Harry Potter Fans Celebrate Back to Hogwarts Day as Abu Dhabi Theme Park Anticipation Grows

Harry Potter fans from across the world have gathered for the first London Back to Hogwarts celebration led by HBO Max, as anticipation builds for both the television series arriving on OSN+ this Christmas and the themed land being developed in Abu Dhabi.

Influential content creators and fans from across Europe, Asia and North America are among those attending the day-long event at Old Billingsgate on Tuesday. Inside, Potterheads can 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 is Platform 9¾, where young witches and wizards traditionally begin their journey to Hogwarts school in the books and films.

The event places HBO’s forthcoming adaptation of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone at the forefront of the annual celebration. Its cast includes Beirut-born Lebanese-Palestinian actress Sirine Saba, who grew up in Cyprus and trained at Rada. She will play Professor Pomona Sprout, the Herbology teacher and head of Hufflepuff house.

Beyond the television series, another part of Harry Potter’s future lies in Abu Dhabi. A themed land is being developed at Warner Bros World Yas Island, with several fans and content creators at Old Billingsgate already considering it as a future must-visit destination.

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. Planning documents and industry reports suggest the land could contain Hogwarts Castle, Diagon Alley, Hogsmeade and the Forbidden Forest, alongside about three original rides. Miral has yet to announce its final contents or an opening date.

Back to Hogwarts Day takes place annually on September 1, the date students board the Hogwarts Express. The official London gathering has moved from King’s Cross to Old Billingsgate this year, with free timed sessions running between 11am and 7pm. Alongside its recreation of Platform 9¾, the experience includes a Time-Turner photo installation marking the 10th anniversary of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, film-inspired robes and scarves, and a display of Lego’s new Ministry of Magic set.

Bloomsbury is giving away books, while Pottermore Publishing and Audible are offering visitors a complimentary download of the full-cast audio edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. The event also introduces visitors to the changing visual identity of Hogwarts, featuring redesigned crests for Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin.

Among those attending is British content creator Alice Lambert-Brown, who has more than 900,000 followers on TikTok and 111,000 on Instagram. Belgian creator Will Giffard, Turkish content creator Mine Yagiz, and Mexican creator Azul, also known online as Blue Menaa, are among the international fans attending and expressing excitement for the upcoming Abu Dhabi attraction.

Dominic McLaughlin will lead the television 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. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone premieres on OSN+ this Christmas.