Universal’s British theme park will teach me how to get high octane fun for British people like me
Baking show, satirical, passive aggression, bars – The British did a great job. But is there anything fun for us? Over the years, many of the dynamic and exciting places I’ve traveled around the world have been asking myself a question. Honestly, while we know how to throw a happy picnic on a mild summer day, I’m not sure if we really understand the basic mechanisms of having a good time with high octane.
Perhaps that’s why when Disney decided to set up a theme park in Europe in the early 1990s, it chose France over the UK as a better location. This is a blow to my country, it has only a few theme parks, and few of them worth mentioning, and I recommend not taking special trips from abroad to visit. For example, my colleagues Scott Stein and Bridget Carey made a pre-opening visit to Florida’s new epic cosmic theme park. No British would dare to dream of anything so extravagant and exciting.
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But everything will change with the announcement Wednesday that Universal Studios will select the UK as the site for the planned theme park. The park, to open in 2031, will be based in Bedford, England – a part of the country with few other suggestions other than being close to London – covering 476 acres, Universal Studios is already looking to expand. This will be the first time Universal Studios has opened a theme park in a theme park outside the United States or Asia and may attract a lot of tourism and work in the region.
Perhaps most importantly, it will give people like me who grew up envious of their friends on vacation in Orlando, the real taste of what we lack under the stimulation and the kind of exhaustive themes that only Disney and Universal Parks can offer. Remember that the best roller coaster on this wet and windy island is the nemesis of Alton Towers for over 30 years now – we have been growing a fresh opportunity to get rid of quickly.
Universal Park is so important to the UK, even if our Prime Minister Keir Starmer has made a statement. “Today, we completed the deal with a multi-billion-pound investment that will make Bedford home to one of Europe’s largest entertainment parks and firmly put the county on the global stage,” he said.
His announcement focused on the economic interests of the park, but Universal’s decision has caused a real buzz across the country, and people are very excited about the possibility of riding a really good coaster.
Universal hasn’t spoken about the park’s attractions, but it seems inevitable that like Universal Studios in Orlando, there will be some version of the Harry Potter World, given that the whole story is set in the UK. For my husband, he is the world’s largest black man fan and will never go to Florida, and I hope Universal also decides to ride the alien attacks across the sea.
It’s also fun if there’s something unique in the park – just like Disneyland Paris for at least a few years, Disney Park’s only Disney Park has a great Ratatouille ride. Some might appreciate a specific nod to British culture other than Harry Potter, but I say keep American culture.
Our attempts to build “UK” theme parks ourselves have been based on concepts such as Camelot (RIP) and Gulliver’s travel. No, bring us the Simpsons, the Soldiers and any other yellow cartoon characters you have there. There is nothing we can do about the weather, but we need to learn to have fun in the American way, snacks are bigger than our meals, and unlimited opportunities to buy items we don’t need because we are struck by the good resonance of the big days. I can’t wait.
