The viewing sequence for Epic Universe Theme Park’s new nighttime spectacular may involve looking up, down and around you.
“Universal Celestial Goodnight” includes not only fireworks in the sky and lagoon lighting, but also effects inside the attraction, on the hotel facade, at the edge of the amphitheater seats and along the stair railings.
And that was the plan. Even before Epic Universe was built, it had an interconnected design, said Jason Horn, Universal Orlando’s assistant director of entertainment and creative development.
“Who thought you could tie everything together? … I mean, what a great move. … Now we have this kind of toolkit where you can influence everything on the go,” said Horne, who is part of the team that created “Celestial Goodnight,” which debuted this week as part of Epic’s nightly entertainment lineup.
“First and foremost, we have the ability to choreograph every light in Celestial Park. Every building, every walkway, every railing, every staircase, everything is choreographed,” Horn said.
Universal: New passes for two theme parks valid until mid-December
The focus of the show’s action is on the Helios Grand Hotel and the adjacent Cosmos Lagoon. Cosmos Lagoon features fountains that light up, sway, and shoot upwards to the beat of music. However, the lighting effect continues throughout Celestial Park, past the other two lagoon sections and all the way to the main entrance.
“All three are choreographed to the show, so no matter where you stand, including Astronomica, which is the splash pad, it’s choreographed to the show,” Horn said.
First Look: Epic Universe Unveils New Nightly Show
Added to the park for the show are lights that illuminate Helios Grand, giving it a colorful textured look. LED lights shine along the edge of the hotel’s terrace. Dozens of light fixtures. Behind the hotel is a giant light called Mad Max, which produces a large beam.
“In certain sections of the show, there appears to be a halo in the sky above the hotel,” Horn said.
Fireworks and lights are a major part of the production, but planning usually begins with the fountain. Initial ideas were worked out through computers and then tested in the field over many nights after the park was closed, Horn said.
The designers and programmers are “phenomenal in their attention to detail and their ability to change on the fly any ideas I throw at them about how things should fit together,” he said. “They just play around with it a little bit and all of a sudden it becomes this beautiful thing.”
Epic, which opened in May 2025, has already staged nighttime fountain shows at Celestial Park, and Horn said some elements will remain in the latest production.
Guests watch the debut of the first nighttime finale fireworks show at Universal Epic Universe in Orlando on Tuesday, July 7, 2026. With the Helios Grand Hotel in the background, the Universal Celestial Goodnight show begins at Cosmos Lagoon, featuring dancing fountains and a highly synchronized display of lights, music and fireworks. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)
Guests watch the debut of the first nighttime finale fireworks show at Universal Epic Universe in Orlando on Tuesday, July 7, 2026. With the Helios Grand Hotel in the background, the Universal Celestial Goodnight show begins at Cosmos Lagoon, featuring dancing fountains and a highly synchronized display of lights, music and fireworks. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)
Guests watch the debut of the first nighttime finale fireworks show at Universal Epic Universe in Orlando on Tuesday, July 7, 2026. With the Helios Grand Hotel in the background, the Universal Celestial Goodnight show begins at Cosmos Lagoon, featuring dancing fountains and a highly synchronized display of lights, music and fireworks. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)
Epic Universe visitors will watch the debut of the “Universal Celestial Goodnight” show, which uses the Helios Grand Hotel as a backdrop and uses multiple light sources in an unusual space. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)
Guests will watch the premiere of “Universal Celestial Goodnight” at Epic Universe Theme Park on Tuesday. With the Helios Grand Hotel in the background, the show begins at the Cosmos Lagoon and features a synchronized display of dancing fountains, lights, music and fireworks. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)
Guests watch the debut of the first nighttime finale fireworks show at Universal Epic Universe in Orlando on Tuesday, July 7, 2026. With the Helios Grand Hotel in the background, the Universal Celestial Goodnight show begins at Cosmos Lagoon, featuring dancing fountains and a highly synchronized display of lights, music and fireworks. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)
