10 Reasons To Visit Universal Orlando's Wizarding World Of Harry Potter
Prepare your next magical trip!
Universal Orlando Resort's A Celebration of Harry Potter is truly the main event on a Muggle's calendar. The biggest celebration of its kind in the world, Universal is the perfect destination where those who love the world created by J.K. Rowling can come together and celebrate all things wizardry.
A Celebration of Harry Potter welcomed in its 4th anniversary this year, and was bigger and better than ever before. Some of the biggest stars from the films took part in Q&As, there were demonstrations from those talented but too often unheralded geniuses who worked on the movie in behind-the-scenes roles and even some exciting breaking news from all aspects of the world of Harry Potter.
What makes A Celebration of Harry Potter so unique is its location. Guests at the event can become fully immersed in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, two spectacular environments at Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure.
As the demonstrations and panels take place throughout the day, fans can take time out to ride Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey inside Hogwarts Castle or grab a Butterbeer at the Hogs Head.
Although A Celebration of Harry Potter is the perfect opportunity to visit Universal Orlando Resort, there really isn't a bad time to travel if you're a Potterhead. With Hogsmede at Islands of Adventure and Diagon Alley over at Universal Studios Florida, you can be transported into the magical world of Harry, Hermoine and Ron every single day...
10. Walk Through The World J.K. Rowling Created
Universal worked with the creators of the movies and J.K.Rowling to make sure that every little detail was authentic to what she had imagined. MinaLima, the team behind the graphic design of the movies, were responsible for all the signage that you see both in Diagon Alley and Hogsmede, adding to that truly realistic feeling that you've stumbled into a familiar world that already existed in your imagination.
Even if you have experienced walking through the real, on-screen Diagon Alley at the Warner Bros. Studio Tour in London, Universal's version is something special. You can browse the shop windows, go inside the stores and even explore areas that we didn't see in the movies.
When designing Diagon Alley at Universal Studios Florida, the team needed to create a whole new street that doesn't appear in either the books or movies. So keep an eye out for Horizont Alley, it connects Diagon Alley to Carkitt Market.
My favourite place to wander is Knockturn Alley. It's full of dark magic and a cool, welcome break from the Orlando heat.
As a fan of Harry Potter I can literally spend hours just wandering around exploring Hogsmede and Diagon Alley. It's an experience that no matter how many times I have done it, the wonder of entering the world of the movies never gets old.