Universal Studios Singapore – Park Update 11/2015

Halloween’s over! So what’s happening next at Universal Studios Singapore?

Oh wow, we haven’t posted a new park update since September. This is due to the extraordinary coverage on this year’s Halloween Horror Nights 5. In case you missed it… for some reason, you should give it a look, especially the Final Cut series, which covers the last three nights of the event.

Santa’s All-Star Christmas – USS Christmas 2015 Event

Details on this year’s Christmas Event were revealed by Universal Studios Singapore. We’ve added our thoughts in the blockquotes.

New Shows

A Hollywood Christmas Gift Show

The Toy Soldiers are on a mission to deliver gifts to some very ‘nice’ guests! Share in the Christmas cheer with the Penguins of Madagascar, Marilyn Monroe, King Julien and the Minions!

Likely to be a spin-off to last year’s popular Santa’s Toy Soldiers – Changing of the Guard show.
UPDATE: This show will be performed at the Hollywood Lagoon Stage.

A Scrooge Christmas Splendour Show

Celebrate a Victorian Christmas as Sting Alley is transformed into 19th Century England. Meet Scrooge, his neighbours and our carolers as they re-create life in an old port town.

Sounds like a ‘cheer zone’ (instead of ‘scare zone’) at Sting Alley, the venue for ConTERMINATED during HHN5. This could be why the Sting Alley area is not back to its original layout (jump to photos at the end of this entry)

Fairytale Remix Show

A unique fairytale told through song and dance by our very own All-Star cast.

The All-Star cast will include: Santa Claus, Frosty The Snowman, Snow Queen, The Gingerbread Man, The Elves and the Shoemaker, Scrooge, The Little Match Girl and the Toy Soldiers. This show will be performed at the New York Library.

Christmas Lights and Decor

The entire park will be lit with dazzling christmas lights, and special Christmas decor can be found in all of the park’s seven zones.

Wow – this is the first time the park has extended seasonal decor to the entire park!

Santa’s Toy Soldiers – 2014

Returning Shows from 2014

Sesame Street Saves Christmas

Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer has fallen sick after shooting a movie and the fate of Christmas now rests on the Sesame Street friends!

Since the show won an IAAPA Brass Ring award last year, it ought to be staged again this year inside Pantage’s Hollywood Theatre. We’ve covered this show last year.

Christmas Fireworks Spectacular

A dazzling fireworks display set to a festive score.

Likely to be the same sequence as last year.

Winter Tales

Set to the tunes of familiar Christmas carols, a wintry Christmas appears on the façade of the New York Public Library.

Dancing Christmas Lights Show

New York Public Library gets funky with a colourful array of lights that ‘dance’ to groovelicious music!

The two shows above are ‘attract mode’ acts for the bigger productions.

Let It Snow!

Experience a snowy Christmas in Universal Studios Singapore!

Likely to happen at three zones like last year: Hollywood, New York, and Sci-Fi City.

Christmas Stage at New York – 2014

Countdown 2016 Event

There will be the Countdown Event this year. As usual, the park will be open from 10:00am on 31st December 2015 and remain open till 1:00am on 1st January 2016.

The extended hours and countdown event can be enjoyed by all guests who are in the park on 31st December. This includes Season and Annual Passholders. Special Countdown passes for night-time entry are likely to be sold as well, like in past years.

We’ll post updates when available. Are you planning to welcome the new year at the park?

Park Opening Hours for November and December

November
Universal Studios Singapore will be open from 10:00am till 6:00pm daily for the month of November. The official word is that the park needs the extra time to set up the seasonal stuff. It’s HHN5 removal mode and Christmas installation mode. Not to mention they have to run rehearsals in the park.

December
As part of Santa’s All-Star Christmas, Universal Studios Singapore will be open from 10:00am till 9:00pm daily from 1st December 2015 till 3rd January 2016. Except on 31st December as there’ll be the countdown event then.

Universal Party / Hollywood Dreams Parade returns January 2016

Universal Party / Hollywood Dreams Parade – February 2015

Universal Studios Singapore’s day-time parade, Universal Party Parade (also known as the NEW Hollywood Dreams Parade 2015) will be back on 23 January 2016.

As for show changes, we don’t know anything so far.

Minion Mart Tour

The newly-expanded Minion Mart opened in late September!

This is the second refresh of the Superstar Candies store. Despite the lack of a Despicable Me or Minions attraction, the ‘signs’ – literally, the two custom-made Minion Mart signs – hint that the Minions will be here for… quite some time. I don’t think the park is willing to spend such money on temporary things.

The store has an incredible range of products seemingly unique to USS. There’s also a range of candies and confectioneries from Japan – Universal Studios Japan, that is. There are many higher-quality toys and more cool unique items that didn’t make it to Singapore.

Mel’s Stage – the new show

As mentioned in the last update, the Mel’s Dinettes show was updated with a new setlist (Thanks Carlo, again):

The new show begins with the Dinettes meeting guests at Mel’s Drive-In.

At the end of the song, Why Do Fools Fall in Love, they gather at Mel’s Stage. One of them is fretting over a date with Jason from The Cruisers.

Here’s a video of most of the new songs. There is no uninterrupted show video because – sigh – some guests have ruined the shots.

So who is Jason?

Lights, Camera, Action! – after attraction maintenance

Lights, Camera, Action! Hosted by Steven Spielberg was closed for ‘scheduled maintenance’ for the entire month of October. Did anything change inside?

Well – nothing major, although the show got that TLC it really needed after all these years.

Walls were repainted, the roof was cleaned.

But the props were the same.

In the pre-show room, the glitchy screens were fixed.

The smelly, slimy railings had a good scrubbin’. They’re so clean (or maybe entirely replaced). I wonder how long this will last?

As for the show, most of the effects are working. The rain and wind, notably, which were broken sometimes before. But one effect didn’t work during my second visit. Can you spot it in the photos below?

I thought the water looks clearer than before, but actually it has always been quite clean here.

Return of the Opening Rope Drop at Jurassic Park

With the sets of Hungry Ghosts scare zone removed, the Opening Rope Drop show has returned to Jurassic Park.

I managed to film the show (phew) but what a surprise, the Volunteer Park Warden and Dr Rodney were played by two of the park’s most well-known actresses! Have you met them before?

Photos from around the park

With the Blood Moon cleared away, the Minions are back to making their appearances at the Hollywood Star Junction.

During Halloween, two characters made a re-appearance – The Bride and Dracula have returned. Will they be back in the parade next year?

The Minions also had a special Halloween look.

New signage introduced at Egypt some months ago.

Poor Betty Boop – her merch has been just floating around two shops (Brown Derby, before Sesame Street took over; Silver Screen Collectibles, before Minion Mart replaced it) and now it’s just cart space.

Get $90 worth of stuff with the $50 Universal Treasures ‘lucky bags’. You won’t know what you get until you pay.

Halloween Horror Nights 5: The Aftermath. The Blood Moon has vanished, along with this year’s installation for HHN.

There is a disquieting emptiness.

However, the New York Sting Alley (aka Water Street, Harbour Boardwalk) isn’t back to its original layout. Could the entire area be used for A Scrooge Christmas Splendour Show? Maybe.

Even some of the lights are still here, but they’re likely to project warm, soothing colours, instead of the ‘infected’ blue/green hues.

If there’s anything from the park’s daytime line-up that we’ve missed, please let us know.