The Wizarding World of Harry Potter” At Universal Studios Hollywood Serves Up Traditional English Fare, Tasty Butterbeer And Magically Sweet Treats, Capturing The Authenticity Of The All-New Immersive Land, Opening April 7, 2016

"THE WIZARDING WORLD OF HARRY POTTER" SERVES UP TRADITIONAL ENGLISH FARE AT UNIVERSAL STUDIOS HOLLYWOOD

A foray through Hogsmeade village at “The Wizarding World of Harry Potter™” at Universal Studios Hollywood will please the palate with an enticing array of savory fare and beverages, served up at the land’s Three Broomsticks™ and Hog's Head pub as featured in the Harry Potter books and films, and where guests from around the world can dine on traditional British dishes and sample Butterbeer™.

“The Wizarding World of Harry Potter” at Universal Studios Hollywood opens on April 7, 2016.

Carefully prepared by Universal Studios Hollywood’s executive chef and culinary team, the eclectic British menu will invite guests to step into Three Broomsticks, an aged rustic tavern, where they can enjoy authentic meals while seated at custom-made wooden tables, chairs and benches, in a warm and inviting atmosphere taken straight from the wizarding world.

Sample menu items include Bangers & Mash (savory grilled English sausages with creamy mashed potatoes and minted peas), Shepherd’s Pie (ground beef and vegetables, crowned with potatoes), Beef Sunday Roast (prime rib of beef with Yorkshire pudding and gravy), Beef, Lamb & Guinness Stew and Fish & Chips. Rounding out the hearty fare are decadent treats such as Butterbeer potted cream and sticky toffee pudding.

Gathering inspiration from historic British taverns, the adjoining Hog’s Head pub features original draught beers and spirits created exclusively for the land, including Hog’s Head Brew, Dragon’s Scale, Wizard’s Brew and Fire Whisky.

Three Broomsticks also features a selection of scrumptious traditional English breakfast items, welcoming guests to start their day at “The Wizarding World of Harry Potter.” Tempting menu choices include the Eggy Bread breakfast (French baguette, cut on the bias and served with bacon and Vermont maple syrup), as well as traditional English breakfast (fresh scrambled eggs, sausage links, bacon, black pudding, baked beans, baked tomato, sautéed mushrooms and potatoes) and traditional American breakfast (eggs, sausages, bacon and toast).

Butterbeer, served traditionally and frozen as well as pumpkin juice™, pumpkin fizz and Gilly Water are Hogsmeade beverage staples.

As the countdown to the April 7 opening date continues, Universal Studios Hollywood invites guests to learn more by signing up for the latest news and information at www.universalstudioshollywood.com/harrypotter/signup.

Join the conversation online using #WizardingWorldHollywood. Like Universal Studios Hollywood on Facebook and follow @UniStudios on Instagram and Twitter.

About Universal Studios Hollywood: Universal Studios Hollywood, The Entertainment Capital of L.A.SM, includes a full-day, movie-based theme park and Studio Tour; the CityWalk entertainment, shopping and dining complex, the Universal CityWalk Cinemas and the “5 Towers” state-of-the-art outdoor concert venue. World-class rides and attractions include the renowned, behind-the-scenes Studio Tour featuring the intense “King Kong 360 3-D” attraction and the all-new “Fast & Furious—Supercharged” thrill ride as the Studio Tour’s grand finale. Other popular rides include the 3D-HD adventure, “Despicable Me Minion Mayhem” and immersive “Super Silly Fun Land,” the critically-acclaimed mega-attraction, “Transformers™: The Ride-3D,” “Revenge of the MummySM—The Ride,” “Jurassic Park® —The Ride,” “Springfield,” hometown of America’s favorite TV family, adjacent to the award-winning “The Simpsons RideTM” and the “Nighttime Studio Tour” which runs on select evenings.

About Warner Bros. Entertainment: Warner Bros. Entertainment is a global leader in all forms of entertainment and their related businesses across all current and emerging media and platforms. A Time Warner Company, the fully integrated, broad-based studio is home to one of the most successful collections of brands in the world and stands at the forefront of every aspect of the entertainment industry from feature film, television and home entertainment production and worldwide distribution to DVD, digital distribution, animation, comic books, video games, product, and brand licensing, international cinemas and broadcasting.

HARRY POTTER, characters, names and related indicia are trademarks of and © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. Harry Potter Publishing Rights © JKR.
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Food, Frights and Holiday Festivities in Orlando this Fall. A Look Ahead: August - December

