UNIVERSAL’S Epic Universe has finally revealed its opening date – and you won’t have to wait long.

The huge new theme park, opening in Florida, was first announced in 2019.

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With five massive themed lands inside, the park confirmed that the resort is opening next year.

The official opening date of Epic Universe is May 22, 2025.

And tickets will go on sale before this, with them launching this month on October 22, 2024.

Brits will be able to choose from two pass types – The 2025 Explorer Ticket which includes 14 days at the Universal theme parks, and a one-day pass for the new Epic Universe.

Or there will be the All Parks Ticket with unlimited access for all parks, launching in 2026.

Tickets will start from £399.

The theme park will be one of the biggest in the US, stretching across 750 acres.

This will include more than 50 attractions, ranging from kids rides to terrifying rollercoasters.

The themed lands are as followed:

Celestial Park

Celestial Park will be the central land, with guests travelling to the other lands by ‘portals’.

Dual-launch rollercoaster Starfall Racers will hit speeds up to 62mph, while other rides include the wet-play area Astronomica and the Constellation Carousel.

Food options will include Chinese and Italian, with restaurants and shacks including the Blue Dragon Pan-Asian Restaurant, Victorian-themed Atlantic and The Oak & Star Tavern, along with Pizza Moon for snacks.

The main hotel will also be found at Celestial Park.

The 500-room Universal Helios Grand Hotel will include a private entrance into the theme park as well as a huge swimming pool and rooftop lounge.

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Super Nintendo World

Entering via the iconic green pipe, guests can enter the Mario-themed Super Nintendo World.

Similar to the one already open at Universal Studios Hollywood, the main ride will be the Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge, an AR racing game

Yoshi’s Adventure, will let passengers collect eggs around the Mushroom Kingdom, where characters including Mario, Luigi and Princess Peach will be roaming.

Themed snacks will be served at Toadstool Cafe, Yoshi’s Snack Island and Turbo Boost Treats.

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How to Train Your Dragon

The  How to Train Your Dragon land is based in the Isle of Berk. 

Family coaster Hiccup’s Wing Gliders will let passengers fly through the air alongside Hiccup and Toothless, while Fyre Drill is a water cannon ride.

Other rides include Dragon Racer’s Rally, Biking Training Camp and live show The Untrainable Dragon.

Food and drink will be found at Mead Hall, Spit Fyre Grill and Grog & Gruel, while Viking Traders, Hiccups Work Shop and Toothless’ Treasures will sell merchandise.

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Dark Universe

Dark Universe will be the scariest of the Epic Universe lands, set around Frankenstein Manor.

Dark ride Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment will bethe ‘most terrifying yet’ along with rides such spinning family coaster Curse of the Werewolf.

Other activities include Darkmoor Monster Makeup Experience, with food served at Das Stakehaus, The Burning Blade Tavern and De Lacey’s Cottage.

Why Epic Universe will be… epic

The Sun’s Head of Travel Lisa Minot explains what this new theme park means for the industry:

THE astonishing scale of  Epic Universe – with five fabulous new lands – will see Universal Resort Orlando challenging its arch rival Walt Disney World like never before.

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 I’ve always adored Universal’s quirky sense of humour and total immersion. It’s Wizarding World of Harry Potter rewrote the rule book when it came to attention to detail when it launched in 2010 with the incredible Hogsmeade.

 No one had done authentic, immersive theme park lands like them before and it saw even the likes of Disney rushing to catch up.

 And since then, they have been on a roll with a raft of exciting openings from the thrills of the Velociraptor ride in Jurassic Park to the quite brilliant Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure.

 With three parks – Universal Studios Florida, Universal’s Islands of Adventure and now Epic Universe as well as the Volcano Bay water park and eight onsite hotels, you could spend an entire trip just exploring the wonderful worlds.

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 I can’t wait to see what astonishing new experiences they will deliver with the new park. It’s going to be Epic.

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic

The main attraction at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic is the Harry Potter and the Battle of Ministry, set in 1990s London.

Le Cirque Arcanus, will be a full-scale live theatre experience with aerialists, special affects and puppetry.

Cosme Acajor Baguettes Magique will sell wands while food (along with butter beer) are served across stalls such as Café L’Air De La Sirène, Le Gobelet Noir, Bar Moonshine for exclusive beers and the Bièraubeurre Cart.

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EVERY year, a scenic gorge in Germany’s Black Forest is transformed into a charming Christmas market with over 40 stalls and live music performances.

Ravenna Gorge Christmas Market, also known as Ravennaschlucht Weihnachtsmarkt, is located between Hinterzarten and Freiburg in southern Germany.

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The German Christmas market is set underneath the 40m-high Höllental Railway Viaduct, making it look like it’s been plucked straight from a Harry Potter film.

Ravenna Gorge Christmas Market first started as a small gathering of local vendors in the early 20th century.

However, it has since become one of the region’s most popular festive markets.

The viaduct is lit up during the festive period, with wooden huts and snow-dusted trees lining the bottom of the gorge.

The Christmas market is home to over 40 stalls that sell a range of handmade items, including wooden toys, cuckoo clocks and ornaments.

