5 Reasons Universal's A Celebration Of Harry Potter 2018 Was Awesome

4. The Opening Ceremony

Each year, the Friday evening is dedicated to an opening ceremony. Here, fans get a glimpse into what they can expect to experience at the event. The opening ceremony also provides lots of announcements for what's new in the world of Harry Potter. This year was no exception.

Audible took to the stage to announce that the Hogwarts book "Quidditch Through the Ages" would be converted to an audio book and read by The Walking Dead's Andrew Lincoln. Scholastic confirmed that there would be new designs for the US version of A Sorcerer's Stone to celebrate its 20th anniversary. There was also an annoucement that Harry Potter: The Exhibition would soon be taking their tour to Milan, Italy.

For me the biggest highlight of the opening ceremony was the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra playing the music to sections of the movies, which were being shown on the large screens. This was a pretty special experience that showed just a glimpse of the Harry Potter Concert Series.

Universal always opens the event with a bang and this year was no exception.

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Jen has been a writer and video editor at WhatCulture for over 10 years. She has a BA Hons in History from Newcastle University and in a past life worked at Beamish Open Air Museum and was a corporate trainer (BTC Award in Education and Training). Jen joined WhatCulture to discuss all things Universal Orlando Resort and Walt Disney World, as well as her love of all things movies. She has worked closely with Universal and Disney, giving WhatCulture readers breaking news and exclusives. Her knowledge of Disney parks has lead her to be published by The Sun. If you've ever completed a Disney movies or Friends quiz on WhatCulture it was probably written by Jen. Jen's love of all things Universal's Halloween Horror Nights brought her to WhatCulture's Horror Channel as a video editor. Her video edits can be found across WhatCulture's Film & TV and Horror channels, along with WhatCulture's Facebook, Instagram and TikTok accounts.