Epic Universe construction update: Grand tour of How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk
Isle of Berk construction seems to be nearing completion as workers add details throughout the “How to Train Your Dragon”-themed land inside Universal Epic Universe, opening May 22, 2025 in Orlando, Fla.
The eye in the sky for all things theme parks, bioreconstruct, captured aerial photography on Dec. 5, 2024 of newly added pieces in Isle of Berk, an immersive land themed to the DreamWorks animated hit, “How to Train Your Dragon.”
Hiccup’s Wing Gliders | Isle of Berk roller coaster
Construction teams added new details to the queue of Hiccup’s Wing Gliders, a family-friendly launch coaster on which riders will soar through Isle of Berk with Hiccup and Toothless.
In the images below, you’ll notice workers added stanchions to the ride’s outdoor queue. Guests will weave through this line under nets, protecting them from any loose items that could fly off Hiccup’s Wing Gliders (or the nearby Dragon Racer’s Rally).
Also found in the queue, workers scattered rock work for added theming. These rocks seem to display carvings of the dragons found in the Isle of Berk. The rock in the image below looks to depict a Gronkle, which would make sense as you will encounter baby Gronkles on one of the ride’s launches.
Hiccup’s Wing Gliders is currently undergoing testing with water-filled dummies to simulate guests’ weight. These dummies allow the ride to simulate how it will flow with riders on it, as opposed to testing empty trains.
Fyre Drill | Boat ride
Over at Fyre Drill — an interactive boat ride aimed at putting out flame-like targets and soaking other guests — contractors are putting finishing touches on the “wooden” dragon statues. The lagoon has been filled with water, almost ready for guests to drench one another.
Within the backstory, Fyre Drill aims to prepare villagers on the Isle of Berk to put out fires caused by the dragons that inhabit the island. So the story goes, Viking twins Ruffnutt and Tuffnut transformed Berk’s Fyre Skööl into a boat battle.
Haddock Paddock | Meet & greet
The Haddock Paddock, named after Hiccup Haddock and his family, is a meet & greet location where guests can take pictures with Hiccup and his dragon, Toothless.
Workers are pouring pavement under the meet & greet’s overhang.
Atop the overhang sits a bust of Toothless, signaling to guests that this is where they can meet their favorite Night Fury.
Viking Training Camp
Viking Training Camp — an interactive play area for younger Vikings — will include towers to climb, drums to play, and slides to… well, slide! Speaking of slides, contractors recently installed slides.
Here’s a fun fact! Universal has stated Isle of Berk contains 119 buckets, 175 barrels, 168 crates, 151 feed sacks, 115 books, and 120 baskets. Many of these props can be found here in the Viking Training Camp.
Some friendly dragon faces welcome kids into the Training Camp:
Isle of Berk restaurants
Construction workers continue to make progress on the land’s dining locations.
Mead Hall — seen below with ginormous Viking statues on the both sides of the entrance’s 16-foot doors — seems to be nearing exterior completion. There’s no menu board outside yet, but hopefully it will be placed soon so we can get a sneak peek at the food and beverage offerings.
Overlooking the Fyre Drill attraction is Spit Fyre Grill, the land’s other quick-service restaurant that will serve meals “flame-seared by a dragon.”
‘The Untrainable Dragon’ show
Work continues on “The Untrainable Dragon,” a music-filled stage show based on the events of the first “How To Train Your Dragon” film. The progress we can see seems to be detail work on the show’s entrance, as parts of the façade are still under protective tarps and scaffolding.
The Toothless puppet in this show comes in at a whopping 1,157 pounds, and a 27-foot wingspan.
Out and about on the Isle of Berk
Wrapping up this construction update is an overview of new additions and progress throughout Berk.
Work is ramping up on the fountain in the center of the village of Berk. This area is where you will find the entrance to Fyre Drill, to the left of the fountain
For a village that used to be so scared of dragons, they sure have embraced adding them into their decorating. Workers continue to install dragon-themed ornamentation and props.
Previously covered in tarp, but now out in the open, is a statue depicting a Viking defeating a monster . Looks to be a creature that isn’t a dragon, or that would be quite insensitive to their new inhabitants.
A dragon-headed bridge is located next to the entrance of “The Untrainable Dragon.” In Universal’s virtual flythrough video of Isle of Berk (below), we can see this bridge will be themed to look like a wooden drawbridge, so there may still be some construction work to do here in the coming months.
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