The holiday season brings oodles of Seuss-ified cheer to Universal Studios Hollywood! This season, the park's annual Grinchmas celebration offers plenty of yuletide fun. During this most wonderful time of the year, guests can groove to classic holiday tunes with an acapella twist as the Who-Bee-Doo-Whops perform, listen to soothing storytimes with Cindy Lou-Who and meet the man of the hour — the Grinch! While this green grouch has a special gripe with Christmas, he can be a ball if you bring him an onion or bust out some jazzercise moves! Let's hop into all the places you can find this faux Santa during the joyous who-liday season.
The Grinchmas Who-liday Tree Lighting
Come one, come all and experience the magic of the holidays in Whoville! Join the grand Who-bilation and celebrate by indulging in delicious treats and festive entertainment — provided by the residents of Whoville themselves! The highlight of this holiday celebration is the Grinchmas Who-liday Tree Lighting. In this heartwarming show, you can catch the Grinch's anti-Christmas shenanigans as he steals light from the zany Grinchmas tree. After a few jolly songs, his heart grows three sizes and he restores the tree to its illuminated glory.
The presentation is approximately 15 minutes long, with limited showtimes during weekdays (due to shorter park operation hours). If you're looking to get a closer look at the Grinch without waiting in line, this is a great opportunity to do so! As the tree lighting begins, the Grinch struts his stuff from his greeting area and through the audience before joining the Whos on stage. For the best view of the tree lighting, we suggest picking out a spot on the benches at least half an hour to 45 minutes before the show.
Meet the Grinch at the Who-bilation in Universal Plaza
The merriest part of the entire park is Universal Plaza — the hub of all things Grinchmas during the holidays! In this area, guests can enjoy plenty of merry entertainment, as well as green treats (just the way we frogs like it). If you’re lucky, you’ll also spot his beloved companion, Max, in his reindeer best!
To the lefthand side of the Grinchmas Tree, you’ll find the area where the Grinch greets and teases his adoring fans in a Santa Claus suit. He spends roughly 2-5 minutes taking photos with each group, depending on how quickly the man of the hour gets tired of socializing. As this is his post for the entire day (throughout the entire week), visiting the Universal Plaza greeting area is your best bet at some guaranteed time with the Grinch. Don't froget — the line to meet him at this spot is usually the longest! You’ll want to hop into place as early as possible. Usually, his line can easily be over an hour long, specifically on evenings and weekends. When we visited on a Monday morning, the wait was only about 20 minutes!
Meet the Grinch in the Lower Lot
Only available on peak days and most weekends of the season, there is a secondary spot where guests can encounter the Santa saboteur himself. On the terrace just outside of Jurassic Cafe, located in the Lower Lot, the Grinch can be found posing for photos with guests in front of a festive red chair and holiday backdrop.
Although it isn’t available every day of the holidays at Universal, the wait for this meet-and-greet spot is usually shorter than those located in the Upper Lot. This shaded terrace spot is also convenient for those unexpected rainy days in SoCal!
Meet the Grinch at the Studio Tour
Trying to maximize your time at the park? There is yet another strategy for those who want to see everything the holiday season has to offer. In the Upper Lot, the Grinch is sometimes hanging around and plotting his next scheme at the exit of the Universal Studio Tour! Throughout the day, mainly on weekends, he will appear in the area where you exit the Studio Tour attraction.
Remember that he may only sporadically pop up at this location, as opposed to Universal Plaza (where you can find him all day). You can ask employees around the Studio Tour area for further details on when to find him there.
Tips
Here are some handy tips to keep in mind when trying to snag some time with the Grinch:
- Hang out in the vicinity of the Who-bilation celebration. At Universal Plaza, you can always find Whos walking around and the Grinch may even step out of his photo-op to interact with them.
- Arrive early and get those meet-and-greets in! You can meet Max, Cindy Lou Who, the mayor of Whoville, the Grinch and others during Grinchmas. The waits are shortest in the morning — especially during the week.
- If you purchase the VIP Tour experience, your tour guide can usually provide you with the Grinch’s specific appearance times at different photo-op locations in the park.
Ready to meet the Grinch at Universal Studios Hollywood this year? Do you have any favorite who-holiday traditions during Grinchmas? Let us know in the comments below!
Related: Our ~Grinchy~ Guide to Christmas at Universal Studios Hollywood
Hoppy planning!
