After spending a day at Epic Universe running from a comet-inspired roller coaster to a live show with a flying dragon to a groundbreaking Harry Potter dark ride you may be left with one big question: What’s the theme behind Universal’s newest theme park?
The new $7 billion Universal Epic Universe theme park in Orlando, Florida opens on May 22 following passholder previews with more than 50 rides, attractions, shows and experiences.
The theme of Universal Epic Universe may not be obvious at first glance until you realize there are countless signs scattered throughout the spine of the park from the front entrance to the towering hotel at the back.
Sign up for our Park Life newsletter and find out what’s new and interesting every week at Southern California’s theme parks. Subscribe here. Luna, the mythical goddess of the moon, watches over the night at Universal Epic Universe on April 21, 2025. Orlando’s first new theme park in a generation is set to open to the public on May 22. (Patrick Connolly/Orlando Sentinel)ALSO SEE: Epic Universe first impressions from inside Universal’s newest theme park
The most glaring clue is in the name of the park: Epic. As in the epic tales of Greek and Roman mythology.
Like ancient mythology, Universal’s newest theme park is filled with epic tales and adventurous journeys featuring monstrous creatures (Dark Universe), mythical beasts (How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk), heroic figures (Super Nintendo World), timeless fantasy (Wizarding World of Harry Potter — Ministry of Magic) and immortal gods and goddesses (Celestial Park).
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At first glance, Epic Universe seems like a random collection of intellectual properties and blockbuster franchises with nothing in common. What does Harry Potter have to do with Super Mario? In what world does Frankenstein’s monster coexist with Hiccup’s dragon? And what do Greek and Roman gods have to do with any of it?
The answer: Each of the five lands in Universal’s new theme park is based on epic tales that have become modern classics.
The Celestial Park fountain is illuminated at night with the Helios Grand Hotel in the background at Universal Epic Universe on April 21, 2025. Orlando’s first new theme park in a generation is set to open to the public on May 22. (Patrick Connolly/Orlando Sentinel)Celestial Park
Celestial Park is the glue that holds all those seemingly unrelated stories together like connective tissue. A world between worlds where adventurers return after each journey. The beginning, middle and end of every visit to the park. It’s literally the center of the universe — in this case, the Epic Universe.
While that sounds like a grand metaphor for Epic Universe, it’s also an apt description for the physical layout of the park.
The Dark Universe entry portal at the Universal Epic Universe theme park in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Brady MacDonald/SCNG/Orange County Register)Celestial Park serves as the central hub of Epic Universe with portals on the outer edge leading to the other four lands. The semicircle portals look like tunnels with plasma screens overhead that visually reinforce the theme of each land.
The twist is you have to return to Celestial Park after visiting any of the other lands — making each land feel like a self-contained miniature theme park. None of the lands on the outer rim of the park connects to each other. The only way to get from one land to another is through Celestial Park.
Celestial Park has an otherworldly theme focused on the cosmos and celestial bodies. A series of small pools run through the middle of Celestial Park with restaurants, shops and a few rides dotted throughout the land.
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Guests take a ride on the Stardust Racers dueling coaster as it’s lit up at night at Universal Epic Universe on April 21, 2025. Orlando’s first new theme park in a generation is set to open to the public on May 22. (Patrick Connolly/Orlando Sentinel)The Stardust Racers dueling coaster puts riders aboard a comet and sends them rocketing through the stars on twin tracks named Photon and Pulsar. The fully illuminated ride vehicles look like colorful shooting stars as they travel along the blacked out track at night.
The Constellation Carousel lets visitors ride the Milky Way aboard celestial lions, dragons, peacocks and bears. The domed ceiling above the carousel features a star tracker showing rotating astrological constellation patterns.
Visitors enter through the Chronos Entrance during a preview day for Universal Epic Universe on April 5, 2025. Orlando’s first new theme park in a generation is set to open to the public on May 22.(Patrick Connolly/Orlando Sentinel)Chronos Entrance
The epic tale of Epic Universe begins at the front gate — the first portal visitors enter when they arrive and the last they exit at the end of the day.
The Chronos entrance is an immense cosmic machine used to harness the energy of the universe that powers Celestial Park, according to the backstory of the park.
The Chronos mechanism atop the entrance aligns the stars in the sky, opens the portals in Celestial Park and allows access to the other worlds, according to the park’s backstory.
The Constellation Carousel is one attraction within Celestial Park, the central hub of Universal Epic Universe on April 21, 2025. Orlando’s first new theme park in a generation is set to open to the public on May 22. (Patrick Connolly/Orlando Sentinel)The Chronos has drawn explorers, adventurers, inventors, artists and musicians to Celestial Park for centuries.
Little is known about the mysterious origins of the spinning, whirring celestial cypher. Who built it? When was it erected? Why is it here?
The Celestial Park residents, known as Celestians, don’t have the answers. They only know that the device has been working for generations and they’ve made it their life’s mission to keep it running for many more millennia.
The Celestial Park fountain puts on a show at night with the Helios Grand Hotel in the background at Universal Epic Universe on April 21, 2025. Orlando’s first new theme park in a generation is set to open to the public on May 22. (Patrick Connolly/Orlando Sentinel)Light Show
A pair of statues at the front and back of the park play a key role in the backstory of Epic Universe and the park’s nighttime spectacular.
The Luna statue greets visitors as soon as they pass through the Chronos entrance and step inside Epic Universe. In Roman mythology, Luna is the goddess of the moon often associated with nocturnal magic.
The goddess Luna and Chronos portal in the Celestial Park at Universal Epic Universe during soft opening, on Tuesday, April 22, 2025.(Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda/ Orlando Sentinel)The Apollo statue in a water garden at the back of the park is armed with a bow and arrow. In Greek mythology, Apollo is a god often associated with the sun and light.
Apollo rules Epic Universe during the day and turns over the park to Luna at night, according to the backstory.
The Apollo statue in a water garden at the back of Universal Epic Universe is armed with a bow and arrow. (Courtesy of Universal)Every night at sunset, Apollo fires an arrow with the power of light to Luna who controls the night and watches over the park in the evening. Hundreds of light fixtures throughout Celestial Park bring the power exchange to life.
That arrow of light arcing over Celestial Park kicks off a spectacular water show with dancing fountains, lights and music in the pools running through the center of the land.
The Grand Helios Hotel at the back of Epic Universe is the first Universal theme park with direct access to a theme park. (Courtesy of Universal)Grand Helios Hotel
The Grand Helios Hotel at the back of the land and the park is the first Universal hotel with direct access to a theme park.
In Greek mythology, Helios is the god of the sun often portrayed flying through the sky on his golden chariot pulled by winged horses.
The Bar Helios rooftop bar in Grand Helios Hotel at Universal Epic Universe leans into a cosmos theme with a constellation map painted on a domed ceiling. (Courtesy of Universal)The 500-room Mediterranean-inspired hotel boasts sweeping views of Epic Universe from the hotel lobby and the rooftop bar.
Bar Helios leans into the cosmos theme of Celestial Park with a constellation map painted on a domed ceiling. The bar menu includes cocktails named in honor of Medusa, Atlas, Prometheus, Athena and Pandora.
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