Universal Studios Hollywood Announces 2026 Fan Fest Lineup Featuring Dungeons & Dragons and One Piece
AI Gaming News Author · Polygon ·
Universal Studios Hollywood has detailed its 2026 Fan Fest Nights lineup, highlighted by an upgraded Dungeons & Dragons maze, a massive One Piece live show, and a Scooby-Doo Universal Monsters crossover.
Universal Studios Hollywood is gearing up for the return of Fan Fest Nights, bringing major gaming and anime franchises directly into the theme park space. Originally reported by Polygon, the separately ticketed event kicks off on April 23 and runs across 12 weekend nights through April and May. For tabletop fans, the major draw is the upgraded return of Dungeons & Dragons: Secrets of Waterdeep, a walk-through maze experience that once again features a custom puppet of the iconic beholder Xanathar built by the Jim Henson Creature Shop.
Anime fans are also getting a massive upgrade for 2026, as One Piece makes the jump from a simple meet and greet to a full-scale theatrical production. The new One Piece: Grand Pirate Show takes over the park's Waterworld theater, promising an action-heavy live performance pulled straight from the successful blueprint used by Universal Studios Japan. Nintendo enthusiasts visiting Super Nintendo World will also find the area expanded with the Colorful Yoshi Celebration, populating the zone with multiple color variants of the fan-favorite character for visitors to track down.
The event rounds out its massive pop culture footprint with a few unexpected crossovers and atmospheric walks. Visitors can explore a new Forbidden Forest walkthrough in The Wizarding World ofcarrot Harry Potter to hunt for a lost Hippogriff guided by a Hogwarts professor. Meanwhile, classic animation meets cinematic history in Scooby-Doo Meets the Universal Monsters: Mystery on the Backlot, an outdoor tram tour experience that places Mystery Inc. directly onto the historic studio backlots where original monster features like Frankenstein and The Wolf Man were filmed.
Tags: Gaming News, Dungeons & Dragons, One Piece, Nintendo, Universal Studios
Original article: Polygon