Common Orlando has prolonged the closure of Stardust Racers for a 3rd time, this time till after Easter and the guts of Spring Ruin 2026. The high-capacity coaster has been closed off and on for quite a lot of causes over the past a number of months. Listed here are the most recent dates & main points, at the side of our observation.
It’s been a coarse first 12 months for Stardust Racers, the dueling coaster that’s Epic Universe’s marquee thrill experience. The experience is these days closed for a scheduled refurbishment of an unknown nature, however person who’s now not believed to be regimen.
Stardust Racers was once firstly slated to have a short lived refurbishment beginning February nineteenth and reopening only some days in a while February twenty second. On the final minute, this was once quietly prolonged every other week, throughout the finish of final month.
Two days previous to the scheduled reopening, the refurbishment was once prolonged thru March 14, 2026. With that date speedy coming near, the reopening has been driven again once more. Stardust Racers will now leave out the majority of the Spring Ruin season.
As of now, Stardust Racers is scheduled to be closed thru:
February 22, 2026February 28, 2026March 14, 2026- April 5, 2026
Stardust Racers is now scheduled to reopen on April 6, 2026. For the ones protecting ranking at house, that’s the Monday after Easter, that means it’ll leave out 2-3 of the ten busiest vacation weeks of all the 12 months for Central Florida.
What began as a couple of days for a regimen refurbishment has expanded into a minimum of a 46 day closure (and counting) with 4 other reopening dates calendared (and counting). It’s lovely transparent one thing is up.
Most often, we wouldn’t bat a watch at this kind of factor, as refurbishments do get prolonged now and again–even a couple of instances. Then again, Stardust Racers’ aforementioned observe document coupled with how new it’s (lower than a 12 months previous) does pique our interest.
It doesn’t assist that rumors were swirling on social media about Stardust Racers, some suggesting that one thing is ‘extraordinarily fallacious’ with the appeal. (I’m paraphrasing versus quoting as a result of I don’t need to unfold possible incorrect information.) It’s arduous to grasp what to consider, and I don’t have any credible resources of my very own in this–I’m additionally admittedly much less attuned to the Common fandom, so I don’t know which purported insiders are credible and which can be stuffed with it.
It additionally doesn’t assist that Common Orlando hasn’t precisely been clear about this closure. Refurbishments being prolonged occurs, however that is now the 3rd one with 0 communications from the corporate.
I without a doubt gave a little of side-eye with the final extension to March fifteenth, which is comfortably the day ahead of Central Florida faculty districts get started their Spring Ruin. Even that felt like wishful pondering on Common’s section–as though they didn’t need to lose price ticket gross sales in order that they added that date to the time table strategically.
No less than this time, they’re kicking the can down the street till the week after Easter, which is a a ways much less fashionable week for Spring Ruin than those ahead of it. However in point of fact, the closure must be an indefinite one at this level with a TBD reopening versus a selected date.
With that during thoughts, we’ll underscore the most obvious that reopening dates are tentative and matter to modify, as evidenced by means of 3 extensions already. It’s imaginable/possible that Common has no clue after they’ll repair the issues plaguing Stardust Racers, in order that they’ve merely kicked the can down the street every other 2 weeks and are hoping for the most efficient.
By which case, they may unravel the problem day after today and the experience may reopen ASAP ahead of Central Florida’s Spring Ruin arrives. On the different finish of the spectrum, Stardust Racers would possibly now not reopen till overdue summer season, or possibly past. If the unsubstantiated rumors are correct (they usually typically don’t seem to be!), this may finally end up being a multi-month closure.
I might counsel placing 0 inventory within the present April 6, 2026 reopening date. Stardust Racers goes to reopen when it reopens. That’s the extra truthful timeline.
That is Stardust Racers’ 3rd vital closure since Epic Universe opened lower than a 12 months in the past. This ongoing refurbishment follows a January incident the place each coaster trains concurrently valleyed right through excessive winds and chilly temperatures, which diminished the trains’ momentum, combating them from clearing a height.
That uncommon double valley required Common to carry a crane into the park to bodily carry the trains off the observe. The coaster was once closed for three days following the incident. That in truth wasn’t the primary time that Stardust Racers had valleyed; the coaster did once or more right through pre-opening checking out.
There’s additionally been quite a few downtime and circumstances of Stardust Racers working with just one observe; whilst irritating to fail to notice the dueling part, having two tracks has arguably progressed uptime of the appeal.
Stardust Racers’ maximum critical factor took place in September 2025, when 32-year-old Kevin Rodriguez Zavala died after shedding awareness right through the experience.
The scientific examiner dominated the loss of life unintentional and attributed it to a couple of blunt affect accidents. The litigation was once sooner or later pushed aside following a personal agreement. That’s one among a couple of proceedings and possible settlements made relating to Stardust Racers.
Following that tragedy, Common closed Stardust Racers for investigation and made adjustments to switch necessities and accessibility procedures throughout a couple of points of interest. The experience reopened in early October, however that at the side of different litigation over the appeal understandably forged an extended shadow.
Within the intervening time, Stardust Racers being down is a huge blow to the running ability of Epic Universe.
Stardust Racers could also be some of the extra dependable and high-capacity points of interest in Epic Universe, owing largely to it necessarily being two curler coasters on one load platform. The theoretical hourly ability of Stardust Racers is estimated to be over 2,750 visitors, which is a huge reason it steadily has the shortest waits within the park. Like Monsters Unchained, the curler coaster is/was once a other folks eater.
This can be a sharp distinction to Donkey Kong Mine-Cart Insanity, as an example, which has an estimated hourly ability of 700-800 visitors. This is, in fact, assuming it’s operational within the first position. (Curse of the Werewolf must be within the 1,000 riders ballpark, additionally explaining its excessive wait instances.)
