Natural History Museum teams up with Universal on Jurassic World pop up
Universal reports 19% revenue increase, driven by Epic Universe opening
New immersive Wake The Tiger attraction headed for Westfield London
Simworx partners with Mindscape Creative to launch first Truth Traveler VR attraction in Pigeon Forge
Arrest after Stone of Destiny glass smashed
Abu Dhabi's Zayed National Museum unveiled
Coney Beach Amusement Park to close after more than 100 years
Bayeux Tapestry to return to UK on loan after 900 years
WWE and Universal collaborating on Horror Nights attraction
Universal site residents say they feel 'forgotten'
CR7 LIFE: Cristiano Ronaldo museum opens in Hong Kong
Liseberg sues insurer Trygg-Hansa over denied €92m Oceana fire claim
China’s first Legoland Resort opens in Shanghai
Aquarium makes history with first-of-its-kind procedure for beluga whale
Smithsonian exhibition under scrutiny from Trump administration
Legoland Shanghai boosts domestic Chinese tourism
IAAPA Expo Asia 2025 experiences 40% surge in attendance
LACMA’s US$720m David Geffen Galleries expansion to open in 2026
Holovis brings Squid Game experience to life in New York
Universal seeks planning permission for multi-billion-pound UK theme park development
Rubber Cheese launches Visitor Attraction Survey for 2025
Beamish wins Art Fund Museum of the Year 2025 Award
Museum asks visitors if Egyptian woman’s body should be taken off display
Universal bid to fast-track planning for theme park
UK government pledges £500m for rail and road upgrades to support Universal’s Bedford resort
UK Theme Park Awards 2025 reveals expert judging panel
Attractions.io launches Digital Guest Experience Health Check to boost visitor satisfaction
Cruise first Robotron ride for upcoming MSC Seascape
Construction delays close Michigan waterpark
California’s Great America could close following 2027 season
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The Jurassic World pop-up shop official merchandise including toys, games, books and apparel Credit: Trustees of the Natural History Museum
London’s Natural History Museum (NHM) has partnered with Universal Products & Experiences to open a themed pop-up shop to celebrate the recent cinematic release of Jurassic World Rebirth.
Open until September 7, the pop-up is located in the museum’s main retail space, which has been transformed into a tropical island, to replicate the film’s setting.
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Universal’s highly-anticipated Epic Universe opened in Florida in May 2025 Credit: Universal
Universal has reported a 19% increase in revenue for Q2 2025, fuelled by the launch of its new Epic Universe theme park and resort in Orlando, Florida.
Comcast, Universal’s parent company, announced its Q2 2025 revenue at the end of July, reporting earnings of US$2.35bn (€2bn, £1.77bn), up from US$1.9bn (€1.64, £1.43bn) posted for the same quarter in 2024.
Comcast chairman and CEO Brian Roberts attributed the growth to the company’s theme park division, particularly “the successful opening of Epic Universe, which is having a positive impact on our overall Universal Orlando Resort.”
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The new Wake The Tiger attraction is scheduled to open at Westfield London in 2026 Credit: Andre Pattenden
Wake The Tiger, an award-winning visitor attraction in Bristol, UK, has revealed plans to open a second location in the country’s capital, with the new experience slated to open at the Westfield London shopping centre in summer 2026.
Spanning 80,000sq ft (7,432sq m), the upcoming attraction has been described as “Europe’s largest immersive art experience,” and is being developed in partnership with Westfield London operator Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield.
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Truth Traveler takes riders on an adventure through biblical history Credit: Simworx
Simworx, a specialist in dynamic media-based attractions, has partnered with immersive entertainment company Mindscape Creative to launch Truth Traveler, a new bespoke virtual reality (VR) experience that takes visitors on a journey through biblical history.
Opened in June in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, US, the attraction combines VR technology and Simworx’ 3DOF motion benches, with bespoke media content, synchronised special effects and highly-themed environments to fully immerse visitors in the on-screen action.
Riders enter the experience via the Inventor’s office where they are introduced to a cast of characters in a special pre-show, before boarding a custom elevator simulator to the VR bay-equipped flight deck where they embark on a “thrilling yet meaningful” adventure through time.
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A man has been arrested after glass protecting the Stone of Destiny was broken in an incident at Perth Museum.
Visitors said that a man wearing a kilt attempted to smash through the stone's display case at about 14:00 on Saturday.
The building was evacuated and a 35-year-old man was later arrested and charged by police. There were no reported injuries.
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Photos of the much-anticipated Zayed National Museum by British studio Foster + Partners in Abu Dhabi have been released ahead of its planned opening.
Currently under construction as part of the Saadiyat Cultural District on Saadiyat Island, plans for the long-awaited museum were officially unveiled in 2010. Now nearing completion, the institution announced that it will open this December.
