Universal Studios Hollywood just handed you the whole of next year in one go.
The 2027 Universal Studios Hollywood event calendar is out, and it covers both of the park’s big seasonal events plus the passholder programme that runs between them. If you plan trips around Fan Fest Nights or Halloween Horror Nights, you can now book flights.
The two headline dates: Universal Fan Fest Nights returns April 16 and runs on select dates across four weekends through May 16. Halloween Horror Nights 2027 opens September 2 and runs on select nights through Halloween, October 31.
Here is everything on the calendar, what select dates actually means for planning, and the pass changes that landed alongside it.
Quick Summary
- Universal Fan Fest Nights returns April 16, 2027.
- Fan Fest runs on select dates across four weekends through May 16.
- Halloween Horror Nights 2027 begins September 2 and runs through October 31.
- HHN runs on select nights, not every night.
- Annual Pass members get Park Takeovers and Appreciation Days through the year.
- Pass perks also include collectible giveaways and special ticket offers to both events.
- Passholder discounts apply in the theme park and at Universal CityWalk Hollywood.
- The new Diamond Annual Pass is available now.
What Is on the Universal Studios Hollywood 2027 Event Calendar
Two seasonal events anchor the year, and they sit at opposite ends of it.
Universal Fan Fest Nights: April 16 to May 16
Fan Fest Nights returns on April 16 and runs on select dates across four weekends through May 16.
Four weekends is a tight window. That is roughly a month of calendar with only a handful of operating nights inside it, which makes Fan Fest the harder of the two events to plan around. If you want a specific weekend, treat this as a book-early event.
Halloween Horror Nights: September 2 to October 31
HHN 2027 kicks off Thursday, September 2 and runs on select nights through Sunday, October 31.
That is a two-month run, which is substantially more flexible than Fan Fest. A September 2 start is also early, giving you a long stretch of lower-demand nights before the October crush arrives.
Select Dates Is the Phrase That Matters
Both events carry the same qualifier, and it is the single most important thing on this page for anyone booking travel.
Neither event runs every night. Universal has published the start and end dates, not the operating calendar. The specific nights inside those windows come later.
That distinction wrecks trips. A visitor books April 20 because Fan Fest runs April 16 to May 16, arrives, and finds the event does not operate that Tuesday. Four weekends across a month means most days in that range are not event days.
Do not book non-refundable travel against a start-and-end range. Wait for the night-by-night calendar, or book flexible and lock the dates once Universal publishes them.
What Passholders Get Through the Year
The calendar covers more than the two events. Universal used it to lay out the Annual Pass programme as well.
Pass member perks across 2027 include:
- Park Takeovers and Appreciation Days — dedicated passholder events
- Collectible giveaways
- Special ticket offers to Halloween Horror Nights and Universal Fan Fest Nights
- Discounts inside the theme park and at Universal CityWalk Hollywood
That third item is worth flagging for anyone weighing a pass. Special ticket offers to both seasonal events means a pass can reduce what you pay for HHN and Fan Fest rather than only covering daytime admission.
The Diamond Annual Pass Lands Alongside It
Universal paired the calendar with its new top-tier pass, which is now available to buy.
The Diamond Annual Pass sits above Platinum and Gold and bundles in a complimentary VIP Experience, Universal Express starting at park opening, and tickets to both Halloween Horror Nights and Universal Fan Fest Nights.
That bundling is the connection to this calendar. If both 2027 events are already on your list, a pass that includes a ticket to each changes the maths on the whole year. We broke the tier down in our Diamond Annual Pass guide, including how to price it against Platinum.
How to Plan Around This Calendar
Four practical calls now that the dates exist.
Fan Fest is the one to move on. Four weekends is scarce. If April 2027 matters to you, start watching for the operating-night release.
HHN has room. Two months of select nights means early September and most weeknights will be the cheapest and quietest way in.
Price a pass before buying event tickets separately. With pass-exclusive offers on both events plus the Diamond tier bundling tickets outright, the standalone-ticket route is no longer automatically cheapest.
Wait for the night-by-night calendar before booking flights. This is the whole lesson of the select dates wording.
The Bottom Line
The Universal Studios Hollywood 2027 event calendar sets Universal Fan Fest Nights from April 16 across four weekends to May 16, and Halloween Horror Nights from September 2 through October 31. Both run on select dates rather than nightly, and Universal has not yet published which specific nights operate.
Passholders get Park Takeovers, Appreciation Days, collectible giveaways, special ticket offers to both events, and discounts in the park and at CityWalk. The new Diamond Annual Pass is on sale now and includes a ticket to each event.
Use these dates to shape the year, not to book it. Wait for the operating nights before you buy anything non-refundable, and price a pass against your 2027 plans first.
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Meet the Author: Nate Bishop
I’m a die-hard Disney fan with 38 years of visits under my belt, having stepped into Disney World 120+ times. Proud to be a Disney Annual Passholder, a Vacation Club member since ’92, a Castaway Club Member, and a runDisney enthusiast. Oh, and I’ve graduated from the Disney College of Knowledge. Need Disney insights or planning tips? I’m your guy!
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