Guests pulling into Universal Orlando yesterday weren’t thinking about storms, safety concerns, or viral moments. They were thinking about rope drop, Butterbeer, and what ride they were heading to first.
Then they turned into the parking garage and saw it.
Part of Universal Orlando’s massive Shrek-themed sign had snapped and collapsed onto the concrete floor below, apparently torn apart by an intense windstorm that ripped through the area earlier in the day. Pieces of the familiar green ogre display were scattered across the garage, leaving behind a scene that felt surreal even by theme park standards.
Uh-oh! Looks like the crazy windstorm yesterday also broke our Shrek sign in the parking garage! 😱 pic.twitter.com/kIufskVpTM
— Dueling Park News (@DuelingParkNews) January 19, 2026
The moment first exploded online after a Twitter post showed photos of the damage. Within hours, fans were sharing, reacting, and asking the same question: how strong did that storm have to be to break that?
This wasn’t a flimsy banner or a loose decorative panel. The Shrek sign is a large, solid themed element meant to add personality and fun to an otherwise boring parking structure. It’s designed to be permanent. It’s designed to withstand Florida weather. And yet, there it was — cracked, collapsed, and clearly torn loose by powerful gusts.
Thankfully, there were no injuries reported. Universal team members quickly secured the area, blocked off sections of the garage, and began clearing debris. Guests arriving later in the day saw little more than caution tape and empty space where Shrek once stood.
Still, it rattled people.
Parking garages are some of the busiest areas on property. Thousands of guests walk under and around those themed signs every single day, usually without giving them a second thought. Seeing one fail so dramatically during a storm was a wake-up call that even the most solid-looking structures aren’t immune to extreme weather.
And the Shrek sign wasn’t the only thing that went wrong at Universal Orlando yesterday.
Over at Epic Universe — Universal’s brand-new theme park that opened in May 2025 — things took an unsettling turn on Stardust Racers, the park’s signature dual-track racing coaster.
During the same storm system, both sides of the coaster reportedly valleyed near the bottom of the track. Trains stalled in low points between hills, leaving riders stuck until Universal could safely evacuate them.
Photos and videos quickly surfaced showing trains frozen in place, with riders waiting calmly for assistance. According to guest accounts, the evacuation process was smooth and professional, but that didn’t stop nerves from flaring.
Seeing Universal’s newest headline coaster stall on both tracks at the same time — especially so soon after opening — only added to the sense that yesterday’s storm wasn’t just another afternoon thunderstorm.
Taken together, the two incidents painted a clear picture. Universal Orlando was dealing with unusually aggressive weather.
Coasters like Stardust Racers are designed to shut down when conditions become unsafe. That’s likely exactly what happened. But a themed sign breaking apart inside a concrete garage? That’s far less common.
At the end of the day, the Shrek sign is the real story.
It’s the part that made people stop scrolling. It’s the part that made fans uneasy. And it’s the part that Universal will almost certainly investigate closely to make sure nothing like it happens again.
No one was hurt. Operations continued. Cleanup happened fast.
But it was still one of those strange, unforgettable theme park days that people will be talking about for a long time.
