ORLANDO, Fla. - Universal Orlando has canceled Halloween Horror Nights for 2020 due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.


What You Need To Know

  • This year would have been 30th edition of event

  • Universal said it hopes Halloween Horror Nights returns in 2021

"We know this decision will disappoint our fans and guests," Universal said in a release Friday. "We are disappointed, too. But we look forward to creating an amazing event in 2021."

Universal said it will instead focus its energy on operating its theme parks for its day guests as new health and safety measures have been implemented.

Halloween Horror Nights, which would have been the 30th edition of the event, was set to take place select nights from September 10 to November 1.

The annual event was also cancel for Universal Studios Hollywood in California, which has not yet reopened its theme park.

Halloween Horror Nights is the latest large-scale theme park event to be affected by the ongoing pandemic. Last month, Disney World canceled its popular Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party.

Instead of canceling, some parks have opted to hold modified versions of various events like food festivals. SeaWorld is holding A Taste of Seven Seas, a scaled-back version of its Seven Seas Food Festival, while Disney is holding A Taste of Epcot International Food & Festival, with fewer food booths.

The theme parks shut down in mid-March in response to the pandemic. They have since reopened with new measures, including mandatory face masks, temperature checks and social distancing protocols.

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