UNIVERSAL ORLANDO

The final countdown is on for the impending doom that awaits guests at Universal Orlando’s Halloween Horror Nights.

Halloween Horror Nights, Universal Orlando’s premier fall event, is set to return this year for a record-breaking 43 nights.

Universal Orlando is reinstating its mask requirements beginning Christmas Eve as COVID-19 cases are surging as a result of the omicron variant.

Halloween Horror Nights opened for its 30th year to some terrifying screams Friday night at Universal Orlando Resort.

Research and development of the coaster has also been years in the making, but overall construction took a little more than two years.

Universal Orlando’s annual Mardi Gras celebration has been extended until May just as the state of Florida announced Florida residents of 18 years of age or older now qualify for the COVID-19 vaccine.

ORLANDO, Fla. – Blue Man Group is officially ending its 14-year run at Universal Orlando. The group announced its departure Monday on Twitter, adding that they planned to reopen safely at some point in Las Vegas, New York, Chicago and Boston. The trio of bald, blue-painted men hadn’t performed in Orlando since last March when Universal Orlando and other Florida theme parks shut down because of the coronavirus pandemic. Blue Man Group had performed more than 6,000 shows in a 1,000-seat theater at Universal CityWalk, an entertainment and retail district located right next to Universal Orlando’s theme parks. Universal Orlando didn’t say what the space would be used for next.

ORLANDO, Fla. Almost two months after reopening, Universal Orlando is laying off an undisclosed number of workers. Universal spokesman Tom Schroder said in an email Monday that the Florida theme park resort was reducing its workforce to reflect current priorities and needs." Universal has put the construction of a new theme park, Epic Universe, on pause because of the pandemic. Like theme park operators around the U.S., Universal Orlando closed its doors in mid-March as the novel coronavirus started spreading in the U.S. It was the first of Orlando's major theme park operators to reopen when it welcomed back visitors in early June.

In this Wednesday, June 3, 2020 photo, signs about social distancing and other protocols are seen about the theme park as guests walk by at Universal Orlando Resort Wednesday, June 3, 2020, in Orlando, Fla. Universal Orlando became the first of Orlando's major theme park resorts to reopen by allowing annual pass-holders to return to its three parks Wednesday and Thursday. All of Florida's theme parks temporarily closed this spring, and Floridians and theme parks fans across the U.S. were forced to stay home because of state and local lockdown orders meant to stop the virus's spread. Orlando's theme park industry, and synergistic businesses like hotels and restaurants, were devastated by the coronavirus-related closures. Tens of thousands of workers were furloughed and the theme park resorts have lost hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. SeaWorld and Walt Disney World will reopen in Orlando, Florida, in June and July after months of inactivity because of the coronavirus pandemic, according to plans a city task force approved Wednesday. Disney plans a tiered reopening, with Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom opening on July 11, followed by Epcot and Hollywood Studios on July 15. Disney World also plans smaller, soft openings prior to July 11, but no specifics were provided. When Disney Springs, a complex of restaurants and shops near Disney World, reopened, the company formed social distancing squads," which McPhee said have been popular with guests. Disney employees will be required to do temperature checks before heading to work, McPhee said.

ORLANDO, Fla. Walt Disney World is presenting its plans for reopening after being shuttered along with Florida's other theme parks since mid-March because of the new coronavirus. Disney World and SeaWorld Orlando will present their proposals for phased reopenings before an Orange County task force on Wednesday, said Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings. With 77,000 workers, Disney World is central Floridas biggest employer. Last week, Disney World allowed third-party businesses at its Disney Springs dining and shopping complex to open with new restrictions. Crosstown rival, Universal Orlando, presented its reopening proposal last week to county officials, saying it was aiming to reopen June 5.

ORLANDO, Fla. Universal Orlando is aiming to reopen its theme parks in early June, a resort official said Thursday, more than two months after the company joined crosstown rivals Disney World and SeaWorld in closing their gates to stop the spread of the new coronavirus. Universal Orlando executive John Sprouls asked Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings for approval to open the companys theme parks as early as June 5, the Orlando Sentinel reported. Universal, Disney World and SeaWorld have been closed since mid-March in an effort to stop the virus's spread. Officials with Disney World havent said when they plan to reopen. Many of those same protocols will be implemented at the theme parks.

ORLANDO, Fla. - A Universal Orlando actor who was dressed as the movie character Gru has been fired for making an "OK" hand gesture that has been designated a hate symbol used by white supremacists in a photo with a biracial girl. Universal spokesman Tom Schroder on Wednesday confirmed to The Associated Press in an email that the unidentified actor no longer works for the company. Schroder said what the actor did is unacceptable. A photo shows the actor fully disguised as Gru from the "Despicable Me" movie franchise standing behind the girl with a hand making the "OK" gesture on her shoulder. The "OK" gesture was added last week to the Anti-Defamation League's online database of hate symbols.

Orlando park visitors have been debating Hurricane Dorian since Wednesday. Orlando parks rarely closeIt's rare that the parks close. Disney has only closed its Orlando theme parks a handful of times since its initial opening in 1971, mostly for weather related reasons. More recent closures were in response to Hurricane Irma in September 2017 and Hurricane Matthew in October 2016. "If you're staying at a Universal Orlando or Disney World hotel, they will likely try to add some extra entertainment when the parks close," he said.

Orlando park visitors have been debating Hurricane Dorian since Wednesday. Orlando parks rarely closeIt's rare that the parks close. Disney has only closed its Orlando theme parks a handful of times since its initial opening in 1971, mostly for weather related reasons. More recent closures were in response to Hurricane Irma in September 2017 and Hurricane Matthew in October 2016. "If you're staying at a Universal Orlando or Disney World hotel, they will likely try to add some extra entertainment when the parks close," he said.

ORLANDO, Fla. – Universal's water park Volcano Bay at Universal Orlando is now open to the public. The thrill ride features canoes traveling among the peaks and through the valleys surrounding the 200-foot Krakatau volcano. The man-made volcano will also erupt into the sky, which is sure to cause some head turns on I-4. When guests enter the Universal park they will receive a wristband-style wearable technology called TapuTapu. The band will allow guests “to virtually wait in line while they play in other areas of the park,” Universal said.

ORLANDO, Fla. – The color green is about the only thing fans will recognize when the redone version of The Incredible Hulk Coaster at Universal Orlando debuts this summer. Minus the gamma rays that make Dr. Bruce Banner so angry, the popular roller coaster at Islands of Adventure has been undergoing a transformation since Sept. 2015. The new ride features a whole bunch of features that the folks at Universal Orlando announced Monday morning. According to the Universal Orlando blog, in this version of the roller coaster, General Thaddeus Ross is asking for volunteers to subject themselves to high levels of gamma radiation "through a process called Hulk-a-fication." The new Incredible Hulk Coaster is set to debut later this summer.