Epic Universe reveals details for How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk
While construction for the new Epic Universe theme park from Universal Studios has been going strong for a few years now, actual confirmed details have been scarce. Earlier this year, the group took the covers off the overall look and the parks central area, now they have released new details for the first new land, How To Train Your Dragon - Isle of Berk.
As with all the lands, entrance will provided through a portal, the image above shows the design for it. Across the top of the portal is a silhouette of a dragon and below it are the words “We my friends, have dragons!” Atop the portal is the icon, each of the lands will have one, Super Nintendo World has a bunch of pipes and power ups shooting from them. Here it is a tower, seen in the second movie that the dragons like to rest on and at its top is a design of Toothless.
Ok, so looking at the image above, we get a good overview of the land itself, which features a number of rides, shops, dining options, as well as a meet and greet and a stage show. The land is also going to feature a lot of rocks, with dragon houses atop them, water and giant statues and lots of trees.
The largest building in the land is for The Untrainable Dragon, the stage show that is inspired by the one from Universal Studios Beijing, there it is just called ‘Untrainable’. The show has human actors, digital screens and massive dragon puppets, including one of Toothless that soars over the audience. If you want to see that version, you can do so here, but expect there to be a number of differences between the two versions.
Moving away from the lands only show to the first of its many rides, Hiccup’s Wing Gliders is a family style rollercoaster that will test new vikings, to ensure that they are worthy of becoming a dragon rider. Guests will fly alongside Hiccup and Toothless and reach speeds up to 72 km/h as they soar around the perimeter of Berk – and even through the lagoon – while experiencing first-hand what it’s like to fly on a dragon.
Fyre Drill is the lands second ride is much more sedate than the rollercoaster, but it will likely get you wet as with this boat ride, twins Ruffnut and Tuffnut invite teams of Vikings to compete to earn the top score and prepare how to deal with dragon fire. Guests will board a colorful dragon-headed boat and blast water cannons at flame-like targets to practice putting out fires – a crucial skill to master when living with dragons.
The lands final ride is Dragon Racer’s Rally, where new vikings can test their ability to control a dragon in flight about 24m above the ground. Guests can control how “wild” or “mild” their experience will be as they perform high-flying, gravity-defying, swooping and soaring skills that are necessary to earn the accolades worthy of a true champion dragon racer.
Of course, if you spend all day learning how to be a viking, then you have to end the day by eating like one and one place to do that is the Mead Hall. Featured throughout the films and tv series, the Mead Hall is where the vikings of Berk gather to eat and hold discussions about the island. The full menu has not been announced, but will feature a variety of meats, fish, sandwiches and more along with a collection of meads and ciders.
If you are looking for a snack or two, there are also Spit Fyre Grill or Hooligan’s Grog & Gruel. The former overlooks the action of Fyre Drill and offers delicious, hearty meals flame-seared by a helpful (unseen) dragon fry cook. The latter is where guests can grab quick bites at this festive racing-themed food stand located in the Viking Camp.
Speaking of the Viking Camp, this is a play area where little vikings can run around, including on a viking agility course. There is also a Toothless-themed teeter-totter, baby Gronckle dragon climbers and so much more.
Guests can visit the Haddock Paddock for an incredible meet-and-greet experience with heroic Dragon Rider, Hiccup, and pose for a photo with his friendly Night Fury, Toothless. Plus, throughout the day, guests may also encounter other familiar Vikings and dragons while exploring Berk.
Finally, while vikings were known for raiding places for supplies, that isn’t a requirement on Berk, instead you can go and visit Viking Traders, How to Treat Your Dragon, Hiccup’s Work Shop, and Toothless’ Treasures for all sorts of goods, sweets and other merch.
The land will open in 2025, though there is no date yet. You can get a full idea of the scope of the land in the video below. You can also watch a video here where the folks actually creating the land explain more about it.