There’s also a range of food and drink vendors serving a range of local grub like Bratwurst, Flammkuchen (smoky German pizza), fire-roasted nuts and crepes.

Traditional choirs and bands perform at the Christmas market, while a series of live demonstrations also take place.

Younger guests can also take part in a Christmas quiz and follow a nativity trail.

Ravenna Gorge Christmas Market even has its own post office where younger visitors can send letters to Father Christmas.

Previous visitors have raved about the Christmas market.

Travel blogger Prost with the Proppes writing: “The Christmas market at Ravenna Gorge is one of the most magical we have been to.

“The market is smaller than the ones in bigger cities, therefore I don’t think you need more than a day or two.”

Another travel blogger, known as A Dangerous Business, added: “This magical Christmas market in the woods lived up to all my expectations.”

Ravenna Gorge Christmas Market will open to the public on select dates in November and December.

The Christmas market will be open on November 22, 23, 29, and 30, and it will also be open on December 1, 6, 7, 8, 13, 14 and 15.

The market will be open from 3pm to 9pm every Friday, opening an hour earlier on Saturdays and Sundays.

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Entry tickets cost €5.50 (£4.60) for adults who arrive before 4pm, with this fee rising to €7.50 (£6.27) for entrants who arrive after this time.

Tickets for children aged between six and 15 are free.

Shuttle services operate from several nearby towns and villages, including Titisee, Hinterzarten, Himmelreich and Freiburg.

Children will need to pay €2 (£1.67) to board the shuttle service from Titisee, Hinterzarten and Himmelreich, with shuttle services from Freiburg costing €28 (£23.41).

Visitors can also book onto torchlight hikes, lantern walks and winter hikes to the Christmas Market.

EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg is the closest airport to the Christmas market, with British Airways and easyJet both operating a direct route from London.

One-way fares start from £15 in December, with return fares from as little as £32.

Meanwhile, this travel writer thinks their hometown has the best Christmas attraction in the UK.

A city in Germany has been dubbed “Christmas city” because it has one of the world’s oldest and most famous Christmas markets.

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A MULTI-million indoor water attraction is to finally start works in the UK – years after being first announced.

Therme Manchester revealed plans for the £250million resort back in 2020, being dubbed the ‘UK’s first wellbeing resort’.

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Initially hoping to have opened in 2024 – only to be delayed by the pandemic – works are set to finally start next year.

James Whittaker, Executive Director of Development at Peel L&P said: “After five years working in partnership with Therme, we are delighted to hear planning permission has been approved for this incredible, high-quality health and wellbeing resort in TraffordCity.

“We’re looking forward to working closely with the whole of the Therme team to deliver something truly unique and iconic in the UK.

“Not only world-leading for health and wellbeing, but will also create a significant number of new jobs and have a huge positive economic impact for North West England.”

The huge indoor attraction will be in Manchester’s former EventCity conference centre next to the Trafford Centre.

While primarily indoors, it will also have some outdoor experiences.

Spread across 28 acres, Therme Manchester will include:

• 25 swimming pools (including a wave pool)
• 35 water slides
• UK’s first all-season indoor beach
• Wellness area with steam rooms and spas
• Adult-only zones
• Swim up bars
• Restaurants and cafes
• Outdoor gardens

Car parking and a dedicated tram stop to the attraction are also part of the plans.

Last year, the attraction was forced to change its initial designs which would see one large attraction underneath a glass dome.

The new designs are meant to replicate “rippled waves”.

There will instead be several structures connected with a “pavilion style concept”.

The website says: “Set to welcome 1.7 million guests in its first year, guests at Therme Manchester will enjoy a year-round 33°C indoor climate made possible with a sustainable glass infrastructure amid warm water lagoons, botanical gardens and palm trees.”

David Russell, chief executive of Therme Group UK previously said: “This development will stand as a beacon of wellbeing and innovation, contributing to the cultural and social fabric of Greater Manchester.”

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The current opening timeline is 2027, although this could be delayed.

Works are estimated to take between 24 and 30 months.

Ticket prices are also yet to be confirmed.

If you can’t wait, Therme has a number of other similar attractions around the world.

Inside the Therme Bucharest attraction

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The Sun’s Steve Corbett recently visited the Romanian Therme attraction

Picture one of those famous Center Parcs domes, then imagine it seven times bigger.

Therme has its own exotic climate — the air temperature never drops below 30C — so you’ll see bananas and coconuts growing on some of its cherished 800,000 trees, plants and living walls.

Then there’s everything you can see and do inside the waterpark-spa hybrid, from whirling water slides for kids to high-tech treatments for couples and poolside bars, with DJs, that stag and hen parties would love.

Grown-ups can enjoy a hydro-massage bed, visit “wet saunas” — some of which are infused with botanicals and herbs — and sit in a relaxing salt library, with walls built from blocks on Himalayan salt, known for its medicinal and mental health benefits.

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Make sure to stay until the early evening if you fancy a bit of a boogie.

Open until midnight, the place becomes an Instagrammer’s paradise after sunset, with a DJ delivering energetic vibes.

Best of all, a day ticket, offering full access, costs from just £28.

Romania has it’s own Therme Bucharest, although the Manchester attraction will be double the size.

And a new Therme resort is to be built in Ontario in Canada.

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