Fourth of July 2019 at Universal Orlando – complete guide

Universal is celebrating Independence Day this year not with one, but three nights of activities!

From Thursday, July 4 through Saturday, July 6, prepare for some appropriately-celebratory festivities, which will be – of course – capped off with fireworks. But it may be important to keep your expectations in check: Fourth of July at Universal Studios Florida isn’t like the grand bash that is Mardi Gras or that crown jewel of the annual-event scene, Halloween Horror Nights – it’s actually much more in keeping with Easter or Thanksgiving (y’know, the actual holidays), which is to say smaller-scale affairs that’ll still bring a smile to your family’s faces. And since the event is included with your park admission, that should automatically make that smile even brighter.

So, with that preamble having been declared, let’s see how the company is going to light up the night sky and ring in another year of American sovereignty.

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Entertainment

The main thrust of the July 4th action comes, naturally, in the form of entertainment. Leading up to the grand fireworks display at 9:00 pm, Universal will have four hours’ worth of activities located at the Music Plaza area, ranging from musical performances to character interactions. (And don’t forget that, during this time, all of Universal Studios Florida’s various attractions will still be open.)

Here’s what the itinerary looks like for all three nights of the independence celebrations:

Raydio

Times: 5:00 pm, 6:15, 8:15

The “high energy” band Raydio will take the Music Plaza stage three times throughout each night, regaling the crowds with live music.

DJ M-Squared

5:45 pm, 7:15, 9:00

DJ M-Squared will also fill the Music Plaza with some music – this time, spinning some of the top hits of the day. It’s the prefect soundtrack for dancing with the Universal characters.

Speaking of which…

Universal characters

6:15-10:00 pm

A collection of Universal’s various meet-‘n-greet characters will be on hand throughout most of the evening, throwing a dance party for you and your family. But it won’t only be the usual suspects on the scene – keep an eye (and camera) out for stilt walkers, as well, presumably decked out in their patriotic best.

Fireworks

9:00 pm

A pyrotechnic display will be on hand to keep with one of America’s finest traditions, along with another fun touch: confetti canons. The best part is that everything will be situated so that the best viewing spot for the celebration will be right there at the Music Plaza – no one will have to worry about leaving everything behind in order to make it to another part of the park in time.

BONUS: Cinematic Celebration

Once the fireworks have ended and the confetti has cleared from the sky, all guests will have the opportunity to leave the Music Plaza behind and make their way over to Central Park in order to catch that night’s performance of Cinematic Celebration, Universal Orlando’s grand nighttime spectacular.

Note: all Fourth of July festivities will conclude at 10:00 pm, which is when the theme park closes.

Food

While Universal won’t have food tents set up, like at Mardi Gras, it will still be providing party-goers with a neat treat: the ability to have eats and drinks delivered straight to the Music Plaza from the nearby Classic Monsters Cafe.

There are a couple of footnotes that need to be made here, however. For starters, all orders have to be placed through Mobile Order on the Universal Orlando app, and that, furthermore, this is the only time that deliveries from the restaurant will be possible – think of it as a special perk for the Fourth of July only. Additionally, there is no word on whether a special portion or the entire menu will be eligible for this limited-time service, but Universal has promised that it’ll include summer favorites, such as brisket sandwiches and peach cobbler.