Hi there! Welcome to our weekly roundup of the most interesting theme park news around the Walt Disney World Resort, the Universal Orlando Resort, SeaWorld Orlando and other theme parks.
Here are this week’s theme park highlights
- Grab your house scarf (Slytherin, thank you very much) and get ready to wrap your hands around that warm cup of Butterbeer. Christmas is coming to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at the Universal Orlando Resort this holiday season along with a brand new holiday parade. The merriment starts even earlier this year at Universal Orlando, so check out our new post for details.
- Who better than Knott's Berry Farm to host a food and wine event that focuses on a single berry? Inside Universal posted a delicious look at the Knott's Boysenberry Festival, running now through April 23.
- You know that your frog family pals are big fans of staying on-property at Universal Orlando Resort. Our fine friends at Universal chimed in with a blog post about why your kids will have the best vacation ever by staying at one of their hotels. All that fun and you STILL have two (soon to be three) theme parks to discover.
- For a look at the creation and inspiration behind the amazing topiaries found at the Busch Gardens Tampa Food and Wine Festival, hop over to the Inside Busch Gardens blog.
- Another stellar lineup of superstars will light up the Night of Joy 2017 at Disney World. This Christian music concert series spans two days, Sept. 8 and 9 and is held at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. Steven Curtis Chapman, Amy Grant, MercyMe, Kirk Franklin and Rend Collective are among this year's performers.
- Infinity Falls will splash into SeaWorld Orlando in 2018. This raft ride will send passengers through a lost jungle river, winding around waterfalls, fountains and the remains of an ancient civilization. Two features will make this a unique experience. First, is a first-of-its-kind vertical lift—think of putting an elevator lift on a raft ride. Second, the park is billing this ride as having the world's tallest river rapid drop. SeaWorld posted a video featuring this neat new thrill ride.
- Let your tadpoles rock out to the stars of KIDS BOP during KIDS BOP WEEKEND at the LEGOLAND FLORIDA Resort from April 28-30. Is KIDS BOP the new Up With People? Discuss.
- Is getting into Club 33 on your Disney Bucket List? You'll need to make some adjustments. The Orlando Sentinel has received confirmation from a Disney spokeswoman that Club 33 will be coming to all four Disney World parks. No word on prices for membership, but we've told Lily she can forget about college because we're putting that money toward a Frog Membership. We're kidding Lily.
- After reading the Disney Food Blog's thorough review of The Polite Pig at Disney Springs, we can't wait to sink our teeth into this new eatery. You'll find us munching on the HOP SALT PRETZEL, brisket and (responsibly) sampling from the 50 Selections of Bourbon.
- Can you smell the funny jokes The Rock is telling? Celebrating the news of his involvement in the JUNGLE CRUISE movie, Dwayne Johnson surprised guests at Magic Kingdom by hopping onto a Jungle Cruise boat and telling jokes. We love The Rock and don't take him for granite. For granted? For granite?
- Finally, Disneyland Paris celebrated its 25th anniversary April 12. Out of all the Disney castle parks around the world, this is—by far—the most beautiful. From the Victorian-era Main Street U.S.A to the Jules Verne—inspired Discoveryland to the iconic Le Château de la Belle au Bois Dormant (Sleeping Beauty Castle) Disneyland Paris is a jewel worth visiting.
That’s it for the theme park news this week. Have a great weekend!
Hoppy planning!
