Universal Orlando’s annual Christian music festival, Rock the Universe, is being moved on the theme park’s calendar for 2019.
The next edition of the festival will take place on Feb. 1 and 2 at Universal Studios Florida. Universal did not give any official reason for the change, though its news release mentioned it may attract more youth groups to “enjoy a faith-filled weekend of live music, worship and theme park thrills” since most schools will be in session by the new dates.
The concert will have the same kind of content as was featured at the 2018 fest, which took place at the park this past weekend. Attendees will have a chance to get autographs from top Christian artists and experience a candle-lighting ceremony on the night of Feb. 2 and a Sunday morning worship service.
The announcement also included the reveal of six performers for next year’s event. The Friday, Feb. 1 lineup will feature Lecrae, Matthew West and Colton Dixon. Skillet, Bethel Music and Crowder will play on Saturday, Feb. 2. The full lineup will be released at a later date.
The new dates for Rock the Universe are a part of a shifting 2019 calendar for Universal Orlando. The festival will now be Universal’s first major event of the year, with the news that the annual Celebration of Harry Potter will not be held in 2019, coming just a week before its Mardi Gras event begins.
It also opens the possibility that Halloween Horror Nights could be expanded. Rock the Universe has typically been held just before HHN begins. While theme park competitors have been adding dates to their own Halloween events — such as Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party at Disney’s Magic Kingdom, which now begins in August — Universal has stuck with a mid-September start for HHN.
Universal did not immediately return a request for comment from Orlando Rising on whether HHN could begin earlier next year with the new dates for Rock the Universe.