Universal Studios Hollywood Fan Fest Nights Expands with Anime Focus

Universal Studios Hollywood’s Fan Fest Nights, an ingenious springtime extension of the after-hours formula utilized by the lucrative Halloween Horror Nights, has returned for its second year. And it has evolved greatly from last year’s debut, emphasizing more complex interactivity and the role of anime franchises in the event.

For those unaccustomed to Fan Fest Nights, it began last year, a hard-ticket after-hours event where guests are encouraged to express their fandom – whatever it is! – by taking part in experiences inspired by their favorite properties and dressing up in outfits inspired by their favorite characters. (I walked into the park behind a couple dressed as characters from Cartoon Network’s “Over the Garden Wall,” even though the limited series was not represented at the event.)

While it is loosely modeled on Horror Nights, the first year of the event offered a nifty mixture of experiences – there were a couple of walkthrough experiences that mirrored the sensation of walking through an HHN “house,” built around “Star Trek” and Dungeons & Dragons, but there was also a 3D movie based on a popular anime that was imported from Universal Studios’ Osaka park and a scavenger hunt in Super Nintendo Land, based around Mario’s dinosaur friend Yoshi.

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