As Universal pushes forward with its new UK theme park, fans are combing through public documents and concept art for clues about what’s to come. While attention has focused on big-ticket attractions and hotel plans, a small but notable legal move may hint at the company’s next major step: expanding its global Halloween brand to Britain.
Universal filed a trademark for the term “Halloween Horror Nights” in the United Kingdom in November 2022. The registration was finalized in March 2023 and is set to last through 2032—just one year after Universal Studios Great Britain is expected to open its doors in Bedfordshire.
Halloween Horror Nights is Universal’s annual Halloween event featuring haunted houses, scare zones, and live entertainment inspired by popular films, TV shows, and original horror concepts, with past years including attractions inspired by the likes of Stranger Things and franchises such as Insidious, Ghostbusters, and Chucky.
Held after regular park hours, the event is known for its high production value, immersive environments, and intense scares, drawing large crowds each fall at Universal parks around the world.
There’s been no official announcement linking the trademark to a future event. But Universal has a long-standing history of building Halloween experiences into its theme park strategy. At nearly every location around the world, some variation of Halloween Horror Nights is already in place, drawing millions of visitors each fall.
Will Universal Dominate Europe’s Theme Park Halloween Market?
Bringing Horror Nights to the UK would give Universal a clear advantage in a growing but still relatively untapped seasonal market. British theme parks like Alton Towers and Thorpe Park already offer their own Halloween events. These feature scare zones, mazes, and themed overlays—often inspired by horror films or original storylines—but are generally smaller in scale than their American counterparts.
Universal has built its version of Halloween on a much larger footprint. Haunted houses, immersive environments, and highly produced scare zones have turned the event into a major source of revenue for the company, particularly in Orlando and Hollywood. Replicating that model in the UK would not only extend the brand’s global reach but also give the Bedfordshire resort an immediate seasonal draw in its first years of operation.
Disney, by contrast, has yet to establish a comparable Halloween presence in Europe. While Disneyland Paris decorates for the season, it doesn’t currently offer a separately ticketed event or unique Halloween experiences like Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party or Oogie Boogie Bash. That leaves a gap in the market for a more expansive offering, especially one geared toward teens and adults.
More Questions Than Answers—for Now
The Horror Nights trademark doesn’t guarantee that an event is coming to the UK. Companies often register terms as a way to protect intellectual property, especially when entering a new territory. Still, given the event’s existing footprint in Singapore, Japan, and Beijing, it would be unusual for a UK park to forgo the format entirely.
Universal Studios Great Britain is expected to break ground in 2026 and open by 2031. Early materials released by the company include plans for a 500-room hotel, shopping and dining districts, and multiple themed lands. So far, those lands appear to be centered on franchises like Jurassic World, Back to the Future, Despicable Me, and various DreamWorks Animation films.
Notably absent are two of Universal’s most bankable theme park properties—Harry Potter and Nintendo. But early concept art is rarely the final word, and changes to land lineup are common in projects of this scale.
The UK resort is just one part of a wider expansion push for Universal. In addition to its 2025 debut of Epic Universe in Orlando and the 2026 opening of Universal Kids Resort in Texas, the company is preparing to launch a year-round horror attraction, Universal Horror Unleashed, in Las Vegas later this year.
If Universal does move forward with Halloween Horror Nights in the UK, it would mark yet another step in its global evolution—from seasonal destination to year-round cultural force.
