Universal Orlando has officially announced that Dragon Challenge will close on Sept 5th to make way for an all-new coaster experience that will take guests “deeper into J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World”.
While no specifics have been announced, Universal Orlando promises that it will be one of the “most highly-themed coaster experiences” they’ve created, and ” redefine the category”.
As far as Dragon Challenge, the dual inverted coaster attraction is located in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Hogsmeade, and is based on the Triwizard Tournament; which was featured heavily in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.
The popular coaster was originally known as Dueling Dragons when Islands of Adventure opened in 1999 – themed to two battling dragons known as Fire and Ice. The coaster was renamed and re-purposed in 2010 when it was included in the expansion of the Wizarding World.
The two coasters tracks – with the blue track named “Hungarian Horntail”, and the red track, “Chinese Fireball” – originally “dueled”, with the coaster trains featuring several near-misses throughout the track; however that aspect was changed in 2011 with the trains now dispatching separately.
Stay tuned to Inside Universal for future news on this exciting Harry Potter attraction, and more news around the Universal Parks & Resorts.
