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Tickets for Epic Universe's First After Hours Party Are On Sale, and Universal Has Now Said What the Free Food Actually Is
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Tickets for Epic Universe's First After Hours Party Are On Sale, and Universal Has Now Said What the Free Food Actually Is

Michael Travels
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The first hard ticket night Universal has ever sold for Epic Universe is now actually on sale, and the event page finally puts names to the complimentary snacks July's announcement left vague.

Universal Nights tickets went live Thursday, August 13, 2026, the date Universal had committed to back in its July 7 press release. WDW News Today logged the launch that morning: "Tickets are now on sale for Universal Nights at Epic Universe, the after-hours event happening this fall."

Night view of Celestial Park with fireworks bursting overhead, blue searchlight beams fanning across the sky, lit fountains in a reflecting pool and a domed glass pavilion in front of a large illuminated hotel
Celestial Park during Universal Celestial Goodnight, the nightly show 7 p.m. ticket holders can catch before the party starts. Fountains fire in the foreground pool, blue beams rake the sky, and the Helios Grand Hotel is lit purple behind the domed pavilion. Credit: Universal Orlando Resort

The basics, if you are buying today

  • Two dates only: Saturday, October 3 and Saturday, October 17, 2026.
  • The event runs 9 p.m. to midnight, with park entry from 7 p.m.
  • Universal's July press release said tickets would "start at $179.99 plus tax per person." The ticket page headline currently reads "Starting From $179 Per Person + Tax (Ages 3+)."
  • Universal calls it a "Separately ticketed event with limited capacity. Subject to availability. Additional restrictions apply."

The 7 p.m. entry is the quietly useful part. It stretches the visit to roughly five hours and drops you in the park in time for Universal Celestial Goodnight, the nighttime show that runs at park close, before the after hours window even opens.

What the ticket actually includes

This is the genuinely new information. In July, Universal said only that the ticket covered "attractions, entertainment, character interactions and more as well as complimentary specialty snacks and beverages." The event page now itemizes it:

  • Every attraction and experience open for the full 9 p.m. to midnight window.
  • "Make fun memories with character appearances throughout the park."
  • "Dig into berry-flavored Celestial Popcorn and crispy Kimchi Bao at Celestial Park."
  • A provided cup you can top up at any Coca-Cola Freestyle machine in the park. Universal hangs an asterisk on the word "refills," so unstated restrictions apply.

So the named free food is popcorn and a bao, both listed at Celestial Park, plus refills in a provided cup. Attractions Magazine cautions that "More snacks may be available, but these are the two items specially mentioned on Universal's website," so treat the list as a floor rather than a full menu before you budget the night around it.

The illuminated warp pipe entrance arch to SUPER NINTENDO WORLD at night, glowing green and gold and topped by gold stars, a Super Mushroom, a coin and a Mario medallion, with fireworks and searchlights behind it and guests gathered in front
The entrance arch into SUPER NINTENDO WORLD after dark, lit green and gold with fireworks behind it. Universal says all attractions and experiences are open during the event window. Credit: Universal Orlando Resort

The passholder terms have a ceiling

Passholders get 10 percent off Universal Nights tickets, and the fine print sets a hard limit: "Discounts are valid on up to six (6) Universal Nights tickets per valid Annual Pass or Seasonal Pass." WDW News Today reports that Premier Passholders save 15 percent and Preferred Passholders 10 percent on food and merchandise at the event.

Worth noting alongside that discount: Attractions Magazine points out there is still no announcement about annual pass admission to Epic Universe, and Inside the Magic describes the park as remaining outside standard Annual Passholder benefits. The 10 percent applies to a ticket passholders still have to buy outright.

The lit archway into The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Ministry of Magic at night, ringed in blue light with a tall golden column topped by a hand holding a wand, searchlight beams and gold fireworks overhead
The portal into The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Ministry of Magic at night, the gold column and wand lit above the arch. The inscription around the archway reads "For in dreams we enter a world that is entirely our own." Credit: Universal Orlando Resort

How the price compares

Attractions Magazine calls Universal Nights "the first separately ticketed event ever announced for Epic Universe since the park opened in 2025," and lines it up against the obvious rival: Disney After Hours tickets in 2026 run $155 to $199 plus tax depending on park and date, and those tickets also cover a three hour window plus a 7 p.m. early entry.

Which puts Universal Nights at the upper middle of that band, for a park that opened in May 2025 and is selling the night on the promise of a smaller crowd.

A dense daytime crowd on a wide wooden boardwalk in How to Train Your Dragon - Isle of Berk, with a girl in a black Toothless hooded jacket carrying a large Toothless plush in the foreground and a stone archway behind
The daytime version of the thing you are buying your way out of: a packed boardwalk in How to Train Your Dragon - Isle of Berk, with a guest carrying an oversized Toothless plush through the crowd. Credit: Universal Orlando Resort

What Universal has not said

There is no dedicated press release for the on sale itself, so every detail above comes from the July announcement or the live event page. Universal has not announced any event exclusive entertainment, and Attractions Magazine notes that whether any is planned remains to be seen. Neither date's inventory is public, so there is no way to tell from outside how fast either Saturday is moving.

Sources

Image credits: All images Universal Orlando Resort.

Mentioned in this story

Check out our guides for more on each place in this story:

Epic Universe Universal Celestial Goodnight

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