London Celebration Draws Global Fans

Harry Potter fans from across the world gathered in London on Tuesday for the first Back to Hogwarts celebration led by HBO Max, as anticipation builds for both the forthcoming television series and a themed land being developed in Abu Dhabi. The day-long event at Old Billingsgate drew content creators and fans from Europe, Asia and North America, The National reported.

Inside the venue, attendees could pose on Hagrid's flying motorcycle, inspect a wizard chess display and try games including Hogwarts Legacy and Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery. At the centre of the experience was Platform 9¾, the gateway to Hogwarts school in the books and films.

The event placed HBO's forthcoming adaptation of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone at the forefront of the annual celebration. The cast includes Beirut-born Lebanese-Palestinian actress Sirine Saba, who will play Professor Pomona Sprout, the Herbology teacher and head of Hufflepuff house. Dominic McLaughlin will lead the series as Harry Potter, alongside Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger and Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley. John Lithgow plays Professor Albus Dumbledore, Paapa Essiedu is Severus Snape and Nick Frost takes the role of Rubeus Hagrid. The story is set in the 1990s and will include scenes from JK Rowling's first novel not depicted in the 2001 film, The National reported.

Back to Hogwarts Day takes place annually on September 1. The official London gathering moved from King's Cross to Old Billingsgate this year. Bloomsbury is giving away books at the event, while Pottermore Publishing and Audible are offering a complimentary download.

Fans at the event came from far afield. British content creator Alice Lambert-Brown, who has more than 900,000 followers on TikTok, attended, as did Belgian creator Will Giffard, who has visited Harry Potter attractions in Japan, China and Orlando. Giffard said Abu Dhabi joins the destinations he hopes to visit. Turkish content creator Mine Yagiz, who has visited the Warner Bros Studio Tour London twice and travelled to Universal Studios Beijing, was also present, along with Mexican creator Azul, who travelled from Mexico specifically for the event.

Abu Dhabi Expansion Details Emerge

While the London event celebrated the franchise's past and future on screen, another part of Harry Potter's future lies in Abu Dhabi. A themed land is being developed at Warner Bros. World on Yas Island, with several fans and content creators at Old Billingsgate already considering it a future must-visit destination, The National reported.

The Harry Potter-themed land was announced in 2022 as a major expansion of Warner Bros. World. It will be the first Harry Potter attraction of its kind in the Middle East and the first outside parks operated by Universal Studios. Miral and Warner Bros. Discovery have said it will be "significant in scale" and allow visitors to enter familiar locations from the wizarding world "in an all-new way". Like the rest of Warner Bros. World, it will be entirely indoors and climate-controlled.

Warner Bros. has now revealed the attractions that will await fans. A video promoting the expansion was released on September 7, showing the sentient Ford Anglia car from the Potter series flying above Yas Island, the leisure destination where the theme park is located. The car will be the centrepiece of an attraction simulating scenes from the franchise where it skims across the English countryside following the Hogwarts Express steam train before battling a Whomping Willow tree and an army of giant spiders, Forbes reported.

Official Harry Potter social media channels posted that "Hogwarts Castle, Diagon Alley and the Forbidden Forest are coming to @wbworldyasisland, Abu Dhabi." The park's website says "three Harry Potter-themed lands are planned to be added to Warner Bros. World, Yas Island Abu Dhabi."

Planning documents describe the work as "proposed New Expansion to the existing G 1 Warner Bros World" including "harry potter Diagon Alley, proposed B G 2 Harry potter Castle, proposed G Harry potter Ride and Fores." An advertisement posted by Entertainment + Culture Advisors, a consultancy, indicated the Potter area was due to open in 2029, according to both Forbes and The National.

Taylor Goodrich, head of creative for Warner Bros. theme parks, oversees creative development for Warner Bros. World. The park recently became the first attraction in the Middle East to win the Liseberg Applause Award, the themed entertainment industry's equivalent of top honours at the Oscars, Forbes reported.

The expansion is set to be a significant addition to Yas Island, which already hosts Warner Bros. World, an indoor park that shields guests from Abu Dhabi's heat and allows for more elaborate scenery. The park's operator, Miral, specialises in indoor attractions.