BND.com is reporting that the Museum of Science and Industry of Chicago set a new attendance record on June 19th with 19,995 attendees. It is the highest single-day attendance in 10 years!

Who's to thank? The Museum offered free admission that day to commemorate their 76th anniversary, which brought additional crowds out to see Harry Potter: the Exhibition.

In addition to Eric's exhibition review, there are now several pictures online courtesy of the Chicago Tribune.

Included are characters and scenes familiar to Potter fans from the first five films, as well as a Death Eater 'Wanted' poster and box of bezoars from the upcoming Half-Blood Prince.

Thanks to Allie and Scarlett for the tip!

On Thursday April 30th at 9:30am CDT, the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, IL will open its doors to Harry Potter: The Exhibition for the public!

Our website was one of few to get a preview Wednesday afternoon of the exhibit, followed by a roundtable discussion with its creators. I was on location and have compiled this report of events and sights to behold within.

Over 3,000 man-hours have been put into the setup and transfer of all original artifacts from the Harry Potter films, straight from the studios at Leavesden. The exhibition will remain in Chicago until the end of September where it will then move on to another, as-of-yet kept secret location somewhere on the globe. The exhibit was created by Exhibitgroup/Giltspur in association with Warner Bros. Consumer Products and is a definite must-see for all Harry Potter fans.

If you check out the exhibit, we hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

USA Today has an inside look at Harry Potter: The Exhibition in Chicago, including a great new video walkthrough. The article describes the many featured props and costumes in the tour:

Harry Potter: The Exhibition takes visitors from the Hogwarts Express train platform through the Gryffindor common room, classrooms, the Great Hall, the Forbidden Forest and Hagrid's hut. The tour is populated with creatures from the seven novels by J.K. Rowling and six Potter movies: life-sized centaurs, Buckbeak the hippogriff, dementors, thestrals and Dobby the house elf.

Read the whole article here.

Make sure to check out the video tour about half way down the page!

UPDATE: There was a problem with the link to the first report - it actually went to the second report. Both links are both now working: Report 1 | Report 2.

As we all know, the grand opening of Harry Potter: the Exhibition in Chicago is quickly approaching. MuggleNet staff member Eric will be visiting the exhibit in a couple days to provide fans with a full report, but today we have two great first looks from fans who are members of the museum and received a sneak peek.

MuggleNet reader Heather filed a lengthy walk through of the exhibit for us and describes all of the great details that have gone into this project:

Rounding the corner, a group of portraits used as part of the set on the films greets you - literally, greets you. Some sigh and smile, while others partake in whatever activity they're painted doing (my favorite was the portrait of lovers on a swing in a cemetery), and some are as silent as ones in the muggle world. The Fat Lady tries to impress you with her vocal talents as you pass through her archway into the Gryffindor Common Room.

We also have this report from MuggleNet reader Selena, who describes the exhibit as a "must" for any Harry Potter fan. She also provides details about what exactly you'll get to see.

Thanks again to both girls for the reports! For more information on the exhibit, including how to obtain tickets, click here.

The Museum of Science and Industry's website, where Harry Potter: the Exhibition will be making its grand premiere in just under a week, has been updated with a few photos from the exhibit.

You can see the pics and read more info at this link. They depict some areas of the exhibit modeled after Hagrid's Hut, the Gryffindor commonroom, and a Quidditch viewing stand.

MuggleNet staff member Eric will be attending a special preview of the exhibit the night before it opens, and he'll be filing a report on our site soon after. Thanks to Snitch Seeker for the news!

Warner Bros. has let us know that the first artifact in Harry Potter: The Exhibition has arrived! The "Flying Ford Anglia" as seen in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets has arrived for display at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago – the first of more than 200 costumes, artifacts and props that will arrive at the museum for the world premiere of Harry Potter: The Exhibition.

You can see a photo of the Ford Anglia arriving in Chicago in the photo gallery of the Official Harry Potter widget by going here.

Yesterday we told you about a new sweepstakes where you can win a trip to the premiere of Harry Potter: the Exhibition in Chicago. Now, Warner Brothers has announced that huge interest in the exhibition has led them to extend the Chicago stay through September 27th. It was originally set to close on September 7th. Quotage from the press release:

“We have experienced unparalleled interest in Harry Potter: The Exhibition thus far, with a great volume of calls to our call center, hits on our Web site and advance ticket sales,” said David Mosena, president and CEO of the Museum. “We are incredibly excited to bring this world premiere exhibit to Chicago and this extension of its run will allow more guests in Chicago, and fans around the country, the opportunity to experience the magic of Harry Potter.”

With the press release they also released a few pictures that have already been on the website (and we presume will be in the Exhibition): Mauraders's Map, Buckbeak, and the Triwizard cup.

The official Harry Potter website has been updated with a cool new sweepstakes where you and three friends can win a trip to the grand opening of Harry Potter: the Exhibition in Chicago!

It's a simple enter-to-win content: just click here and fill out the information required. You must be 13 or older and live within the contiguous United States to be eligible. The contest closes on March 23rd, with the winner being chosen around April 1st.

Thanks to myself being bored and browsing HarryPotter.com for the tip.

UPDATE: Video of this morning's announcement is now available via MyFox Chicago. In it, the Phelps twins take part in the announcement. Thanks, Lauren!

UPDATE 2: Another video of the press conference, this time from NBC.

Warner Brothers has just passed along a press release officially announcing Harry Potter: the Exhibition's international tour. It will be opening in Chicago on April 30th, 2009 at the Museum of Science and Industry:

“We are proud to present this unique exhibition, which captures the magic of Harry Potter and will give fans of all ages a front row seat to some of the most iconic artifacts and scenic elements from the beloved films,” said Brad Globe, President, Warner Bros. Consumer Products. “We are pleased to debut this very special exhibit in Chicago at the Museum of Science and Industry.”

“Since 2000, when we began production on the adaptation of the first of Jo Rowling’s remarkable books, we have had the great privilege of working with some of the most talented artists and craftsman in the world,” said David Heyman, the producer of the Harry Potter films. “We are delighted that fans will finally have the opportunity to see, in person, some of their favorite props and costumes. We are looking forward to audiences enjoying the care, creativity and attention to detail involved in their making, just as we do each and every day on set.”

Tickets are now on sale, exclusively at the museum's website. Combination admission into the Museum and Harry Potter: The Exhibition during the day is $26 for adults; $25 for seniors and $19 for children ages 3-11. After the Museum closes, evening hour tickets are $18 for adults and seniors and $15 for children ages 3-11.

WB also released three pictures: concept sketch of Great Hall exhibit, concept sketch of Common Room exhibit, promotional poster for Chicago opening.

Sources say that the Phelps twins will be present for the official announcement at the museum. We'll update you if any pics or video become available!

Read the full press release at the link below!

This morning, Warner Brothers Consumer Products and Becker Group announced Harry Potter: The Exhibition, "a state-of-the-art exhibition highlighting artifacts from the Warner Bros. films based on J.K. Rowling's beloved book series."

According to the press release, the exhibition will span 10,000 square feet and host "elaborate displays of authentic costumes, props and artifacts from popular environments featured in the films."

The tour will begin in Spring of 2009. Exact dates and locations will be forthcoming, but they recommend keeping an eye on the official exhibition site. We'll update you with more as we know it!