Universal Studios Singapore – Park Update 08/2017

Find out what’s new and upcoming at Universal Studios Singapore in the August 2017 park update.

Minions have gotten away!

It’s finally time to say goodbye to Super Silly Funtime. Despicable Me Minion Breakout Party, the park’s first major franchise-themed event, ended its run after two months of minion mayhem. You can still buy Minion-themed merchandise at Minion Mart at the park. Obviously, the next big event is Halloween Horror Nights 7. But before that, some updates:

Scan your own tickets at the park gates

Self-scanning entry is being trialed at the park entrance. Now you can scan your own way into the park! Does this mean that automated entry will come someday? Who knows.

Hollywood China Bistro – closed forever

Hollywood China Bistro has finally closed its doors. It used to be a table-service restaurant when the park first opened in 2010. About 5 years later, it was converted into a self-service eatery. Now, it’s gone, and I heard it will be replaced with something – that’s not another attraction or restaurant.

Which means, it’ll either be a store, or as a flexible venue for services and events.

In the park’s 7 years, almost every store along Hollywood Boulevard has changed somehow. The only one spared is the main park retail store. The Photo store had some minor changes done when the park swapped its photography partner.

Universal Globe

I’ve received a lot of questions about this Universal Globe souvenir. Interestingly, I saw this new variation (looking a bit less “green” than the old one) at the park (S$26).

It looks like the new Universal Logo that was unveiled for Universal’s 100th Anniversary, which was later adopted for other Universal Studios parks in the US and Japan in 2016 – the globe that looks more blue, modern fonts, and without the golden ‘ring’. Perhaps it would be rolled out sometime later when Singapore is ready. Hopefully with plans to expand the park or revamp certain areas with money-spinner IPs.

With the conclusion of Breakout Party, the music at the park entrance has changed from 21 August. The Universal Globe now also has a new lighting system, giving the icon a magical look. Let me know what you think about it!

Attraction Closures

Canopy Flyer will be closed from 4 – 14 September 2017 for maintenance.

Sesame Street Show: When I Grow Up has permanently closed. This show was first introduced in 2012, before moving into Pantages Hollywood Theatre in 2014. Shockingly, it had a much longer run than Monster Rock.

The Pantages Hollywood Theatre is currently not showing any performances. With any luck we would get something good as a replacement – I’m sure many visitors have outgrown that show.

The park’s regular Universal Party Parade/ Hollywood Dreams Parade and Lake Hollywood Spectacular shows are on hiatus this season as the park prepares for Halloween. They should be back after HHN7 (or even after Christmas, in early 2018).

Sci-Fi City‘s display finally got an update. Though the graphics look ironically dated with that PowerPoint-style animations. Classic.
(Thanks Tong Ming for pointing this out)

The 7 Deadlier Sins will soon arrive, and we won’t be able to escape from Empress Qing’s cruel grasp. In the coming weeks, my signature BEFORE DARK photo series will return to update you on Universal Studios Singapore’s transformation for Halloween.

The card stock for HHN7 Frequent Fear Passes have arrived last week, so you can already make the actual card ahead of time – fortune favours the prepared. (You need to have valid admission to the park in the day to make your card before HHN7 begins.)

Halloween Horror Nights 7 (HHN7) Construction

With just about 5 more weeks to go, works at the haunted houses of HHN7 are in full swing.

The park has confirmed that the “Gore-Pop” Make The Cut haunted house is located between Sci-Fi City and Ancient Egypt. Last year, Foxy (Hu Li) set up her famous Inn here.

The facade for HEX is starting to take shape. The jungle, not yet.

The Palace of the TERROR-cotta Empress, one of the largest haunted houses, is being built at Waterworld.

Stage lighting and other structures have popped up in some areas of the park to prepare for the scare zones. There are three large truss systems being installed at New York for the Pilgrimage of Sin scare zone. One cutting across the road at the start of New York (possibly for the zone’s marquee), and two that run along the side of the streets.

In Loving Memory …?

You may have already seen photos of this “tombstone” floating around.

This is part of Halloween Horror Nights 7’s outdoor advertising. Like the ones before, the Memorial is certainly a head-turner. A lot more than last year’s ‘Sealed Mirror’, and potentially as creepy as 2015’s disappearing Paper Effigies.

In loving memory of the people whose lives were innocently taken in the SouthPoint Mall Collapse.

On the other side – Buy your tickets now!!

The Memorial is filled with many gibberish names that look real, but what really stood out were these portraits.

Anyway, it seems to be working well – the Memorial has stopped passers-by, and some seemed quite disturbed. At first.

Stay tuned for more Halloween Horror Nights updates, soon!