This past Friday and Saturday, I had the honor of being hosted by Universal Studios Orlando to attend Rock the Universe 2023. This is a concert series with some of the most popular Christian bands and artists. For now, let me give you a general overview of the event as I will have a band review as well as other detailed articles to follow.
First, the basics: Rock the Universe is a separately ticketed event and guests could enter the park starting at 4:00 p.m., with the event running until 1 a.m. The park closed to the general public at 6:00 p.m., and that is also when the music gets started. You were required to have your wristband, which they gave you when you scanned your ticket. They also asked for it to get into any of the stage areas or certain areas of the park, so make sure you have it handy as you explore the event.
Speaking of music, there were three different stages. Luckily, guests were handed a park map as they entered, giving them set times and stages for each day so you could plan out which artists they wanted to see the most.
Since the event spans several hours, you’ll definitely want to make sure you eat something. With food lines getting long during the evening, mobile ordering was a must. That way, you didn't want to waste any time that you could have been watching your favorite artist.
One thing that I thought was pretty amazing was that, at each stage, someone was doing American Sign Language. It is wonderful that they are so inclusive and made sure as many people as possible could enjoy the shows.
Another awesome aspect of the event is that there were also autograph sessions available. Each night, you had the opportunity to meet your favorite artists. To find when these session times, a screen displayed all of the info for each artist.
In the same area as the autograph sessions, you could find band merchandise. Plus, in addition to the artist-specific merch, Universal rolled out some special Rock the Universe items as well, which highlighted the event art as well as the full bill of bands.
For those who wanted to take in as many attractions as possible during their Rock the Universe visit, there were a pair of special Express Pass offers, both of which were valid after 4 p.m.. One offer allowed guests to ride each attraction once for a cost of $24.99 while the unlimited option was $34.99. This was actually a very good deal compared to the regular price of such passes.
Overall, as a lifelong Christian music fan and musician myself, getting to be a part of Rock the Universe 2023 was a wonderful experience. I’m already looking forward to 2024!
