I’m going to go over one of Universal’s popular annual events, A Celebration of Harry Potter! If you are a huge fan of all things Harry Potter, then this is the event for you! So, let’s get into the details of what this event is all about!
A Celebration of Harry Potter takes place during the last weekend in January every year at Universal Studios Florida. There are special events in both parks but the panels, demonstrations, expo and other activities take place in Universal. This is not a special ticketed event, all you’ll need to attend is a Park Ticket. But, I would suggest getting a Park-to-Park ticket for the weekend so that you can experience what both Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley have to offer. There are also two packages that you can purchase for the event that will guarantee you access to the events that take place throughout the weekend, especially the expo. But honestly there really isn’t a need to purchase the packages because everyone can attend all of the events that are offered during the day. The packages will only grant you access to the after hours evening events that basically all they are is allowing those that have purchased the packages to be the in Harry Potter areas of the Park after park hours.
The panels and demonstrations take place on the Music Plaza stage in Universal Studios. Some examples of the demonstrations that you can watch are Wand Combat Skills, you can learn how to dance like a Beauxbaton or battle like a Durmstrang. Some of the panels that you can attend are the Graphic Design Panel with Mina Lima where they will share their experience as being a graphic designer for the films. You’ll also learn about how some of the special effects were created for all eight Harry Potter films. There is also a panel with the costume designers sharing their experience with creating the costumes that were used in the films. One of the biggest draws for the panels though is the panel with some of the actors and actresses from the films. Each year there are a different group of actors that attend but there are usually five to six that attend throughout the whole weekend.
And all throughout the weekend between panels and demonstrations there will be film screenings and knowledge challenges taking place on the Music Plaza stage. Also, the area in front of the stage there will be Chalk Art along the street and sidewalks.
The most popular event throughout the weekend is the Expo. The Expo is an interactive display of a collection of various movie props, sets, artwork and so much more interactive exhibits for the films. One of the main exhibits is that of MinaLima. They are the graphic designers behind the Marauder’s Map and the Daily Prophet. They are also the creators of the three-story tall Weasley figure seen at the store front of Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes in the movies and in Diagon Alley.
Another popular exhibit in the expo is the Pottermore exhibit. Pottermore is an online blog where you can get updates on all things Harry Potter. The website was created by J.K. Rowling as a way to further explain situations and characters from the books. On the website, you can get sorted into a house, have a wand chosen and find out what your Patronus you would have. As always, Pottermore brings the latest news and announcements to the exhibit.
The next exhibit in the expo is Harry Potter: The Exhibition. Their display includes some of the costumes from the series. There is also the sorting hat experience. Yes, that means that you can wait in line to be sorted by the Sorting Hat into one of the Hogwarts’ houses.
Another exhibit is the Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter. Now, this is just a piece of the actual exhibit in London, England. In London, you can actually step foot on the sets that were used for scenes in the movies. On-site at the expo in Universal you’ll be able to see some of the practical effects from the films.
The last exhibit in the expo is for the new story by J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is a play and it is currently playing in London and is coming to Broadway in New York Spring of 2018. The play is a continuation of the Harry Potter story and you can purchase the play write and read the story. But here at the exhibit you will be able to get a behind the scenes look at the set designs and costumes from the play.
Well that’s gonna do it for the basic overview of the Celebration of Harry Potter event. Now I have some frequently asked questions about the event that I want to address before I end this post.
1. Do I need to buy tickets for the event? No, this is not a specially ticketed event. All you will need to attend is a park ticket to Universal Studios. I myself would suggest a 3-Day Park-to-Park ticket so that you can experience both Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley.
2. Can I wear a costume? Yes, but there are some restrictions. You cannot wear masks of full facial coverings, veils or long trains. You cannot have live animals unless of course they are service animals. You cannot bring in swords or any kind of weaponry. If you bring any home-crafted wands they have to be round on either end. Also, you may be asked to remove certain parts of your costume if a Universal team member deems it inappropriate.
3. Can I meet the actors in the panels? Maybe. Sometimes there is a possibility to meet the actors after their panels, but it is not guaranteed. And no, J.K. Rowling will not be at this event.
The last thing that I want to note is as the event gets closer there will be a time slot breakdown of what panel and demonstration will be happening when and on what day. So, if you would like receive email updates you can sign up for those on the Universal website or you can just check any of the Universal Social Media accounts.