Stardust Racers returns
Also, a trip report from Universal's Halloween event in China, as well as looks forward for the industry.
Hello, and best wishes to you. The big news on the theme park beat this week has been the reopening of the Stardust Racers roller coaster at Universal Orlando’s Epic Universe theme park. That comes just a couple of weeks after a 32-year-old lost his life on the coaster.
Universal executives cited the results of multiple investigations in their decision to reopen the coaster to park guests. Those investigations found that the coaster reportedly operated as designed, and that there were not structural failures or flaws that contributed to the rider’s death by blunt-force impacts.
The lawyer representing the deceased, who was a wheelchair user, has decried Universal’s decision to reopen Stardust Racers. Here is our story on the decision to reopen, along with some thoughts on what innovations might help keep coasters safer for a wider variety of fans.
Looking ahead
Next year offers a relatively think line-up of new attractions in the United States, unless some long-delayed parks finally get done and get open. With many parks turning to discounts to draw fans next year, will the industry be able to avoid a drop in revenue in 2026? And if not, will that affect plans for expansions in 2027 and beyond? Will 2026 be a year to remember or forget for theme park fans?
Disney’s next theme park should be easy to access, with plans underway for a new tram system to connect Disney Abu Dhabi with the emirate’s international airport, just a few miles away. The revealed plans also appear to have confirmed the location of the new Disney park within the Yas Island resort in Abu Dhabi. New details revealed about Disney Abu Dhabi
Another Halloween review
This week, we offer you a trip report from Justin Olsvik, who visited this year’s Scares @ Universal event at Universal Studios Beijing. The Chinese theme park has so far avoided using Universal’s “Halloween Horror Nights” branding, for a variety of reasons. But the event offers several haunted houses and scares zones, as well as a “scary cute” stage show that’s perfect for the market. Let’s visit Universal’s expanded Halloween event in China
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Best wishes for the week ahead,
Robert Niles