The COVID-19 pandemic had temporarily shuttered several attractions around Universal Orlando — but one of them isn’t coming back.
Universal confirmed that “A Day in the Park with Barney,” a live stage show inside KidZone at Universal Studios Florida, has closed for good. The announcement came not from a press release or blog post, but a tweet from the official Universal account responding to a fan’s question about the show.
Yes, A Day in the Park with Barney has permanently closed at Universal Studios Florida.
— Universal Orlando Resort (@UniversalORL) February 3, 2021
Universal Parks News Today (sister site of WDWNT) had previously speculated that the show would be closing in a Jan. 19 article, though the story provided no source for its headline that the show had “closed permanently,” stating only that “rumors have been swirling.”
“A Day in the Park with Barney” debuted in 1995, using part of the site formerly occupied by Universal Studios Florida’s Bates Motel set. It outlasted the TV show on which it was based, PBS’ “Barney and Friends,” by nearly a decade, the last new episode having aired in October 2010.
After Universal reopened last June from its months-long COVID-19 shutdown to low attendance, the Barney show was among six attractions that were temporarily closed in August.
Two other attractions that involve live actors — Fear Factor Live and Poseidon’s Fury — have also yet to reopen, but are still listed as temporarily unavailable on Universal’s site.
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