November 2025 arrived with a packed slate of theme park headlines from both sides of the Atlantic. Comcast unveiled its first full-quarter earnings since Epic Universe opened — and the numbers impressed. Meanwhile, a beloved Yorkshire attraction quietly hit the market for £3 million, a small fire scare rattled one of the East Coast’s most historic wooden coasters, a Lancaster County hotel traded its cartoon IP for a home-grown identity, and Colorado welcomed a massive new indoor thrill park for the very first time.
Here is a story-by-story breakdown of the most significant theme park news from early November 2025, with the context you need to understand what each development means for parks, guests, and the broader industry.
Quick Answer
The top theme park stories of early November 2025 were Comcast reporting roughly 19% revenue growth for Universal parks in Q3 — driven by Epic Universe’s first full operating quarter — and Lightwater Valley in North Yorkshire being listed for sale at £3 million. Supporting headlines included a contained maintenance fire at Family Kingdom’s Swamp Fox coaster in Myrtle Beach, the Cartoon Network Hotel announcing its rebrand to Dutch Wonderland Inn ahead of Spring 2026, and Malibu Jack’s opening its first Western U.S. location in Thornton, Colorado.
Epic Universe Powers a Record Q3 for Universal Parks
Universal Epic Universe officially opened on May 22, 2025 — the first major new theme park to debut in Orlando in roughly 25 years. By Q3 2025 (July through September), the resort had its first complete quarter of data to show Wall Street. Universal’s global theme park division reported revenue of approximately $2,717 million for the quarter, up from $2,289 million in the same period a year earlier, a gain of around 19%. Adjusted EBITDA for the segment climbed to roughly $958 million, compared with $847 million the prior year.
The five immersive worlds inside Epic Universe — Celestial Park, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter: Ministry of Magic, SUPER NINTENDO WORLD, How to Train Your Dragon: Isle of Berk, and Dark Universe — give visitors a larger itinerary than was ever possible at Universal Orlando before. Critically, Comcast noted that attendance cannibalization at the existing Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure parks was lower than analysts had feared. Rather than splitting a fixed pool of guests, Epic Universe appears to be drawing new visitors and extending stays, which drives higher per-person spending across hotels, dining, and merchandise.
Comcast acknowledged that ride throughput at Epic Universe was still scaling toward full capacity and flagged further operational improvements in coming quarters. For the broader industry, the early results carry a clear message: an ambitious, well-executed new gate can grow the overall market rather than simply redistributing demand.
Lightwater Valley Listed for £3 Million
Brighton Pier Group placed Lightwater Valley on the market in October 2025 with an asking price of £3 million. The park, which opened in 1969, sits within 182 acres of mature parkland in North Stainley near Ripon, North Yorkshire, and draws around 230,000 visitors annually with a turnover of approximately £5 million per year. Freehold sales of fully operational regional theme parks are rare in the United Kingdom, making this a notable opportunity for leisure operators.
Enthusiasts know Lightwater Valley largely as the former home of The Ultimate, a steel-tracked wooden-supported coaster that was once recognized as the longest roller coaster in Europe before its eventual removal. The park today serves families with a mix of rides, nature trails, play areas, and woodlands — a combination that kept it commercially viable long after the headline coaster departed.
The sale completed in December 2025 when Mellors Group, an established UK fairground and leisure operator, acquired the park. Mellors refreshed Lightwater Valley’s branding for the 2026 season with a new logo echoing the park’s earlier visual identity, signaling a return-to-roots approach rather than a wholesale reinvention.
Fire Scare at Family Kingdom’s Swamp Fox Coaster
On October 29, 2025, a small fire broke out during off-season maintenance at Family Kingdom Amusement Park in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. The blaze involved decking near the Swamp Fox roller coaster and was contained quickly. No guests were on the property at the time, and Family Kingdom reported no lasting damage to the ride.
