The lighting design for Isle of Berk at Universal’s Epic Universe has been recognized with a THEA Award for Outstanding Achievement from the Themed Entertainment Association.

The project presented a challenge that few lighting consultancies encounter: designing a fully immersive nighttime environment for a themed land where the architecture, landscape, and theatrical lighting had to function as a single continuous experience. The guest should feel inside the world of How to Train Your Dragon, not standing in front of it.

The lighting strategy was built around three principles. First, the elimination of any fixture that reads as a fixture. Every light source had to belong to the story. Lanterns, forge fires, bioluminescent accents embedded in rock surfaces, and the ambient glow of the village at dusk all contributed to a layered hierarchy of light that shifted with time of day and park programming.

Second, the control architecture was designed to support live performance and dynamic scene sequences. The lighting system responds to show moments, weather conditions, and crowd density, ensuring the environment remains consistent and immersive regardless of external variables.

Third, the energy strategy required careful calibration. High-output theatrical fixtures for show moments had to coexist with quiet ambient sources that sustain the atmosphere between events. The final system achieves the visual intensity required without the energy profile that typically follows it.

Isle of Berk is one of the most technically complex environments GxU has delivered. The THEA recognition reflects both the quality of the design and the depth of the collaboration across disciplines throughout the project.

GxU Lighting collaborated on this project with UMAYA Lighting Design, with teams across the United States and the Middle East.