday classic! After the performance you are able to meet the performers and pet the frogs if you wish!
The Magic of Christmas at Hogwarts Castle dazzling light show
As night falls on the snowy town, Hogwarts™ Castle will come to life in a dazzling spectacle, The Magic of Christmas at Hogwarts Castle. The impressive light projection show will amaze audiences with its stunning imagery and animation as the castle infuses the land with joyous wonderment and features music and sounds from the Harry Potter film series.
The show lasts about six minutes and plays several times each night. On November 25th the first show was the same time as the first Grinchmas tree lighting show, and it repeated every thirty minutes until closing. There is a special viewing area by the stage, so that guests can still have a walking path. The ride remains open during the show, as well.
Other Universal Studios Holiday Offerings
There are a whole lot more holiday offerings to see besides Grinchmas and Hogsmeade, however, not to mention the rides. So be ready to spend a whole day of fun at Universal Studios!
Holiday Outfits On Characters
Some of the characters are wearing their holiday attire for meet and greets during this time of year. We saw Poppy, Branch, Donkey, Shrek, and Princess Fiona in their holiday outfits!
Holiday Decor Throughout The Park
Throughout the whole park there is holiday decor. Many rides have trees or decorations that are themed to the Universal Studios Holidays Celebration. By the Minions ride is a special tree and posters, while near The Secret Life of Pets there are presents, gingerbread pets, and the pets in their holiday attire.
Special Holiday Merchandise
Of course, nearly every gift shop is decked out with special holiday merchandise. This year’s popcorn buckets are The Grinch and Minions and they seem to be plentiful.
Adding to the theme park activities, Universal CityWalk will be dressed for the holiday season with spirited décor and a 40 foot-tall Christmas tree featuring more than 200,000 LED lights. The infamous Voodoo Doughnut will tempt guests with delicious seasonal flavors to celebrate the holiday spirit.
Learn More About Universal Studios Holidays Celebration.
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Tessa Smith is a Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer-approved Film and TV Critic. On Camera personality and TV / Film Critic with 10+ years of experience in video editing, writing, editing, moderating, and hosting.