The Swamp Fox is not just any coaster — it is a treasured out-and-back wooden ride that has defined Family Kingdom’s oceanfront skyline for decades and is widely regarded as one of the finest surviving examples of classic wooden coaster design on the East Coast. Its distinctive silhouette is visible from the Grand Strand boardwalk, making it one of the most photographed coasters in South Carolina. Any report of fire near the structure understandably draws anxious attention from the enthusiast community, which is why the park’s swift reassurance that the Swamp Fox was intact came as welcome news.
Cartoon Network Hotel Rebrands as Dutch Wonderland Inn
The Cartoon Network Hotel in East Lampeter Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania is getting a complete new identity. Palace Entertainment — owner of the neighboring Dutch Wonderland amusement park — announced that its licensing agreement with Cartoon Network would not be renewed. The hotel closed January 1, 2026 and is set to reopen as the Dutch Wonderland Inn in late March 2026 following renovations.
The rebranded property will feature 155 family-friendly rooms, including four suites, along with themed dining, an expanded arcade, a pool, and character experiences with Dutch Wonderland mascots Duke the Dragon and Princess Brooke. The rebrand brings the hotel fully under the Dutch Wonderland umbrella, replacing licensed cartoon IP with homegrown characters that already resonate with the park’s loyal regional fanbase in Pennsylvania Dutch Country.
The Cartoon Network Hotel had been among a very small number of hotels worldwide to carry the brand and was a genuine draw for families since it opened. Its closure marks the end of a distinctive era for themed hotel accommodation in the region, but the Dutch Wonderland Inn is positioned to function as a proper on-property resort experience designed specifically around the park — a setup that should strengthen overnight packages and multi-day visits.
Malibu Jack’s Opens Its First Western U.S. Location in Thornton, Colorado
On November 3, 2025, Malibu Jack’s Indoor Theme Park opened at Thornton Towne Center at 10001 Grant St, Thornton, Colorado — just north of Denver. The venue occupies 115,000 square feet inside the former Cinebarre movie theater complex, converting what was once a cinema into a full-scale indoor family entertainment destination. It is the tenth Malibu Jack’s location overall and the brand’s first foothold in the Western United States.
The Thornton park’s attractions include multi-level go-karts, a roller coaster, bowling, miniature golf, laser tag, a motion theater, a drop tower, a kids’ play zone, and a large arcade. The park employs roughly 100 staff and plans to operate year-round — a compelling proposition for Denver-area families who face cold winters and cannot always access outdoor parks. The westward expansion signals that Malibu Jack’s is moving well beyond its traditional mid-Atlantic and Southeast base as it looks to become a national brand.
November 2025 Theme Park News FAQs
Did the Swamp Fox fire at Family Kingdom cause permanent damage to the coaster?
No. Family Kingdom confirmed that the small fire, which broke out during off-season maintenance on October 29, 2025 and involved decking near the ride, did not cause lasting damage to the Swamp Fox. The park reported the situation was under control and the coaster was unharmed.
When does the Dutch Wonderland Inn open, and what happened to the Cartoon Network Hotel?
The Cartoon Network Hotel closed on January 1, 2026 when its licensing agreement with Cartoon Network expired and was not renewed. Renovations began immediately, and the rebranded Dutch Wonderland Inn is scheduled to open in late March 2026, offering 155 rooms, themed dining, a pool, and character experiences with Dutch Wonderland’s own mascots.
How many worlds are in Universal Epic Universe, and when did it open?
Universal Epic Universe opened on May 22, 2025 and features five themed worlds: Celestial Park, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter: Ministry of Magic, SUPER NINTENDO WORLD, How to Train Your Dragon: Isle of Berk, and Dark Universe.
Who bought Lightwater Valley after it was listed for sale in 2025?
Mellors Group, a UK-based fairground and leisure operator, purchased Lightwater Valley after Brighton Pier Group listed the North Yorkshire park for £3 million in October 2025. The sale completed in December 2025, and Mellors relaunched the park with a refreshed brand identity for the 2026 season.
Get More from ThrillZing
Log the coasters, stadiums, and venues you’ve experienced, rate your favorites, and see what your friends thought. Get the ThrillZing app.