The "Back To The Future" Experience At Universal Fan Fest Nights Is W-I-L-D, Here's What It's Like
Hello, fellow movie fans! In case you hadn't heard, Universal Studios Hollywood JUST launched the very first "Fan Fest Nights" (think of it as Halloween Horror Nights meets Comic-Con), and it's no secret the most highly-anticipated attraction at this event is " Back to the Future: Destination Hill Valley."
This highly immersive experience takes places at Universal Studios' backlot in Courthouse Square, which is the ACTUAL location where they filmed the iconic Clock Tower scene (and more) in Back to the Future. And there's an entire storyline with actors you can follow and interact with. So, yeah, you basically get to "live" inside Back to the Future for a night, and it's SO. FUN.
So, in case you go (or can't make it and just wanna see), here are all the best Back to the Future details, Easter eggs, and just really cool things I saw and experienced at Fan Fest Nights. Check it out...
1. First of all, before you even get on the tram to the backlot, you'll get a taste of what's to come when you bump into the Clock Tower lady from Hill Valley's Preservation Society. (Be sure to grab one of the iconic blue "Save the Clock Tower" flyers she's handing out!)
2. Getting you even more into the mindset of being "immersed" in Hill Valley, the typical Tram tour video has been replaced with a special video from Doc Brown advising you to do things like "observe, interact, and above all, don't cause a paradox."
3. When you arrive at the backlot, if your timing is lucky, you'll actually get to see Marty wandering into town (just like in the movie)! And you are 10000% welcome to interact with him (and all the other actors).
4. And there are perfect replicas of the Lyon Estates billboard and signs before you even arrive at Courthouse Square.
5. OKAY, so when you do finally step foot into Courthouse Square, you'll instantly feel transported to 1955. And there are all kinds of great details to look out for that callback to the film.
6. For example one of the first things you'll probably notice is Biff's Ford Super De Luxe Convertible.
7. There's also Doc Brown's 1949 Packard Custom 8 Victoria Convertible over at the gas station.
8. Closer to the entrance, you'll see a replica of a "Re-Elect Mayor 'Red' Thomas" sign.
9. And, of course, not-so-subtly, the "Welcome to Hill Valley" square sign that Marty walks by in the film.
10. There's Ruth's Frock Shop, where Lorraine gets her dress for the "Enchantment Under the Sea" dance.
11. And if you look more closely at the shops you'll see a lot of great Easter eggs. For example, the jewelry shop has a sign that says: Timeless Classics (~timeless~ get it?!).
12. And the stationary store has some fun science fiction books that are very on brand, like A Man Returns (Marty's goal is to return to 1985!), The Traveler from Orange County (time TRAVEL!), and I'll Have What She's Having * by Tony Lindas, who is the Manager of Props and Placemaking at Universal Studios Hollywood.
13. At the Realtor's office, you'll see homes for sale throughout Hill Valley including a couple of houses for sale on streets like "S. Hill Valley Circle" and "N. Courthouse Drive."
14. We don't get Lou's Cafe, sadly, however there is a thematic "Valley Diner & Cafe"...
15. ...as well as a "Hill Valley Hotel."
16. But there IS Roy's Records, which doesn't have "The Ballad of Davy Crockett" for sale, but they do have a nice record player for sale in the window.
17. And there's even a toy shop with some fun details in the window, including this train set, which looks a lot like the train in Back to the Future Part III.
18. Also, be on the lookout (up high) for a fun "Hill Valley High School" sign above the "Enchantment Under the Sea" stage...
19. ....as well as the panthers that have been added to the Clock Tower over at Courthouse Square (also way up high).
20. Now, back to the BIG things. As I mentioned, this is a totally immserive event. So fans are encouraged to cosplay as BTTF characters. And you get to interact with the actors playing the characters from the film as much as you want!
21. Like, you can help George McFly come up with something clever to say to Lorraine.
22. You can ask Biff for a photo (although there's a 100% change he'll be ~mean~ to you, because, ya know, he's a bully).
24. And, of course, you can talk to Marty and try and help him figure out how the heck he's going to get back to 1985!
Crystal Ro / BuzzFeed
25. FYI, there are ~major~ events that happen throughout your visit, and the whole story plays out in a roughly 1-hour loop, so if you miss one of the major events, you can hang out and see it again a little later.
Crystal Ro / BuzzFeed
26. Like, you can see Marty trying to avoid Lorraine's (his mom) romantic advances.
Crystal Ro / BuzzFeed
27. Or watch Marty and Doc hash out their plan to get Marty BACK to the future.
Crystal Ro / BuzzFeed
28. You can see Strickland be...well, Strickland.
Crystal Ro / BuzzFeed
29. And you can even see Marty play up on stage with Marvin Berry and the Starlighters at the "Enchantment Under the Sea" dance.
Crystal Ro / BuzzFeed
30. But, of course, the pièce de résistance is the recreation of the Clock Tower lightning strike. Now, FAIR WARNING, you will not actually see a Delorean/Time Machine drive down the road during the recreation. However, you will see a cool projection and lighting sequence timed to the music that recreates the scene. And it's pretty spectacular.
Crystal Ro / BuzzFeed
31. And they've also added some cool special effects to recreate the lightning striking the tower and then going through the wires on Marty's path.
Crystal Ro / BuzzFeed
TBH, I was HOPING they'd at least have a Time Machine drive through the square for this recreation, but I get it, it's probably too dangerous to have that happen with a ton of people wandering around. (STILL, would've been cool!)
32. There's also a REALLY great photo op they've set up with the iconic flames on the road and spinning license plate*. And this is just up and running all night, so get your pics in whenever you want!
Crystal Ro / BuzzFeed
*TECHNICALLY, the whole spinning license plate thing happens earlier in the movie, in 1985 when Einstein (the dog) time travels, but I'll give them a pass here because it looks cool and is a fun effect and photo op they've set up, LOL.
Here's me (as Jennifer! LOL), just to give you a sense of what that looks like:
Darren Leis / BuzzFeed
33. But, don't worry, you can get your Time Machine moment in with this other A+++ photo op that also includes EINSTEIN.
Crystal Ro / BuzzFeed
The line gets REALLY long for this photo op, as you can imagine, so just keep that in mind when planning!
As you can see, there's a TONNNNN to do at " Back to the Future: Destination Hill Valley," and if you love the films, 10/10 would recommend you check this out! You can purchase tickets NOW for Universal Fan Fest Nights to see it all IRL. The remaining event dates are May 2–4, 9–11, and 16–18, 2025.
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