For a limited time, Buy a Day, Get a 2nd Day FREE for General Admission Tickets at Universal Studios Hollywood! Valid for visits through Dec. 17, 2025.
It's the first-ever Universal Studios Hollywood Fan Fest Nights in 2025, and, of course, you want to do and see it all. Without a working time machine, you're going to need a strategy. One of our favorite ways to maximize time is to get a jump on the fun by gaining Early Access to Fan Fest Nights. As with Halloween Horror Nights, there are two ways to gain Universal Fan Fest Nights early entry. We have some tips after visiting opening night. Read on to explore all of the Early Access options at Fan Fest Nights in Hollywood. They seriously are the next best thing after having a time machine.
Our frog squad divided up and used two different ways to get inside Universal Studios early for the opening weekend of Fan Fest Nights. We purchased an Early Access ticket and a 2 p.m. Day/Night Combo ticket. Both methods can get you in early and save you from paying extra for Universal Express. We bring you our best advice for early entry time at Universal Fan Fest Nights in Hollywood, so you can make the best decision for you and your budget. We think getting in early is toadally the way to go so you have time to explore all the experiences and save money over Universal Express.
For daytime park guests, the park closes at 6 p.m. on Fan Fest Nights. Attraction and ride entrances close at 5:30 p.m., and the escalators down to the Lower Lot close at 5:15 p.m. Passholders and daytime guests, who arrive in the park early can check in at the Box Office or a kiosk just inside the park entrance starting at 3 p.m. They'll get a wristband. People with wristbands on can still go down to the Lower Lot as of 5:15. Early Access experiences are limited to only people with Early Access tickets and the 2 p.m. Day/Night combo tickets, giving those guests the advantage of getting a jump on those Early Access experiences. Now, let's discuss the new Early Access ticket and other forms of early entry for Universal Fan Fest Nights in Hollywood.
Early Access Tickets for Universal Fan Fest Nights Hollywood
The Early Access ticket add-on is an affordable way to get into the park early and knock out some Fan Fest Nights experiences before the event even starts. No matter which type of admission ticket you purchase (even discount tickets through Undercover Tourist), you can go to the Fan Fest Nights site and purchase a Fan Fest Nights Early Access ticket. You must also have a Fan Fest Nights admission ticket to enter the park with this Early Access ticket.
With the Early Access ticket, you can enter the park at 5:30 p.m., which is an hour and a half before the event kicks off and general admission event ticket holders can enter. The event officially begins at 7 p.m. So, what's open at 5:30 p.m.? Select experiences and food locations open early.
Speaking of food, we were able to preview and see a lot of the highly themed food and beverage items for Fan Fest Nights. You'll definitely want to get a head start on those and beat the food lines.
It pays to arrive early. Get to the gates by 5 p.m. or earlier to be near the front of the line to get in for Early Access. Then you have time to walk to the experiences that are open early.
Pros:
- You arrive early before most other guests.
- It's affordable, starting at $20 per ticket.
- You can access select in-world experiences with shorter lines.
- You have time to get some food and drinks, fill your water bottle and go to the restroom before the night kicks off.
- Beat the crowds. The guests who enter at 7 p.m. face long lines getting in and may need to arrive early anyway to get near the front of the line to get in.
- Use the Early Access turnstiles to the left of the entrance.
Cons:
- You are technically not the first guests in the park.
- Early Access tickets tend to sell out quickly, so you need to plan ahead if you want to purchase this ticket. (Keep checking online as availability could change.)
- The houses open at 5:30 p.m. It takes some time (about 20 minutes) to walk to the Lower Lot and take the four Starway escalators down to the Lower Lot. So you are not getting to the fan experiences until Early Access is underway, unless they let you in earlier than stated.
- Some other guests may have an advantage over Early Access guests. Who? Let's discuss.
After 2 p.m. Day/Night Ticket
Another ticket gets you in the park even earlier than Fan Fest Nights early entry. The 2 p.m. Day/Night ticket gets you in the door at 2 p.m. This ticket has several great aspects.
Pros:
- You get daytime admission and Fan Fest Nights admission (as of 2 p.m.).
- You can save up to $30 on the After 2 p.m. Day/Night Ticket when you buy through Undercover Tourist.
- Early Access in-world experiences are included with this ticket.
- Access attractions that will close early for the event.
- You can be ready to jump in line for Dungeons & Dragons, Star Trek or Jujutsu Kaisen before the Early Access ticket holders even enter the park.
- You can eat before the event, bring in water and get refills before the night starts.
- You can start eating Fan Fest Night food early at some locations. You can enjoy food at Quarks Cafe and Sanji's Galley (or Yoshi items at Toadstool Cafe) during the day. That will save you a lot of time vs. eating there during the event.
- Catch daytime characters and Universal monsters such as Frankenstein and his bride, and DreamWorks characters.
- Use the 2 p.m./Early Access turnstiles to the left of the entrance.
- Arrive ahead of traffic.
Cons:
- It costs more than Early Access (but gets you in even earlier).
- Three hours before Early Access is not a ton of time, but you can do a few rides and attractions or eat and get the lay of the land, so to speak.
Annual Pass or Full Daytime Ticket
There's a third option to get into the park early, but it won't get you access to the Early Access attractions. If you are a Universal Studios Hollywood annual passholder (or a ticket holder with a ticket for general daytime admission) and have a ticket for Fan Fest Nights, you can arrive early with your pass (or ticket). Use the turnstiles to the right of the entrance before the crowds arrive.
