Philadelphia is about to get its own slice of theme park spectacle. This Saturday, The Franklin Institute will open the world premiere of Universal Theme Parks: The Exhibition, an 18,000-square-foot, hands-on showcase that brings ride vehicles, animatronics and original props from Jurassic World, Universal Monsters and Illumination’s Minions to the museum's Karabots Pavilion. The exhibition runs through September 7 and is built for selfies and curiosity alike, with photo-ready sets, interactive displays and behind-the-scenes demos aimed at families and design-minded visitors.
According to The Franklin Institute, the show spans 18,000 square feet and features eight themed galleries, 20 interactive experiences and 100 original artifacts. The institute’s press release quotes president Larry Dubinski saying, “We’re proud to add Universal Theme Parks: The Exhibition to the already impressive lineup.” The announcement from NBCUniversal, meanwhile, lists 25 interactive experiences and describes “over 100” artifacts, a small numbers flex that underscores the scale of what is moving into the Parkway.
What’s inside
Guests move through immersive vignettes that mix movie-scale sets with the engineering that makes them work, from animatronics to ride design. As Visit Philadelphia reports, the display includes life-sized character costumes and ride vehicles alongside hands-on stations where visitors can build coaster models, design monster masks and program animated figures.
Early renderings published by Axios preview vignettes titled “Scares and Horror” and “Storytelling and Wonder,” plus a series of photo-ready environments that double as design lessons in how theme park worlds are put together.
Tickets and timing
Timed tickets are required, and The Franklin Institute is holding a members-only preview on Friday ahead of the public opening this Saturday. According to the events calendar from The Franklin Institute, opening-weekend hours include extended evening access with the last available time slot at 6:30 p.m. and the exhibition closing at 8:00 p.m.
Daytime tickets include full museum admission while evening tickets are for the exhibition only, and the museum recommends reserving a time slot in advance to avoid getting shut out of the most popular hours.
Why it matters for Philly
The world premiere lands as Philadelphia stages a year of high-profile events tied to the nation’s 250th and adds another marquee attraction to the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. Axios notes the timing, while Universal and the institute say the show is designed to translate theme park engineering and storytelling into hands-on STEM learning for kids.
The exhibition was created with design firm MDSX and is presented locally by Comcast NBCUniversal with support from PECO, according to Universal’s corporate announcement, giving Philadelphia a high-profile, blockbuster-branded science experience just as the city steps onto a larger national stage.
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