Upcoming Harry Potter Events Announced At A Celebration of Harry Potter 2018

To kick off A Celebration of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando Resort, the opening ceremony offered all the latest news for what fans could expect by visiting the booths in person. As well, panelists and guest appearances announced what the wizarding community can expect in 2018. Here are a few highlights!

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone new cover

To celebrate the twentieth anniversary of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Scholastic announced a re-release with brand new covers. The opening ceremony gave us a peak of the covers for the new cover illustrator anniversary edition. The illustrator Brian Selznick appeared in person to unveil a never-before-seen concept sketch pictured above.

Harry Potter Exhibition Next Stop

Eddie Newquist, chief creative officer for GES, of the Harry Potter Exhibition talked about their latest stop in Madrid, Spain. With the help of James and Oliver Phelps who have attended the premiere of the exhibition almost a dozen times in the past, they announced that the next stop will be: Milan, Italy. Starting in May 2018, the display of costumes and props from the movie will be showcased in a renovated train station - perfect since the Hogwarts Express journeys Harry from the Muggle world to the wizarding world.

House of Mina Lima 

The graphic designers of the film franchise Mina Lima stopped by to share a video of the House of Mina Lima stationed in London. Their eye-popping and magical designs have shaped the wizarding world from everything to the movies to the theme parks.

Pottermore Offers PotterSecrets

Representatives for Pottermore dropped by the opening ceremony to recap the monumental additions its wizarding world has added. Their newest announcement was that the star of The Walking Dead's Andrew Lincoln will be narrating Quidditch Through the Ages available for pre-order.

In addition to Pottermore dropping their latest audio book, Fantastic Beasts VR experience invites fans to dive into Newt Scamander's world to cast spells and discover some more magical creatures. And Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery shared the beautiful trailer for the upcoming mobile game set for release this year. Fans can register for the game on their official website.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Hitting Broadway

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is hitting Broadway this Spring. From a video highlight Sam Clemmett, who plays Albus Potter, and Anthony Boyle, who plays Scorpius Malfoy, invited the fans at the event to stop by the Cursed Child booth at the weekend expo for an opportunity to win tickets to the Cursed Child premiere.

The Warner Bros Studios London 

Paul Harris the wand combat choreography leads workshops throughout the weekend for kids and adults to learn how to fight in a wand battle. He announced a third workshop which would allow fans to learn combat for filming.

Harry Potter Cast

Appearing throughout the weekend, the cast members of the Harry Potter films stepped out for a moment to greet the fans. Stanislav Yanevski (Viktor Krum), Natalia Tena (Nymphadora Tonks), James Phelps (Fred Weasley), Oliver Phelps (George Weasley), Bonnie Wright (Ginny Weasley). The cast will be participating in Q&A panels on both Saturday and Sunday evenings at the theme park.

Harry Potter Film Concert Performs

The Harry Potter Film Concert Tour gave fans a taste of the magic with the Orlando Philaharmonic Orchestra play iconic songs from the Harry Potter films live. Originally scored by John Williams, the talented orchestra played Hedwig's Theme and the Quidditch match between Gryffindor and Slytherins from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. Offering more magic to the ears, the orchestra next played Patrick Doyle's scores for two pivotal scenes in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire: the Goblet's Waltz during the Yule Ball, and Harry's fight against the Hungarian Horntail during the Triwizard Tournament. To close off the event, they returned to John Williams's score from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban for Buckbeak's Flight. The ending to Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets was capped with fireworks.