Hollywood Sign lights up for Fast & Furious coaster opening
The Hollywood Sign spent a night in the Fast & Furious universe.
Universal Studios Hollywood beamed colourful video imagery from the Fast & Furious films and its new coaster onto the famous hillside letters after dark. The effect used projection mapping, a way of shaping projected video so it sits neatly on an uneven surface. The overnight display was reported by Deadline on 17 September.
The light show was advertising. It was created to promote Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift, the park's new ride. Universal Studios Hollywood made the projection with the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce. The Sign itself was the screen for the night, lit up with moving pictures rather than changed in any lasting way.
The ride and the projection shared the calendar. The coaster opened to riders earlier in the day, with the Sign lighting up that same night, according to that same Deadline report. KTLA had reported on 16 September that the public opening of the coaster was set for Wednesday. That put the first rides and the hillside stunt just hours apart.
The project has been more than three years in the making. Universal said in July 2023 that it had begun construction on a new roller coaster themed to Universal Pictures' Fast & Furious film franchise, according to NBCUniversal. A themed ride, in park language, simply means the track, cars and surroundings are dressed up to match the world of the films. The finished Hollywood Drift is built around drifting motion, the sideways slide that gives the ride its name.
The opening day itself was staged as a small show. Opening festivities kicked off with a dance show followed by remarks from Mark Woodbury. The running order was short. Performance first, speeches second, then riders.
For fans, this means the launch was easy to follow even from a distance. A new coaster usually lives entirely inside the park. This one got a second premiere up on the hill, in light, on the most recognisable letters in town.
