The ultimate Halloween nightmare is coming back for a 20^th year of nightmarish thrills and unbridled terror. Get ready for Universal Studios’ Halloween Horror Nights® XX: Twenty Years of Fear.

On select evenings in September and October, Universal Studios Florida® theme park will transform into a nightmarish maze of all new haunted houses, scare zones, and outrageous live shows. Meanwhile, an extensive assortment of mutants, monsters and maniacs will also roam the darkened studio streets offering scares of their own. It’s all part of the fun of this wildly popular annual event.

General admission for this separate ticket event is $74.95. However, Florida residents can save with a variety of advance purchase options, including $64.99 on Saturdays, $49.99 on Fridays and just $39.99 on Sundays-Thursdays. Additional savings are available with “Frequent Fear” passes.

Visit www.halloweenhorrornights.com/orlando for up-to-date details and restrictions regarding the event, as well as some history on the past 20 years of Halloween Horrors!

For more on discount Orlando vacation packages and other theme park adventures, go to www.OrlandoThemeParkVacations.com.

Dates for Halloween Horror Nights® XX

SEPTEMBER 24, 25, 30, 2010
OCTOBER 1-3, 7-10, 14-17, 20-24, 27-31, 2010

The new Wizarding World of Harry Potter is stealing all the headlines these days, but there’s another world renowned show also ready to grab your attention at Universal Orlando Resort.

So while the crowds are squeezing into Hogwarts castle and sipping on Butter Beer, now is a great time to take a break from the theme park fun and instead experience the wild and wacky antics of Blue Man Group. The show is full of live music, side-splitting humor, audience interaction, original musical instruments, multimedia theatrics and paint; lots and lots of paint!

Sit down and buckle up for a show that is jam packed with the Blue Man Group’s unique and witty style of entertainment, providing a totally outrageous experience for all.

After the amazing Blue Man Group party, you can also enjoy free admission to select Universal CityWalk® venues with the presentation of your Blue Man Group ticket stub.

For more information on Universal Orlando Resort and discount ticket options, visit http://www.orlandothemeparkvacations.com/.

Music is in the air. At least it will be starting Saturday night at Universal Orlando.

The Universal Orlando Summer Concert Series kicks off June 12 at Universal Studios Florida with featured musical guest, Train.  It’s the first in a series of Saturday night concerts slated throughout the summer season. Other performers scheduled include Pitbull, Earth, Wind & Fire, Rob Thomas, Pat Benetar and REO Speedwagon, as well as Counting Crows.

For details, visit www.UniversalOrlando.com. Or for more information on discount Universal theme park tickets and Orlando vacation packages, go to www.Orlandothemeparkvacations.com.

It’s almost time for another Velvet Sessions at Hard Rock Hotel in Orlando. The popular rock ‘n’ roll cocktail party is held the last Thursday of every month (excluding November and December).This month’s featured artist is Everclear, best known for songs like “Everything to Everyone” and “Wonderful.” The Universal Orlando Resort hotel event begins at 6:30 pm on June 24, 2010.

Advance admission is available for $25 online and includes specialty cocktails, finger foods and the concert held in the Hard Rock Hotel’s lobby lounge and Velvet Bar. Parking is free.

Each Velvet Sessions event showcases a different type of beverage theme while past  performers have included Joan Jett, The Tubes, Eddie Mondy, The Romantics, The Fixx, Foreigner, ABC and others.

For more information, go to http://www.velvetsessions.com/. For details on discount Orlando vacation packages and Universal Orlando theme park tickets, go to http://www.orlandothemeparkvacations.com/.

 Some of music’s biggest stars are coming to Orlando this summer. It’s all part of Universal Orlando’s exciting Summer Concert Series.

Best of all, it’s included with regular theme park admission to Universal Studios Florida. So catch a ride on Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit. Ride the Movies. Enjoy a full day of fun in the sun. Then kick back and soak up the sounds of your favorite bands, including:

June 12th - Train
June 19th - Pitbull
June 26th - Earth, Wind, and Fire
July 3rd - Pat Benatar and REO Speedwagon
July 10th - Rob Thomas
July 17th - Counting Crows

It’s all yours this summer and it’s only at Universal Orlando® Resort! For more details on Universal Orlando, go to http://www.orlandothemeparkvacations.com/.

 One of the nation’s longest-running and most popular game shows is coming to Orlando this summer.

Famous for the phrase, “survey says”… Family Feud is moving its production studio from Las Angeles to a new home at Universal Orlando Resort. In addition to the change in venue, the show will also welcome a new host in entertainer Steve Harvey.