Guests watch the debut of the first nighttime finale fireworks show at Universal Epic Universe in Orlando on Tuesday, July 7, 2026. With the Helios Grand Hotel in the background, the Universal Celestial Goodnight show begins at Cosmos Lagoon, featuring dancing fountains and a highly synchronized display of lights, music and fireworks. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)
Guests watch the debut of the first nighttime finale fireworks show at Universal Epic Universe in Orlando on Tuesday, July 7, 2026. With the Helios Grand Hotel in the background, the Universal Celestial Goodnight show begins at Cosmos Lagoon, featuring dancing fountains and a highly synchronized display of lights, music and fireworks. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)
Guests watch the debut of the first nighttime finale fireworks show at Universal Epic Universe in Orlando on Tuesday, July 7, 2026. With the Helios Grand Hotel in the background, the Universal Celestial Goodnight show begins at Cosmos Lagoon, featuring dancing fountains and a highly synchronized display of lights, music and fireworks. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)
Guests watch the debut of the first nighttime finale fireworks show at Universal Epic Universe in Orlando on Tuesday, July 7, 2026. With the Helios Grand Hotel in the background, the Universal Celestial Goodnight show begins at Cosmos Lagoon, featuring dancing fountains and a highly synchronized display of lights, music and fireworks. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)
Guests watch the debut of the first nighttime finale fireworks show at Universal Epic Universe in Orlando on Tuesday, July 7, 2026. With the Helios Grand Hotel in the background, the Universal Celestial Goodnight show begins at Cosmos Lagoon, featuring dancing fountains and a highly synchronized display of lights, music and fireworks. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)
Guests watch the debut of the first nighttime finale fireworks show at Universal Epic Universe in Orlando on Tuesday, July 7, 2026. With the Helios Grand Hotel in the background, the Universal Celestial Goodnight show begins at Cosmos Lagoon, featuring dancing fountains and a highly synchronized display of lights, music and fireworks. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)
Guests watch the debut of the first nighttime finale fireworks show at Universal Epic Universe in Orlando on Tuesday, July 7, 2026. With the Helios Grand Hotel in the background, the Universal Celestial Goodnight show begins at Cosmos Lagoon, featuring dancing fountains and a highly synchronized display of lights, music and fireworks. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)
Guests watch the debut of the first nighttime finale fireworks show at Universal Epic Universe in Orlando on Tuesday, July 7, 2026. With the Helios Grand Hotel in the background, the Universal Celestial Goodnight show begins at Cosmos Lagoon, featuring dancing fountains and a highly synchronized display of lights, music and fireworks. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)
Guests watch the debut of the first nighttime finale fireworks show at Universal Epic Universe in Orlando on Tuesday, July 7, 2026. With the Helios Grand Hotel in the background, the Universal Celestial Goodnight show begins at Cosmos Lagoon, featuring dancing fountains and a highly synchronized display of lights, music and fireworks. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)
1 of 15
Guests watch the debut of the first nighttime finale fireworks show at Universal’s Epic Universe in Orlando on Tuesday, July 7, 2026. With the Helios Grand Hotel in the background, the Universal Celestial Goodnight show begins at Cosmos Lagoon, featuring dancing fountains and a highly synchronized display of lights, music and fireworks. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)
expand
“It always brought great satisfaction to our guests, so we felt we already had a good foundation to go off of,” he said. “So the question was, ‘How do we add to that? How do we make it feel epic?'”
Universal: After-hours events coming to Epic Universe
The “Celestial Goodnight” segment pays homage to the four themed worlds of the Epic Universe, including The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic, Super Nintendo World, How to Train Your Dragon – Berk, and the Dark Universe. Music and sound snippets are matched with fireworks and other visuals.
“This is a moment to just sit back and do a little bit of reflection and share everything again with friends and family,” Horn said.
Email us at dbevil@orlandosentinel.com. Blue Sky: @Theme Park Database. Thread account: @dbevil. X account: @themeparks. Subscribe to Theme Park Ranger Newsletter at orlandosentinel.com/newsletters.