Named after UAE founder Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the museum will be dedicated to the history and culture of Abu Dhabi.
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A seaside funfair dating back more than 100 years is to close later this year, its owners have announced.
Coney Beach Amusement Park, which opened in the Newton area of Porthcawl, Bridgend county, in 1918, will close in October, the owners said in a post on Facebook.
"It's the end of an era, for over 100 years we and other showmen and their families have lived and worked in Porthcawl helping to make it a busy seaside destination," the Evans family added.
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The Bayeux Tapestry is returning to the UK more than 900 years after its creation, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has confirmed.
The 70m-long masterpiece, which tells the story of the Norman conquest of England in 1066, will be loaned in a historic agreement to be signed between the French and British governments.
The huge embroidery - which is widely believed to have been created in Kent - will go on display at the British Museum in London next year.
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WWE has been expanding its wings into multiple genres for the last few years. In the WrestleMania season itself, the company ventured into roast comedy, musical nights, and other interesting attractions in the pop culture world. With WWE amidst a huge expansion, it seems that the next stop for the Sports Entertainment Juggernaut will be to tap into the spooky season.
In a new report by Fightful Select, it was stated that WWE is looking to get into a collaboration with Universal Studios' Halloween Horror Nights sometime in 2025. The project has been in the works since last year, and it is expected that a formal announcement will be made by the end of July.
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Residents living in the middle of land purchased for a Universal Studios theme park say they have not been informed about what will happen to their homes.
Manor Road, in the village of Kempston Hardwick, Bedfordshire, sits between the intended 476-acre theme park and the construction site for the Universal Studios attraction.
Many residents say they have not yet received confirmed offers of compensation even though their homes are ear-marked for demolition in Universal's plans to transform the former brickworks site.
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The museum houses more then 40 exhibits including several of Cristiano Ronaldo’s trophies Credit: AFP/Holmes Chan
A new museum celebrating the life and career of Portuguese footballing icon Cristiano Ronaldo has opened in Hong Kong.
Located at the K11 Art & Cultural Centre in Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, the CR7 LIFE Museum offers an immersive journey through Ronaldo’s storied career, from his early days in Portugal to his global stardom.
The 12,000sq ft (1,115sq m) space features more than 40 exhibits blending interactive installations, rare memorabilia, and multimedia storytelling.
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Liseberg’s Oceana indoor water park was destroyed in a fire in February 2024 Credit: Liseberg
Liseberg has filed a lawsuit against insurance provider Trygg-Hansa for denying the Swedish theme park’s insurance claim following the fire that destroyed its new indoor water park, Oceana, in February 2024.
The highly anticipated attraction in Gothenburg, Sweden, was shortly due to open before the fire broke out. The blaze tragically claimed the life of one employee, injured 22 others, and caused extensive structural damage.
Liseberg is seeking compensation to cover the estimated €92m (US$108m, £79m) cost of demolition, decontamination, and reconstruction.
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The Legoland Shanghai Resort opened on July 5 Credit: Merlin Entertainments
China’s first Legoland Resort has officially opened in south-west Shanghai.
Legoland Shanghai Resort, located in the city’s Jinshan District, is Merlin Entertainments’ first resort in China.
It was developed in partnership with the Jinshan District and investment groups including the Shanghai Jinshan Urban Investment Group, KIRKBI Invest A/S, and CMC Inc.
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Kimalu (KEE-ma-loo), a 12-year-old female beluga whale, is resting comfortably following a historic procedure at Chicago's Shedd Aquarium. On Tuesday, July 1, Kimalu, who was born at Shedd, underwent a first-of-its-kind surgery to remove a growing network of cysts near her blowhole on her head and neck. In the process, Kimalu became the first known beluga in the world to recover from general anesthesia. The surgery was supported by nearly 30 experts from Shedd and across the country in the fields of zoological medicine, surgery and anesthesia.
Shedd's animal care and clinical experts are monitoring Kimalu around the clock as she remains behind the scenes to ensure her welfare and well-being during the recovery process. This entails addressing her utmost comfort with antibiotics, incision-site care, pain medicine, post-surgery nutrition and extra attention from her care team.
The aquarium is encouraged by Kimalu's progress so far and remains cautiously optimistic as her journey continues. Pathologists will run tests on the cysts removed to better understand their origin and inform future treatment.
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The Smithsonian Institution has once again come under the scrutiny of the Trump administration, this time with a focus on the National Museum of American History.
Fox News reported that the White House has raised concerns about “Entertainment Nation,” a permanent display on view since 2022 that sheds light on the entertainment industry’s impact on American pop culture through a selection of theater, music, sports, movie, and television memorabilia from the last 150 years.
The exhibition includes a display on Mickey Mouse, a character that figured in the 1928 cartoon Steamboat Willie. “The new character’s outsized facial features, white gloves, and trickster temperament were vestiges of longstanding traditions of blackface minstrelsy,” a wall text at the museum reads.
