Universal Fanfest Nights Teams with Mystery, Inc.

For a delicate constitution like mine, Universal Studios’ Halloween Horror Nights is risky. Meaning, my wife risks hearing me scream. But Universal Fanfest Nights? Now this has my interest. They’ve got one of my all-time favorite franchises since I was 5, and the stunt show takes on the IP that has recently kept me saner than I would be otherwise.

Yes, you could go to Super Mario World any time of year. But if Fanfest Nights are anything like Disneyland’s special “nights,” the crowds won’t be as bad. And you get to meet Yoshi.

Also admittedly, the sprucing up of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter? If I could separate it out, I would. My guess is the addition of a “maze” might be fun. The land itself lost its appeal to me a couple of years ago.

Then there’s this Scooby Doo addition to the Tram Tour. We get to walk through sets I’ve wanted to get a closer look at for a while, and the Universal Monsters are just familiar enough that my wife will not have to endure my screaming or throwing her in front of me.

From Universal Studios:

And action! Universal Studios Hollywood whisks guests to its iconic movie studio backlot via Studio Tour trams as part of Universal Fan Fest Nights’ all-original Scooby-Doo Meets The Universal Monsters: Mystery on the Backlot adventure that fuses theatrics, suspense, humor and engaging live-action, who-done-it mystery.

Tickets are now available for purchase to attend Universal Fan Fest Nights, which runs for a limited 12-nights only: April 23-25; May 1-3, 7-9, 14-16, 2026

In this clever adventure, guests will set off on location via the Studio Tour, cast as “extras” in a fictitious monster movie until a mysterious villain, known as The Phantom Director, hijacks the production by unleashing The Universal Monsters – Frankenstein’s Monster, Dracula, Bride of Frankenstein and Wolf Man – throwing it into chaos and bringing the filming to a halt.

 

Equipped with a Mystery Manual at their disposal, guests will join forces with Scooby-Doo and his pals Fred, Daphne, Velma and Shaggy in an attempt to uncover the Phantom Director’s identity. Guests will explore Universal’s world-famous outdoor film sets at their leisure, including the cobblestone streets of Little Europe and the infamous Court of Miracles, renowned as original filming locations for such historic Universal horror films as Frankenstein (1931) and The Wolf Man (1941). As they uncover a series of clues, it will lead them to solve the mystery, identify the villain and restart production.

 

Entertaining photo ops with the Mystery Inc. team, Universal Monsters and the Mystery Machine will enhance the experience with memorable, social-friendly content.

Universal Fan Fest Nights is an after-hours, separately ticketed event that celebrates the exhilarating world of fandom through immersive and interactive in-world experiences created by the theme park’s renowned and highly creative entertainment team in collaboration with esteemed industry experts. Featuring a spectrum of inspirational categories, Universal Fan Fest Nights will welcome guests to embrace a variety of eclectic worlds that celebrate and elevate fandom favorites alongside live entertainment, character interactions, cosplay, photo opportunities, curated food, beverages and merchandise.

Universal Fan Fest Nights will feature an array of exciting experiences and activations that will be included every event night for guests to enjoy.

If you’re trying to convince your family to go, lead with Scooby Doo, but know in your heart you want to see the One Piece stunt show. Not that I did it that way…