You may have heard of Universal’s newest theme park, Epic Universe, but ANOTHER NEW park is set to open!
©Universal
While the news of a Universal theme park in the United Kingdom has been known for a few years, we finally have concept art for this new project, which is set to open in 2031!
Near the end of 2023, Universal announced that it had purchased land in Bedford Borough, UK, on which it planned to build a theme park. In June 2024, Universal released more details about its plans for this new park, including that it was planning on building a 500-room hotel and dining area. By this time, Universal was projecting that the project would take around six years to complete.
Universal
Fast-forward to April 2025; the first-ever Universal park and resort in the United Kingdom is still pending planning consent approvals. According to Universal, the proposed plans and concept art include “an entertainment resort complex with a world-class theme park with several themed lands featuring Universal’s distinct brand of immersive storytelling, thrilling rides, innovative attractions and exciting entertainment. Initial resort plans also feature a 500-room hotel and a retail, dining, and entertainment complex.”
Universal Studios Florida
Universal also stresses that if approved, this new park will have a significant impact on both the Bedford and United Kingdom economy by helping grow the creative arts and tourism industries. The park is projected to generate “nearly £50 billion of economic benefit for the UK and create thousands of new, high-quality jobs. At opening, the theme park would be one of the largest employers in the region, with approximately 80% of employees expected to come from Bedford, Central Bedfordshire, Luton & Milton Keynes, with many more communities benefiting from apprenticeships, training, and educational opportunities.”
©Universal || Resident Fact Sheet
Universal did their research and heard feedback from local organizations, and with 6,000 responses, 92% of people expressed their support for the new park.
While we do have an idea of the park’s layout, Universal says that “it is too early in the process to know the possibilities of featured attractions and experiences. More details about the project will be revealed over time and are subject to the necessary planning consent approvals.”
Epic Universe
Epic Universe and the proposed UK theme park are not the only Universal projects in motion right now. Over in Frisco, Texas, a smaller resort called Universal Kids Resort has already begun construction and will include popular intellectual properties like the Minions and Shrek.
©Universal
We are always on the lookout for the latest theme park news, so make sure to continue to follow along with the Disney Food Blog!
Our handy (and portable!) ebook guides make sure you get the best deals and can plan a vacation of a lifetime.
It is not Universal’s first theme park in Europe. That honour goes to Universal’s Port Aventura in Salou, Spain. We stayed there in 2003 for a week and it was a great holiday. The entry on Wikipedia states:-
“History
When Port Aventura opened in 1995 in Salou,[6] The Tussauds Group owned 40.0% of the park, while La Caixa had 33.2%, Anheuser-Busch had 19.9%, and FECSA had 6.7%.[7][8][9][10] In 1998, the majority of Tussauds Group’s shares in the park were sold to Universal and the park was rebranded as ‘Universal’s Port Aventura’, which made it the first Universal Studios theme park in Europe. In 2002, a water park (Costa Caribe) and two hotels (Hotel PortAventura and Hotel El Paso) were constructed, and the resort was further rebranded as ‘Universal Mediterranea’.[14][15] In 2004, NBCUniversal (Universal Studios’ parent) sold all interest in PortAventura.”
Also , the new UK park is not in Bedford Borough, as such. When all the original details came out it mentioned the Bedford Borough Council. This is not the Council of Bedford Borough, but the Borough Council for Bedford. It might seem pedantic but no need to keep saying Borough just Bedford. Though confusingly, I doubt that the park is being built in Bedford town centre, just somewhere within the borough, so probably just outside Bedford. Reading it back, I’m pretty sure this sounds ridiculous but I’m a stickler for accuracy so no hate please.