An opening date has been set for the UK’s first Universal theme park after the government closed a deal with bosses at the film studio.
The massive new attraction – predicted to bring in £50 billion to the UK- is preparing to open its doors on a site outside Bedford in 2031.
It will make the English market town, located halfway between Cambridge and Northampton, the seventh place to host a Universal park after Hollywood, Orlando, Beijing, Osaka, Singapore and Frisco in Texas.
As well as a range of thrill rides, the 476-acre former brickworks will host a retail and entertainment complex and a hotel with 500 rooms.
On a visit to Downing Street today, president of Universal’s parent company Comcast Mike Cavanagh unveiled an artist’s rendering of what the park could look like.
What do we know about the Universal Studios theme park in Bedford?
The plans showed the entrance gates leading to a large plaza, built around a fountain that appeared to feature a sculpture of the studio’s famous planet Earth logo.
Visitors would then walk along a street to reach different areas scattered around a large central lake including three very twisty rollercoasters – with one looping over the water’s surface.
The theme park that opens in six years’ time could look very different from the artists’ impression, but some clues are offered by the other five versions around the world.
Several have areas celebrating Harry Potter – though the Potter-heavy Warner Bros Studio Tour is only 30 miles south in Watford – as well as Jurassic Park and the Minions from Despicable Me.
There are also rides based around popular franchises like The Fast and the Furious and Universal monster movies like Frankenstein, Dracula and the Mummy.
Meanwhile, some aspects could be borrowed from the Universal Kids Resort currently under construction in the Texan city of Frisco, which will be catered towards young families.
Teacher Debbie Wilson, who lives in the Bedford village of Oakley, told Metro: ‘Hopefully it will give a real boost to the local economy and encourage investment into the town centre.
‘Also if they can introduce the education projects they have set up in the Texas site then that would be amazing.’
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What else is there to do in Bedfordshire?
The new theme park will almost certainly become the biggest draw for visitors coming to the East England county of Bedfordshire.
But it’ll be far from the only thing to do in the area, if tourists tire of corkscrews and .
Whipsnade Zoo, west of Luton, is the biggest zoo in the UK (in terms of area, not number of animals).
East of Milton Keynes, you’ll find the Woburn Safari Park which is the top-rated Bedfordshire attraction on Tripadvisor.
Beyond those two big hitters, Universal Studios will also face competition from the Shuttleworth Collection aviation museum in Biggleswade and the scenic Dunstable Downs.
Metro has had a go at predicting the Bedford-themed rides that could be on the way if the motion picture behemoth decides to take a bit of local inspiration – have a read here.
Metro visited Universal’s new park before it opened – here’s our verdict
After 10 hours of adventuring in 33°C Floridian heat, let me take you on a wild ride through magical worlds of wizardry, fire-breathing dragons — and the best rollercoaster I’ve ever been on.
At every turn the detail is so extraordinary, my favourite part was watching it all while I queued.
Arriving at Epic Universe in Florida, the excitement was palpable.
A chorus of ‘have an epic day!’ was cheered, and staff members told me they had completed a 10-day training course to learn all there is to know about the park the world has waited for.
But could it really be as ‘epic’ as everyone was promising?
Epic Universe has a cosmic theme, and that’s most obvious in Celestial Park, the main hub which is officially being referred to as ‘the connecting world between worlds’. It’s where the ‘portals’ to the four other worlds branch off from.
The park is beautiful — all greens, teals and stars — with the turquoise dome of Constellation Carousel in the centre.
Read Kristina Beanland’s full story about her experience here.
What has Keir Starmer said about the deal?
Welcoming the new deal, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the attraction will create around 28,000 jobs – split into 20,000 during the construction phase and 8,000 once visitors start coming through the turnstiles.
He said: ‘It is not just about numbers, it’s about securing real opportunities for people in our country.’
Universal expects the park to generate more than £50 billion for the UK economy: £35.1 billion during the construction period and first 20 years of operation, and £14 billion generated from taxes in the same period.
The announcement will come as a relief to Starmer’s government, which has been battered by a week of tough economic news after Donald Trump introduced tariffs on much of the world.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves said she saw it as ‘a vote of confidence in Britain as a place to do business’.
Shadow Business Secretary Andrew Griffith described the announcement as ‘great news for Britain’, but said the Conservatives should be credited with securing the land and bringing forward plans.
He added: ‘We’re pleased that, despite Labour’s economic mismanagement, Universal Studios has committed to investing in Bedfordshire.’
Mark Woodbury, chief executive of Universal Destinations & Experiences, said: ‘Bringing a world-class theme park and resort to the United Kingdom is a tremendous opportunity and is part of our strategy to introduce the Universal brand and experiences to new audiences around the globe.’
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