We had a full park day at Epic Universe during its grand opening yesterday. While the park was surprisingly not-so crowded, we were able to enjoy plenty of attractions with little to no waits.
But there was another pleasant, unexpected surprise during yesterday’s visit: freshly-illustrated custom postcard portraits in Celestial Park. And the best part? It’s completely complimentary.
The artists were previously set up in the central Celestial Park area, near the stage and Starbucks. This time, they were located across from Other World’s Mercantile near the main entrance — or the Chronos.
The third-party artists are hired and paid by Universal, but the portraits are free for guests, and the artists themselves cannot accept tips. They are currently scheduled to appear in Celestial Park in Epic Universe daily through Monday, May 26th, with hope of additional event dates added in the future. Don’t miss this adorable custom souvenir if you’re visiting the park this weekend and/or Monday!
You’re able to select your Celestial Park scene of choice –a pre-printed water color postcard-sized print– before the artist adds their custom portrait of you looking on at the scenery using Copic water color markers. You’ll pose with your back to the artist as they quickly sketch.
TIP: Get in line early. They do cap the line off once the list has reached capacity for the day. For opening day, the artists were working until 4:30pm, but the list closed off at approximately 12pm.
I was added to the list at 11am, and was able to enjoy a ride on Monsters Unchained, picked up an iced beverage at Starbucks, and leisurely shopped around before making my way back to the table at 12pm for my approximate return time. They’ll call out your name from the list, so just make sure you’re back in the immediate area!
Michael was my artist, he was so kind and genuinely happy to be there. His quick sketch whimsically captured my Frankenstein’s Monster backpack and tattoo details. I requested he add the opening date on the bottom so I could call this my unique piece of “opening day” merchandise.
Honestly, good on Universal for offering this fun and fresh souvenir purely for guest enjoyment, and for supporting artists.