Once in the park, you can check in for Fan Fest Nights near the turnstiles or behind the Box Office to get a wristband that allows you to stay in the park after the park closes. You may not access the experiences before 7 p.m. But you can access other parts of the park, eat Fan Fest Foods and can hop in your must-do standby lines early. If you pay for Early Access, which is pretty affordable, then you can access those experiences early.
Pros:
- You get daytime admission and Fan Fest Nights admission.
- Access attractions and characters that will not be part of the event.
- If you already have a pass, it's no extra cost to get in early.
- You avoid the lines outside the park.
- You have time to eat, drink and use the restroom before the event kicks off.
- Beat traffic to the park.
- Hop in line earlier than 7 p.m., but you cannot enter the attraction or experience until 7 p.m.
- You can eat event foods during the day!
Cons:
- It can make for a long day.
- Buying a full-day ticket and a Fan Fest Nights ticket can add up. But you can at least save some green with discount Universal Studios Hollywood and Fan Fest Nights tickets through Undercover Tourist.
General Admission at 7 p.m. (No Early Access)
Most guests can enter the park at 7 p.m. We wouldn't recommend that route if you can find a way to gain early entry at Fan Fest Nights Hollywood.
If you have general admission with no way to get in early, then at least arrive early so you are near the front of the line. Based on our extensive Halloween Horror Nights experiences, lines can get long at 7 p.m. Once you enter the park, head to the Lower Lot to do Dungeons & Dragons and Super Nintendo World. Then head over to take the Fan Tram to Back to the Future: Destination Hill Valley. You can check wait times in the app and on park signage.
Pros:
- No more money spent or added on.
- You can save with discount Fan Fest General Admission tickets.
- You can start with the full event open to you.
- No need to leave work early to get there.
Cons:
- All the guests using ways to get in early are already in the park and in line, so you have a slight disadvantage. Try to determine what was not open for Early Access and head there. (We suggest hopping in place to meet your favorite One Piece characters, heading to Back to the Future or going down to Super Nintendo World because that world closes the earliest.)
- You may want Universal Express to do it all. We did not find it necessary on opening night, but it could be hopful on busier dates.
- You should probably arrive by 6 p.m. before the event opens so you can get into the park ASAP once the gates open. Allow enough time to park, walk to the park and go through security.
- It's a more expensive ticket.
Which Experiences Are Open During Early Access?
A few in-world experiences open at 5:30 p.m. Here are Early Access attractions:
- Star Trek in Upper Lot in the former Walking Dead attraction, to the right of Starbucks
- Jujutsu Kaisen in DreamWorks Theatre
- Dungeons & Dragons in the Lower Lot behind Transformers.
Check out our YouTube video of Dungeons & Dragons.
Early Access wait times may appear in the Universal Studios Hollywood app. What's offered and the opening times during Early Access are subject to change each night. Our guide to Universal Fan Fest Nights will help you see everything that's offered and help you prioritize your must-do experiences.
No doubt that knocking several experiences off your list before the event even starts is going to help you maximize time and accomplish the most.
Early Access Touring Plan
If you need a plan of attack, start with the Upper Lot attractions, then head to Dungeons & Dragons followed by Super Nintendo World by event start time. Why? Super Nintendo World closes early (at midnight) so you want to visit early. Green Yoshi comes out at 8 p.m. But if you want to meet a different-colored Yoshi you have to complete an egg hunt and receive a gold medallion sticker and then hop in line to meet a different-colored Yoshi in a hidden location. They cut the line for that Yoshi early when we visited, so could not meet him. But Green Yoshi is easy to meet and a lot of fun!
After that, head to the tram to go back in time to Hill Valley 1955 for Back to the Future. This experience can easily take two hours from your night. After that, meet characters, dine and watch Hogwarts Always.
If you can enter the park at 2 p.m. with the day/night combo ticket, dine early. Food lines get long during the event. A few restaurants serve Fan Fest Nights food early, during the day! Hollywood & Dine is Quarks and Cocina Mexicana is Sanji's Galley. Both have special menus during the day. You can get the Yoshi items in Super Nintendo's Toadstool Cafe early as well.
Once you are in the park, you can reserve The Three Broomsticks for during Fan Fest Nights. Go to the the dining section of the app, scroll down to The Three Broomsticks reservations and select a time. However, our favorite Wizarding World food of the night was the Meat Pie from the Magic Neep Cart! (We got it twice!)
After 2 p.m. Touring Plan
- Enter park.
- Get your Early entry wristband as of 3 p.m. if you don't already have one. (If you enter with an After 2 p.m. ticket or an Early Entry ticket you'll get one upon entry.)
- Get a reservation for The Three Broomsticks in the app if you are interested in the three-course meal.
- Dine on Fan Fest foods that are available during the day.
- Do rides and shopping
As of 5:30
- Star Trek
- Jujutsu Kaisen if you are a fan.
- Dungeons & Dragons
- Super Nintendo World (do egg hunt so you can meet different Yoshi)
- Bar (if interested)
- Back to the Future (you can easily spend 1.5 to 2 hours here)
- Wizarding World to meet creatures, dine and see Hogwarts Always (runs every 30 minutes from 9 to 11:30)
- Meet One Piece Characters
- Meet Wicked characters
You can change this up to meet your priorities. The Wicked and One Piece characters are popular.
Hopfully, we've helped you determine which ticket or Fan Fest Nights early entry add-on option is right for you when it comes to Early Access and After 2 p.m. early entry options. Don't pay high prices. Save on Fan Fest Nights tickets through Undercover Tourist. Then you can use your savings to buy some yummy Fan Fest foods!
Related: Guide to Universal Fan Fest Nights 2025
Related: Our Delicious Guide to Fan Fest Nights Food
Keep hopping!