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Legoland Shanghai Resort, the city's newest theme park and the world's largest Legoland park, has significantly driven up bookings at nearby hotels and boosted consumption growth in surrounding areas after its opening on Saturday.
So far this summer, 70 percent of hotel bookings in the city's Jinshan district — where the resort is located — were made by travelers from other regions of the country, while bookings made by locals accounted for more than 50 percent last year, said Qunar, a Beijing-based online travel agency.
Travelers who booked hotel rooms near Legoland mainly came from Shanghai; Beijing; Qingdao, Shandong province; Chengdu, Sichuan province; and Nanjing, Jiangsu province, Qunar said. Many hotels near the theme park said they offer complimentary shuttle services and luggage storage services for holidaymakers.
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The four-day event featured a tradeshow, education programme, special all-day events and networking opportunities
IAAPA Expo Asia, the Asia-Pacific region’s premier event for the global attractions industry, made a triumphant return this week (June 30 - July 3), with this year’s event seeing a 40% increase in attendance compared to the previous year.
More than 7,000 attendees descended on the Shanghai New International Expo Center (SINEC) for the four-day expo.
Delegates included key industry leaders such as Disney Parks International MD Jill Estorino and Trip.com Group VP Cecilia Qin, alongside 5,651 buyers from 85 countries.
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LACMA first announced plans for the expansion in 2001 Credit: Iwan Baan
The David Geffen Galleries at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) will officially open in April 2026, after more than two decades of development.
In late June, several members of the press were invited by LACMA CEO and Wallis Annenberg director Michael Govan to preview the US$720m (€609m, £522m) gallery.
First announced in 2001, the expansion was spearheaded by Swiss architect Peter Zumthor, whose original designs were unveiled in 2013. His proposal for an all-black, serpentine structure drew criticism from the public with comparisons ranging from a “freeway overpass” to an “amoebic pancake,” The Guardian reported.
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The experience allows fans of the show to take part in Squid Games Credit: Holovis
Immersive experience design specialist Holovis has completed a major technical overhaul of Squid Game: The Experience in New York, delivering a fully rebuilt and gamified attraction based on the hit Netflix series.
The production, which invites guests to step into a high-stakes version of the show's infamous competitions - without the deadly consequences - first premiered in Los Angeles.
For its East Coast debut, Holovis led a comprehensive refresh, redesigning the software architecture, enhancing motion-tracking mechanics, and introducing a dramatic new finale to elevate both the gameplay and operational performance.
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If approved, the theme park could become “one of the largest and most technologically advanced” in Europe Credit: Universal Destinations & Experiences
Universal has submitted a formal planning application to the UK government for its proposed theme park resort in Bedfordshire, the theme park giant has revealed.
The request outlines an “entertainment resort complex featuring a world-class theme park with several themed lands, visitor accommodation, as well as a range of retail, dining and entertainment uses,” with planning permission sought “by way of making a Special Development Order (SDO), a Universal spokesperson told the BBC .
The SDO, including statements on planning, design and access, and the environment, was submitted directly to the UK’s Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), with backing from the UK Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).
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The Visitor Attraction Survey helps attractions operators from around the world improve their digital infrastructure and enhance visitors’ online experiences Credit: Rubber Cheese
Rubber Cheese has launched its Visitor Attraction Survey for 2025, with this year’s edition including several new features designed to provide deeper insights into digital performance across the sector.
Curated by Rubber Cheese, a UK digital agency specialising in the attractions industry, the survey aims to help visitor attractions from across the globe improve their digital infrastructure and enhance visitors’ online experiences by providing sector-specific insights into online performance and highlighting key opportunities for improvement.
The 2025 survey includes new questions, supported by survey sponsor Navigate, on Return on Ad Spend (ROAS) – a measure of how effectively digital marketing channels generate revenue for attractions – offering sharper insight into campaign performance.
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Beamish, The Living Museum of the North has been announced as Art Fund Museum of the Year 2025.
Rhiannon Hiles, Beamish’s Chief Executive, was presented with the £120,000 prize – the largest museum prize in the world – by Phil Wang, comedian and judge for Art Fund Museum of the Year 2025, at a ceremony at the Museum of Liverpool tonight (Thursday, 26th June).
Rhiannon said: “We are incredibly excited and truly elated to be named Art Fund Museum of the Year 2025.
“To receive such a prestigious award is a real honour, a phenomenal achievement, and is credit to the amazing people who make Beamish such a special place. Thank you to our fantastic staff and volunteers and to our communities, visitors, supporters and partners for their support.
“Our thanks to Art Fund for this award – it has been a privilege to be shortlisted alongside such fantastic museums, a huge well done to all of the finalists.”
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One of Europe’s leading museums is asking visitors if it should continue to display the body of an ancient Egyptian woman 200 years after it was brought to the UK by cotton merchants, as it “decolonises” some of its most famous exhibits.