The game show is expected to film 165 episodes from July thru September on Sound Stage 19 at Universal Orlando Resort. The episodes will be staged on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Family Feud will produce four to eight episodes a day.

You don’t have to be a theme park guest to watch the tapings. Currently, there are 22 taping dates scheduled between July and September, 2010. Access to the studio will be available through Universal CityWalk for those not visiting the theme park.

Family Feud is one of the most familiar game shows since Richard Dawson originally hosted it in the 1970s. The current version of the show has been running 11 years in syndication and airs weekdays at 10 a.m. ET.

Universal Orlando will play up Family Feud in promotions to bring more guests to the resort, said Pamela Tuscany, vice president of production.
For more information on Family Feud, visit www.UniversalOrlando.com. For details on the Universal theme parks and discount Orlando vacation packages and tickets, go to www.OrlandoThemeParkVacations.com.

If you didn’t get your fill of great music and spectacular concerts during the long-running Mardi Gras celebration at Universal Studios, don’t worry - there’s more music to come this summer.

The Summer Concert Series at Universal Studios brings six more exciting nights of exciting concerts to the Orlando theme park.

The Summer Concert Series runs every Saturday from June 12 through July 17 with concerts starting at 9 pm except the the July 3 show which starts at 8 pm. Best of all, the concerts are included with your regular Universal Studios admission.

Scheduled performers include:

June 12       Train

June 19       Pitbull

June 26       Earth Wind & Fire

July 3           Pat Benetar & REO Speedwagon

July 10         Rob Thomas

July 17         Counting Crows

For more information about Universal Studios discount tickets or discount Orlando family vacation packages, please visit http://www.orlandothemeparkvacations.com/.

With the beach just a short drive from Orlando, it’s easy to fill any trip to central Florida with some sunshine and surfing. But this week, Universal Studios Orlando can help bring that surfing experience to the theme park.That’s because the Mardi Gras celebration continues at Universal Orlando and this week’s special musical guest features the Beach Boys, live in concert on April 3 at 9:30 pm.

 Since their debut album in 1961, the group was originally comprised of the Wilson brothers - Brian, Dennis and Carl - plus cousin Mike Love and friend Al Jardine. Together they combined to knock out 36 Top 40 hits with their extraordinary harmonies and popular surf music.

The Beach Boys were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988 and have had four Number One singles, including “Good Vibrations.”

Mardi Gras continues at Universal Orlando through April 17. For additional details, visit http://www.universalorlando.com/ or for details on discount Orlando vacation packages, to go http://www.orlandothemeparkvacations.com/.

The Mardi Gras party keeps on rolling at Universal Studios Florida in Orlando. The popular spring Mardi Gras celebration continues now through mid-April with a variety of rocking musical guests appearing each weekend. This week’s artist is the amazing Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin.

Her list of achievements goes on and on, including a dozen million-selling singles, 20 Number 1 R&B hits, a cover story in Time magazine, the first woman inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, 15 Grammy Awards with a lifetime achievement award in 1995, and a roll in the movie, The Blues Brothers.

Now the legendary singer brings her smooth voice to the big stage at Universal Studios Florida starting at 8:30 pm on Saturday, March 13, 2010.

You can go to http://www.orlandothemeparkvacations.com/ for additional details on Universal Studios, Mardi Gras and the many other Orlando area theme parks and attractions. Or check out the list of discount theme park tickets and money-saving Orlando vacation packages. If you would like information on discount Orlando resort and hotel lodging, you can also visit www.WestgateReservations.com/sweepstakes.cfm.

The party goes on and on at Universal Studios Florida as the popular Mardi Gras celebration continues through mid-April. This week’s musical guest stara is Akon, the Grammy-nominated singer and songwriter and one of the music industry’s fastest-rising stars.

Akon’s special mix of hip-hop, R&B and rap includes a number of chart-topping hits like Lonely, I Wanna Love You, Don’t Matter and Dangerous. He’s the first artist to accomplish the feat of holding both the number one and two spots simultaneously on the Billboard Hot 100 charts twice.

A frequent guest on TV’s American Idol, Akon brings his act to Universal’s Mardi Gras at 8:30 pm on March 6, 2010.

Go to www.OrlandoThemeParkVacations.com for information on Universal Studios, Mardi Gras and other Orlando area theme parks and attractions, as well as details on discount theme park tickets and Orlando vacation packages. Or visit www.WestgateReservations.com/sweepstakes.cfm for information on discount Orlando resort and hotel lodging.