Just when you were starting to miss Harry Potter, a Celebration of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando Resort announces celebrity guests to its three-day event. The event takes place from January 29-31 inviting fans to celebrate all of Harry’s adventures in both books and film.
Celebration of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando Resort
The three day epic geek magic will include experiences such as:
- Q&A sessions with Harry Potter film talent
- Access to the Harry Potter Expo
- An interactive mini-tour from the Warner Bros. Studio Tour London
- The Wizarding World of Harry Potter Diagon Alley (Universal Studios) and Hogsmeade (Universal’s Islands of Adventure)
Talent Announced!
- Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley)
- Bonnie Wright (Ginney Weasley)
- Matthew Lewis (Neville Longbottom)
- Evanna Lynch (Luna Lovegood)
- Katie Leung (Cho Chang)
- Pierre Bohanna, head prop maker for the Harry Potter film franchise
- Paul Harris, the world’s only Wand Combat choreographer\
- Eduardo Lima and Miraphora Mina of MinaLima, who established the visual graphic style of the Harry Potter films
The Details of Going
Vacation Package guests and those with a park-to-park ticket will also be able to board the iconic Hogwarts Express and enjoy a unique journey as they travel between King’s Cross Station and Hogsmeade Station.
Access to “A Celebration of Harry Potter” is included with regular theme park admission or with an annual pass, with admission to certain activities being granted on a first-come, first-served basis. While most of the activities for “A Celebration of Harry Potter” will be open to all Universal Orlando park guests and will take place at both Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios Florida theme parks, guests who purchase the exclusive event vacation package will enjoy certain special benefits and reserved sections for the panels and demonstrations.
This year’s “A Celebration of Harry Potter” will also include kids’ demonstrations and interactive experiences such as a ‘Dance Like a Beauxbatons and Battle Like a Durmstrang’ experience, as well as Harry Potter film trivia.
Harry Potter Expo – Universal Studios Florida
Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter
Can you even imagine! Finally, for all those fans who’ve missed out on making their way to London for the Warner Bros. Studio Tour, you can rest easy! They are bringing the tour to you so we can all relive the magic through the eyes of the filmmakers who brought the Harry Potter film series to life.
- Visitors can step on to authentic sets and admire the real props and costumes used during filming
- The chance to see the incredible behind-the-scenes talent that went into creating the iconic film series
Harry Potter: The Exhibition
- Sorting Hat experience – in a Great Hall setting inspired by the films
- The Expo – The red carpet welcomes you to celebrate the global impact of Harry Potter’s 7-year exhibition
MinaLima
Graphic designers Miraphora Mina and Eduardo Lima worked for ten years on the Harry Potter films, creating countless unforgettable graphic props, some of which will be on display including iconic pieces such as The Marauder’s Map, Daily Prophet and Hogwarts school books. Since working on the films, they created the MinaLima Store selling authentic reproductions of the film artwork with limited edition art prints and stationery. They are currently in production on the new feature film from Warner Bros. Pictures, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.
Pottermore from J.K. Rowling
Pottermore is the digital heart of J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World and if discovering more about her magical universe excites you, Pottermore has a surprise in store for fans attending this year’s Celebration of Harry Potter. And keep your eyes peeled for their new Pottermore Correspondent (Rita Skeeter she certainly isn’t), who’ll be there hunting out exclusive scoops and bringing you updates on pottermore.com from the weekend’s activities.
Scholastic
- Share what Harry Potter means to you – color a magical page from the brand new Harry Potter coloring book
- Enter daily raffles
Join the HPCelebration for info!
A Celebration of Harry Potter More Panels and Demonstrations – Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios Florida
Demonstrations and Q&A sessions will be available featuring Harry Potter film talent and crew, with special panels and demonstrations for kids. Admission into panels and demonstrations will be granted on a first-come, first-served basis. Specific times will be released at a later date.
Behind the Scenes: Harry Potter Film Talent Discussion
Enjoy a fascinating and interactive Q&A session featuring some of your favorite actors from the Harry Potter films. Discover what it was like to work on the most successful film franchise in history.
Behind-the-scenes of the Harry Potter props with Pierre Bohanna
Warner Bros. Studio Tour London brings head prop maker Pierre Bohanna to answer every question you can muster up about the behind the scenes props for Harry Potter movies.
Trip Planning Tips
So clearly you’re stoked and already packing your wands for the epic “A Celebration of Harry Potter”. Now is a great time to start thinking about where you can stay. Well good news, I’m a Florida resident and have stayed at all the Universal Orlando Resort Loews hotels. If you’re looking to save Cabana Bay Beach Resort would be perfect for you. If you’re looking for more of a luxury experience, check out the Portofino Hotel. Of course, you could always get a few friends together for a VIP tour and make it a trip of your lifetime.
So now I guess the question is, what will you be hitting up first? For all the details on a Celebration of Harry Potter visit Universal Orlando Resort.
