It’s the day millions of people around the world have been waiting for… This morning, Universal Orlando Resort officially opened The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Diagon Alley at Universal Studios Florida. Confetti, fireworks and a red carpet lined with dozens of cheering Diagon Alley team members welcomed thousands of excited guests as they entered the all-new spectacularly-themed land for the very first time.
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Diagon Alley is filled with incredible entertainment experiences for the whole family. You arrive aboard the Hogwarts Express, which takes guests on a journey between the two lands of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, and are transported into a spectacularly themed environment. The new area includes incredible shops with windows full of magical surprises, authentic food and beverages, a towering dragon that breathes fire and Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts, a new attraction unlike any other that takes you on a mind-blowing ride through the Gringotts vaults – pulling you into an incredible adventure.
Universal have sent over some photos of fans first visiting Diagon Alley. We had the same reactions when seeing the park a couple weeks ago at the Diagon Alley Media & VIP Preview event. The place is seriously AMAZING, I wish I could have stayed for a full week to take everything in. There’s so much detail, right down to scratches on the walls. Everything was put there for a reason and you can tell the guys who created the park love what they do! It is truly a feast for the eyes!
Today marks the grand opening of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter: Diagon Alley at Universal Orlando Resort in Florida! To celebrate, we at Magical-Menagerie are partnering with Destinations in Florida, a travel agency based in Orlando, to offer one of our readers the chance to win Hermione Granger’s wand! To enter just use the widget below.
A couple weeks ago, Magical-Menagerie was able to attend the Diagon Alley Media & VIP Preview event. Let me tell you, the expansion will not disappoint. All of us in the group were wishing we had more sets of eyes (like Harry said in the first book.) The scale is amazing, you really do not know that you’re inside a theme park while inside Diagon Alley. It is also noticeably cooler inside, which is a plus for those hot Summer days.
Alan Gilmore, the art director of the park (who also worked on the films) clued us in on a fun little tidbit while we were waiting in line to go on Escape from Gringotts. He told us that the Harry Potter theme parks have 4 different garbage cans and no other theme park does that. There is a Gringotts Bank, Diagon Alley and then 2 others so you feel fully immersed into the settings. Sadly the ride was still not complete so we didn’t get to experience the actual ride, but the line is worth it even if you don’t partake.
View all our coverage of the event, including tons of video footage, here!
The United Nations (and Emma herself) announced today that Emma Watson is the newest Goodwill Ambassador for their UN Women organization, which is dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women.
Best known for her role as Hermione Granger in the ‘Harry Potter’ film series, the accomplished actress, humanitarian, and recent graduate of Ivy League institution, Brown University, will dedicate her efforts as UN Women Goodwill Ambassador towards the empowerment of young women and will serve as an advocate for UN Women’s HeForShe campaign in promoting gender equality.
“We are thrilled and honored to work with Emma, whom we believe embodies the values of UN Women,” stated Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director, UN Women. “The engagement of young people is critical for the advancement of gender equality in the 21st century, and I am convinced that Emma’s intellect and passion will enable UN Women’s messages to reach the hearts and minds of young people globally,” added Ms. Mlambo-Ngcuka.
Ms. Watson has been involved in the promotion of girls’ education for several years, and previously visited Bangladesh and Zambia as part of her humanitarian efforts.
“Being asked to serve as UN Women’s Goodwill Ambassador is truly humbling. The chance to make a real difference is not an opportunity that everyone is given and is one I have no intention of taking lightly. Women’s rights are something so inextricably linked with who I am, so deeply personal and rooted in my life that I can’t imagine an opportunity more exciting. I still have so much to learn, but as I progress I hope to bring more of my individual knowledge, experience and awareness to this role,” said Ms. Watson.
OPENING TIMES FOR JULY 8 The Grand Opening will take place at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Diagon Alley in Universal Studios Florida between 8:00 am and 8:30 am, with all other attractions opening at 9 am. Universal’s Islands of Adventure will be open at 9 am.
However, we will be ready to accommodate guests as early as 5 am on Tuesday, July 8 only. That is when the parking plaza will open and transportation from our on-site hotels will begin.
For all other days, follow the posted times listed on our website.
EARLY PARK ADMISSION Early Park Admission (beginning one hour before the theme parks open) is available for on-site hotel guests, vacation package guests, Virgin Holidays guests, and guests who purchase a 7-Day length-of-stay ticket.
On July 8, these guests may enjoy Early Park Admission to Islands of Adventure beginning at 8 am, where they can experience The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Hogsmeade.
Starting July 9, both parks will be opening at 8 am through early August. Guests with Early Park Admission can begin enjoying Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure beginning at 7 am. We encourage you to enter through Universal Studios on one day of your trip and Islands of Adventure on another to experience all of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter.
HOGWARTS EXPRESS The Hogwarts Express is scheduled to begin operation at 9 am on July 8.
On July 8, to ride the Hogwarts Express from King’s Cross Station in Universal Studios to Hogsmeade Station in Islands of Adventure, you’ll be asked to wait in the Grand Opening queue line in Universal Studios.
On July 8, if you ride the Hogwarts Express from Hogsmeade Station in Islands of Adventure to King’s Cross Station in Universal Studios, you will then be asked to wait in the Grand Opening line to enter Diagon Alley or to ride the train to back to Hogsmeade.
Because the Hogwarts Express will transport you from one theme park to another, you will need a Park-to-Park admission ticket to ride it. If you don’t have one, you can upgrade to a Park-to-Park admission ticket at locations in front of each train station or at the front of each park.
OTHER IMPORTANT NOTES The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Hogsmeade and The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Diagon Alley are very popular and we do expect a large number of guests. As we still want each guest to have the best experience possible in those lands, we may occasionally limit the number of people inside busy areas of our theme parks as needed.
ABC has released a new preview of their new show How To Get Away with Murder which stars Alfie Enoch (Dean Thomas in the Potter films.) The show will air on Thursdays at 10pm this Fall, on ABC.
[How To Get Away with Murder] is a legal thriller that centers on ambitious law students and their brilliant and mysterious criminal defense professor (Viola Davis) who become entangled in a murder plot that could rock their entire university and change the course of their lives. Rhimes warns that the students will find themselves sitting on both sides of the law.
The Universal blog has announced that Diagon Alley has partially “soft opened” for the general public. This means that for limited hours, visitors can enjoy the shops and restaurants of Diagon Alley but NOT the Escape from Gringotts ride.
We are now inviting guests to experience the atmosphere, shops, food and entertainment that Diagon Alley has to offer. Dine in the Leaky Cauldron. Grab your favorite Hogwarts house apparel at Quality Quidditch Supplies. And get that first taste of Butterbeer ice cream.
It brings us all one step closer to the Grand Opening on July 8, when guests will get to ride Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts and enjoy all of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Diagon Alley.
If you plan to visit before the July 8 Grand Opening, please understand that the hours are limited, and access to shops and food venues may vary—not everything may be open all the time.