In different phrases, Stardust Racers having the ability of ~3 different rides mixed and being extra dependable made it an asset to Epic Universe, which remains to be discovering its operational footing. That experience being closed for a protracted time period is an enormous blow to park operations, albeit person who’s (confidently) partly offset by means of potency beneficial properties in other places and the top of hurricane season.
Stardust Racers could also be an superb experience. It’s one among Common’s easiest curler coasters any place, ever. It’s proper up there with Harry Potter and the Fight on the Ministry and Monsters Unchained as one among my 3 favourite points of interest within the park. On a non-public stage, it’s my favourite curler coaster on this planet.
In our Epic Universe Journey Opinions & Scores, we gave Stardust Racers a great 10/10, with the next reward: “Those playful coasters are stuffed with surprises, with high-speed thrills offset by means of moments of levity and superb interaction between the 2 tracks. There’s a daft quantity of airtime, and despite the fact that it’s intense, it’s by no means punishing.”
What makes Stardust Racers so particular is that it’s a dual-launch racing coaster this is extremely attractive and well-paced. Achieving speeds as much as 62 mph and heights as much as 133 toes alongside 5,000 toes of observe, Stardust Racers is Epic Universe’s maximum exciting coaster enjoy with distinctive maneuvers such because the “Celestial Spin,” during which the 2 coaster automobiles carry out an inverted crisscross whilst dashing throughout the air, growing an otherworldly adrenaline rush.
Right here’s a present take a look at the overall refurbishment calendar for 2026 at Common Orlando:
Common Epic Universe
- Stardust Racers: February 19, 2026 – April 5, 2026
Common Islands of Journey
- One Fish, Two Fish, Crimson Fish, Blue Fish: March 24, 2026 – March 25, 2026
- Jurassic Park River Journey: January 5, 2026 – November 19, 2026
- Pteranodon Flyers: February 27, 2026 – Might 14, 2026
- Me Send, The Olive: April 19, 2026 – April 25, 2026
Common Studios Florida
- Finnegan’s Bar & Grill: January 12, 2026 – Wintry weather 2026
Common Volcano Bay
Common Volcano Bay is seasonally closed on make a choice dates between October 2025 and February 2026. Moreover, Common Volcano Bay shall be closed for repairs starting October 26, 2026, with a present deliberate reopening on or ahead of March 24, 2027.
A previously-scheduled refurbishment for Yoshi’s Journey was once got rid of from the calendar the primary time that the Stardust Racers closure was once prolonged. Assuming it’s now not pressing, we’d be expecting that Tremendous Nintendo International experience refurbishment to occur every time Stardust Racers in spite of everything does reopen. Epic Universe can’t in point of fact find the money for to lose the ability of 2 points of interest concurrently.
Talking of ability, it’s additionally price emphasizing that Epic Universe nonetheless isn’t firing on all cylinders.
All the way through the corporate’s most up-to-date income name, Comcast CFO Jason S. Armstrong shared that Epic Universe is “now not but running at complete run price ability, however we’ve made significant development increasing experience throughput and stay all in favour of scaling additional over the following a number of quarters with upper attendance, more potent per-caps, and further running leverage over the years.”
Right here’s what he formerly stated final August: “We predict Epic to proceed to scale over the process the 12 months, with upper attendance and in line with caps in addition to considerably progressed running leverage.” On a next income name, some of the executives instructed it’d be a couple of extra months ahead of the park absolutely hit its stride.
Now, Armstrong has stated that he expects Epic Universe to be at complete ability by means of the top of 2026. It’s unclear why management believes it’s going to take every other complete 12 months to ramp up Epic Universe, but it surely isn’t unusual for a brand-new theme park–particularly one with a number of envelope-pushing points of interest–to have rising pains.
Whilst the longer time horizon for the ramp-up is disappointing, it’s now not sudden. In January, Epic Universe had its busiest day ever.
Now not simply the best wait instances ever for Epic Universe, however for any park at Common Orlando or Walt Disney International since a minimum of 2019–and by means of an excessively huge margin. The typical wait on that date was once 107 mins, with height waits of over 300 mins and a couple of headliners hitting 200+ mins all the way through the day.
Since then, Epic Universe has had some quieter days, however now not weeks. The typical wait time for each and every unmarried week this 12 months has been 60 mins or upper. To position that into point of view, the busiest week of the final 12 months at Walt Disney International was once that of New 12 months’s Eve, which best hit 49 mins. And the astronomical crowd ranges at Epic Universe are a byproduct of ability constraints, now not overwhelming call for.
Thankfully, there are candy spots to seek advice from amidst the insanity. See our Epic Universe Crowd Calendar: Perfect Dates to Seek advice from in 2026 for recommendation. The worst and least busy dates are in truth lovely predictable, albeit quite counter-intuitive and in contrast to the opposite Common Orlando theme parks.
Want commute making plans pointers and complete recommendation on your seek advice from to Central Florida? Remember to learn our Common Orlando Making plans Information for the entirety about Islands of Journey and Common Studios Florida. Additionally take a look at our Walt Disney International Holiday Making plans Information for the entirety about the ones parks, motels, eating places, and so a lot more.
Your Ideas
Stunned to peer Stardust Racers have its closure prolonged a 3rd time? When do you are expecting the bothered curler coaster to reopen? Positive that the park will in finding its footing and perform at complete ability nicely ahead of the top of 2026? Agree or disagree with our review? Any questions we will let you solution? Listening to your comments—even while you disagree with us—is each attention-grabbing to us and useful to different readers, so please proportion your ideas under within the feedback!