Journey to Orlando this fall for festivals and celebrations found nowhere else, including the largest and most elaborate Halloween celebration in the country. From food festivals and ghoulish haunted houses to surprise encounters with The Grinch himself, Orlando has plenty of events to keep families entertained all season long. Fall is for Foodies As an emerging dining destination and recent host for the James Beard Foundation Semifinalist announcement, Orlando hosts several food and wine festivals throughout the fall. Visit Orlando's Magical Dining Month is a culinary celebration offering the ultimate jaw-dropping combo – impressive cuisine and big savings. During the entire month of September, top Orlando-area restaurants offer three-course, prix-fixe dinners for $33. This year, Visit Orlando has added a Magical Dining preview week Aug. 25-31 for eager eaters looking to get a jump start on the month-long celebration. Epcot’s International Food & Wine Festival at Walt Disney World Resort features global cuisine from nearly 30 international marketplaces throughout the park, culinary demonstrations and a concert series Sept. 19 – Nov. 10. Visitors can indulge in tantalizing tastings and wine pairings at the Fifth Annual Food & Wine Classicheld Oct. 31 – Nov. 1 at Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort and Food and Wine Weekends at Waldorf Astoria Orlando, held late September through early November. Halloween Capital of the World Visitors looking for thrills beyond roller coasters should look no further than Orlando, offering more than 80 individual Halloween events during the six weeks leading up to Oct. 31. Every weekend in October, families can experience SeaWorld Orlando’s Halloween Spooktacular with special Halloween shows and a sea of sweet treats for kids. Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Orlando Resort is an elaborate celebration held on select nights Sept. 19 – Nov. 1, with pulse-pounding spooks, fully-themed haunted houses, “scarezones” and live stage shows. For not-so-scary Halloween fun, guests are invited to dress in costumes and trick-or-treat throughout Magic Kingdom Park during Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, held on select nights September 1 – October 31. From a haunted scavenger hunt to the largest LEGO Jack-O-Lantern in the world, LEGOLAND Florida’sBrick-or-Treat offers families spooky and kooky fun during weekends in October. Holidays in Orlando Come November, visitors can get into the spirit with special holiday celebrations throughout Orlando, all leading up to New Year’s Eve celebrations like nowhere else. At Universal's Islands of Adventure, families will be entertained when the popular Dr. Seuss book "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" is brought to life during Grinchmas. At Universal Studios Florida, theMacy's Holiday Parade will fill the streets with the same iconic balloons found in New York City along with a tree-lighting ceremony by Santa Claus. Guests will be dazzled by holiday stage shows, fireworks and snow flurries on Main Street U.S.A. during Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party at Magic Kingdom Park. Other Walt Disney World Resort celebrations include Holidays Around the World at Epcot and Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. SeaWorld’s Christmas Celebration comes alive Nov. 24 – Dec. 31, with Shamu Christmas Miracles show and more than 100 sparkling trees at the Sea Of Trees. LEGOLAND Florida’s Christmas Bricktacular features a 270,000-brick Christmas tree, festive decorations and LEGO Santa Claus on select dates in December. What's New During one of the largest expansion periods in Orlando’s history, fall visitors can be among the first to experience brand-new attractions and resorts. Walt Disney World Resort completed a multiyear project that doubled the size of Fantasyland with the debut of Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, a family-friendly coaster which takes guests on a wild journey through the mine “where a million diamonds shine.” Universal Orlando Resort expanded The Wizarding World of Harry Potter across both of its theme parks with the addition of Diagon Alley. Guests can journey between Hogsmeade and ‘London’ aboard the Hogwarts Express and experience a brand-new, multi-dimensional thrill ride, Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts Universal’s Cabana Bay Beach Resort is the fourth on-site hotel at Universal Orlando Resort, featuring family suites, 10-lane bowling alley and two massive pools areas. Opening in August, the 444-room Four Seasons Resort Orlando at Walt Disney World Resort features a golf course, full-service spa, elaborate pool area and rooftop steakhouse with breath-taking views of nightly firework celebrations at the area’s theme parks. For more information about vacation experiences in Orlando, to order a complimentary vacation planning kit that includes a comprehensive Official Visitors Guide and Orlando Magicard® or to purchase discount attraction tickets, visitors can log onto Orlando’s official website at VisitOrlando.com or call an Official Travel Counselor at 1-800-551-0181 (United States and Canada) or 407-363-5872. For real time updates, follow us on Twitter at Twitter.com/VisitOrlando or Facebook at Facebook.com/VisitOrlando. While in Orlando, visitors may stop by the Official Visitor Center located at 8723 International Drive

Details Emerge About New Harry Potter Ride At Universal Orlando Resort

This computer image released by NBCUniversal Orlando shows a setting for the ride that will be the centerpiece for the new Harry Potter-themed area at Universal Orlando Resort theme park. The ride will take visitors into Gringotts bank to help retrieve a magical object. (AP Photo/NBCUniversal)

 (AP) - The centerpiece of the new Harry Potter-themed area at Universal Orlando Resort will take visitors into Gringotts bank to help retrieve a magical object and re-create a scene from the wildly popular book and movie series.

Universal executives announced Tuesday that the ride will be called "Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts." It re-creates a scene from the final Harry Potter book and film.

"It takes you into one of the great moments of the fiction," said Mark Woodbury, president of Universal Creative.

The ride and the themed area - called the Wizarding World of Harry Potter-Diagon Alley - will open in the summer. It will double the size of the Harry Potter landscape in the park.

Among the features of the new ride: a 60-foot dragon atop Gringotts Wizarding Bank, a labyrinth of Gringotts vaults, and a marble hall with goblins. Riders will be taken into a world as part of a quest to retrieve a magical object to defeat Lord Voldemort.

The ride will use 360-degree themed sets, digital high-definition animation, 3-D projection systems and live special effects.

Woodbury said the goal was to use new technology and intensely detailed storytelling to thrill Harry Potter fans and entice those who haven't read the books or seen the movies.

The new themed area will be located at Universal Studios Park. It will be tied to the original Wizarding World of Harry Potter area at Universal's Islands of Adventure via the Hogwarts Express train.

During the train ride, riders will spot characters and magical creatures from the book. Among them: Hagrid on a flying motorbike, the Weasley twins on brooms, and the Knight Bus in London traffic.

Universal's team worked with a group from the Harry Potter films on the new themed area.

If fans want to see both parks, a two-park ticket will be required. For adults, a two-park ticket for one day costs $136; for children, it costs $130.