The old saying, “The show must go on,” is taken seriously at Universal Studios Hollywood. We visited the park last week during a rain storm and found that when bad weather rolls through, their gates remain open and they make all sorts of special accommodations to keep you happy and comfortable. Grinchmas is on the way and we have the full list of celebrity readers along with a tour of the Grinchy store in the upper lot.

Surprisingly, very little of the park operations are affected by rain. None of the shows are closed, not even Waterworld. As guests enter, they are handed special rain maps that point out the spots that offer escape from the rain. Free hot cocoa and Coffee are offered inside the Old Globe Theatre facility, across from the Terminator attraction. This is a classy and generous move as the park could easily make a lot of money by selling warm beverages to shuddering guests.

CITY WALK

City Walk, however, is not the best place to stroll in the rain. It is better to grab a coffee at one of the restaurants and watch the rain fall. But, I had an update to prepare, so I had to slog through buckets of rain.

Rain aside, CityWalk looks and feels hip and festive. It’s a fun vibe.

UPPER LOT

At the front gates of the park everything is decked out for Christmas Grinchmas. Ornaments dangle from the archway and the gate is a bright chartreuse, the Grinch’s signature color.

GRINCHMAS STORE

The flex retail space at the entrance plaza has been reopened as the Grinchmas store. Here you can pick up everything from Grinch pajamas to T-shirts and tree ornaments.

THE WEATHER OUTSIDE IS FRIGHTFUL

What happens when it rains at Universal Studios Hollywood? Well, the show goes on of course. But they do it with a surprising amount of style.

GRINCHMAS – December 8th and 9th then Dec 15th-31st

The merriest villain that ever was brings Grinchmas celebrations to Universal Studios Hollywood on December 8th and 9th then Dec 15th-31st. What is Grinchmas? During the day, it is a winter wonderland of real snow that guests can play in. In the evenings, there are celebrity readings of the classic Dr. Suess book, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, with a tree lighting to top things off.

The main celebrations take place in the upper lot at the center of the park. Once inside the main gates, you really can’t miss the whimsical, curvy Christmas Tree on the horizon. Follow that and you will find the snow, and the arena for the nightly show.

Below is a full listing for the celebrity readings of How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Note that there are usually two performances each night, but show times vary. Before heading out, don’t forget to double check the full show schedule on the Universal Website here

Celebrity Readings of How the Grinch Stole Christmas

December 8th

Nia Vardalos 5:30pm

Alison Sweeney 6:15pm

December 9th

Jillian Michaels 5:30pm

Daniella Monet 6:15pm

Dec 15th

Yvette Nicole Brown 7:00pm

Dec 16th

Tahj Mowry 6:15pm

Yarel Ramos 7:00pm

Dec 17th

Jillian Rose Reed & Nikki de Loach 6:15pm

Danny Pudi 7:00pm

Dec 18th

Corbin Bernsen, Kirsten Nelson & Kurt Fuller 6:15pm

Sierra McCormick 7:00pm

Dec 19th

Ryan Beatty 6:15pm

Lu Parker 7:00pm

Dec 20th

Tia Mowry-Hardict 6:15pm

Dec 21st

Jamar Rogers 6:15

Tim Dekay, Willie Garson & Tiffany Thiessen 7:30pm



Dec 22nd

Peyton List 6:15

Diego Boneta 7:30pm

Dec 23rd

Xolo Mariduena 6:15

Raphael Sbarge 7:30pm

Dec 24th

Lauren Bowles 6:15pm

Sharif Atkins 7:30pm

Dec 25th

Kate Linder 6:15pm

Chris Gorham 7:30pm

Dec 26th

Matthew Fahey 6:15pm

Kirk Cameron 7:30pm

Dec 27th

Camryn Manheim 6:15pm

Benjamin Stockham 7:30pm

Dec 28th

Ryan Potter 6:15pm

Ryan Newman 7:30pm

Dec 29th

Teri Reeves 7:30pm

Dec 30th

China Anne McClain 6:15pm

Steve Blake 7:30pm

Dec 31st

Dot Marie Jones 7:30pm

There is also a bit of Grinchmas fun on the backlot tour as well. As the tram pulls through the Whoville set, the whos bring the exisiting set to life with song and dance. It wasn’t quite ready for guests on my trip, so I don’t have photos for you yet. Stay tuned.

THE SIMPSONS RIDE

Another nice touch that always appears for the holidays can be seen at The Simpsons Ride. The figures out in front of the ride all wear Santa hats. There are also a few Christmas tree light structures set up with presents surrounding them.

STUDIO TOUR

When the weather decides to deliver rain, the Studio Tour soldiers on. A ride though the backlot could prove to be a damp proposition. But they thought of this too.

The solution offered above, at first seemed awkward and likley to ruin the experience. But, after a few minutes getting acclimated, the sheets actually didn’t bother us. In fact, I was pretty thankful for them when the rain really began to pour down.



A large house set has been constructed near the Earthquake attraction.

Up at the Whoville sets, they are getting ready for the Grinchmas festivities where Whos will greet each tour and dance and sing.

Finally, some nice wintery trees have been added along the exit of the Tram tour.

LOWER LOT

Jurassic Park was down for adjustments the day of our visit. But, really, who would have been riding it?

And with that rather dry note we leave Universal Studios today. Though soggy, the Studios park is still a ton of fun in the rain. And due to the weather, the crowds were practically nonexistent. We’ll have a followup article for you shortly as Universal awards Betty White with its annual Whomanitarian award for her lifelong work on behalf of animal welfare.

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