Manchester Museum, which in May was named 2025’s European museum of the year, is running a consultation on the future of Asru, a woman who lived in Thebes, the ancient city in the location of modern-day Luxor, 2,700 years ago.
A plaque at the museum asks: “Should we continue to display the body of Asru?”, inviting visitors to submit answers in a postbox underneath.
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Universal confirmed on Thursday it had submitted a request to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to secure planning permission for the new resort without going through the normal local planning process.
The scheme would be Universal’s first branded theme park in Europe and will feature several themed lands, immersive rides, on-site hotels, and a full range of retail, dining, and entertainment attractions.
If the secretary of state grants planning, work could start next year creating 20,000 construction jobs with 5,000 on site at the peak.
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Construction on Universal’s UK resort is expected to start in 2026 pending planning permission Credit: Universal
The UK government has pledged almost £500m (US$687m, €586m) in financial backing for infrastructure and transport upgrades to support Universal’s proposed UK theme park project in Bedford.
According to several sources close to the project, the package includes an estimated £270m (US$371m, €316m) for rail network upgrades, including plans for a new train station in the nearby town of Wixams to improve transportation links. Approximately £200m (US$275m, €234m) has been earmarked for road works, the Financial Times reports.
Comcast – Universal’s parent company – is currently negotiating the support package with the UK government, however, it is possible that costs may be higher than the projected £500m, as the final terms of the package have yet to be agreed, the sources told the publication.
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The UK Theme Park Awards recognise excellence in the UK theme park industry Credit: UK Theme Park Awards
The UK Theme Park Awards has revealed its judging panel for this year’s awards, ahead of its sixth annual celebration of the UK attractions industry this September.
Organised by consumer theme park guide ThemeParks-UK.com and presented in partnership with AttractionsTickets.com, the awards recognise industry excellence across 22 categories, including ‘Theme Park of the Year’, ‘Best Value’ and ‘Best Customer Service.’
New for 2025 are categories such as ‘Best Use of IP in an Attraction’, ‘Best Queue Line Experience or Pre-Show’, and ‘Best Integration of Technology in a Guest Experience’.
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The Digital Guest Experience Health Check scores users on four areas: guest experience, operational agility, revenue optimisation, and loyalty and feedback Credit: Attractions.io
Attractions.io, a provider of digital guest experience platforms for the visitor attractions industry, has launched the Digital Guest Experience Health Check, a new tool that enables visitor attractions operators to identify the pain points in their visitor journey.
The three-minute survey, designed to offer an objective view of operators' digital strategies, features 20 questions that highlight common visitor challenges.
Users are scored across four key areas: guest experience, operational agility, revenue optimisation, and loyalty and feedback. Their responses are used to generate personalised recommendations that offer actionable insights to overcome issues and increase guest satisfaction.
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MSC Seascape is getting a new attraction prior to its debut in Galveston this November. For the first time ever, Texas cruisers will experience ROBOTRON, MSC Cruises’ cutting-edge robotic arm ride, the first of its kind at sea.
The ROBOTRON is a rollercoaster-like thrill experience. Suspended nearly 175 feet above the sea, riders flip, spin, and soar with wide-open views of the ocean. The state-of-the-art robotic arm features a three-seat gondola that moves in all directions, flipping riders upside down as they hang over the edge of the ship’s deck.
“ROBOTRON is a thrill ride like no other, and we know it’ll make waves in Texas. On board MSC Seascape, guests will find that ROBOTRON is a one-of-a-kind experience that combines cutting-edge technology with breathtaking ocean views. Texans love big adventures, and MSC Seascape delivers—with high-tech entertainment, immersive attractions and unforgettable Caribbean cruises,” said Lynn Torrent, President, MSC Cruises North America.
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This floating water park might not open this summer. Water Warrior Island’s 2025 season is “paused indefinitely due to construction delays,” the waterwarriorisland.com website says.
The water park, known for its unique launch slides and floating obstacle course, is a private business inside the Bald Mountain State Recreation Area near Lake Orion.
A new toilet building is under construction at the state park’s beach, resulting the in the closure of the beach and swimming area at the Lower Trout Lake day-use area, including two large parking lots and a picnic area, through at least June 27. It’s a $3.9 million ARPA-funded project.
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Six Flags officials raised the possibility of closing California’s Great America after the 2027 season as the countdown clock to extinction continues ticking for the Bay Area amusement park.
Six Flags Chief Financial Officer Brian Witherow said during a recent investor meeting that California’s Great America in Santa Clara would close after the 2027 season if the company doesn’t extend the park’s lease.
“Unless we decide to extend, and exercise one of our options to extend that lease, that park’s last year without that extension would be after the ‘27 season,” Witherow said during Six Flags Investor Day 2025.
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