2018 – Year in Review

January 2 - The constellation Potter, made up of 12 stars in the shape of Harry Potter's glasses, was named by the University of Birmingham.

January 11 - VIDEO - The cast of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child started rehearsing for the Broadway production.

January 13 - J.K. Rowling was featured in Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls 2, a children's book full of stories about inspirational women throughout history.

January 17 - Director David Yates confirmed that every installment in the Fantastic Beasts series will take place in a different city around the world.

January 17 - Brian Selznick was announced as the cover illustrator for Scholastic's 20th-anniversary editions of the Harry Potter series.

January 18 - Director David Yates revealed the French term for a non-magical person: Non-Magique.

January 23 - An expanded version of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them VR Experience was released for Daydream, Gear, Oculus, and Vive.

January 25 - Bloomsbury's newest edition of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, with cover art by Jonny Duddle, was released in paperback.

January 28 - VIDEO - New footage from Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald was revealed at A Celebration of Harry Potter.

January 31 - VIDEO - "The Nighttime Lights at Hogwarts Castle," featuring all four Hogwarts Houses, debuted at Universal Orlando Resort.

January 31 - Director David Yates sparked controversy over his statement that Dumbledore's sexuality will "not explicitly" be addressed in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.

February 4 - VIDEO - Bloomsbury told the world that the Harry Potter books hit 500 million sales worldwide.

February 10 - VIDEO - The new trailer for Strike: Career of Evil was released.

February 11 - The Harry Potter Lexicon launched its new podcast, The Harry Potter Minute. The show features the thoughts of Lexicon editors on tidbits of information about the wizarding world.

February 16 - LEGO, Funko, and Jakks all premiered new lines of Harry Potter toys at the 2018 New York Toy Fair.

February 20 - VIDEO - Warner Bros. Studio Tour London - The Making of Harry Potter announced the return of the Goblet of Fire to the studio tour in spring of 2018.

February 21 - Emma Watson was the guest editor for Australia’s March 2018 issue of Vogue.

February 21 - In an interview with the New York Times, J.K. Rowling spoke on the origins of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.

February 25 - Daniel Radcliffe spoke with Entertainment Tonight about his career after the Potter films.

February 27 - At the 18th annual WhatsOnStage Awards, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child took home Best West End Show and Best Show Poster.

February 28 - The British Library teamed up with Google Arts & Culture to bring Harry Potter: A History of Magic to the rest of the world. The online exhibit featured J.K. Rowling’s Potter notes and manuscripts, Jim Kay’s sketches and illustrations, and much more.

March 2 - VIDEO - Preregistration for Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery was made available on Google Play. A new trailer for the game was also released.

March 5 - Warner Bros. Studio Tour London - The Making of Harry Potter welcomed its ten millionth visitor.

March 12 - VIDEO - The #WandsReady campaign for Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald began with the announcement of the upcoming teaser trailer release.

March 12 - Victoria Yeates revealed that her Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald character, Bunty, was Newt Scamander’s assistant.

March 13 - VIDEO - The teaser trailer for Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald was released.

March 16 - It was announced that the illustrated editions of Harry Potter would be released in paperback.

March 17 - VIDEO - Pottermore spoke with Walking Dead actor Andrew Lincoln on his narration of the Quidditch Through the Ages audiobook, released March 15.

March 20 - Scholastic announced that it would be publishing the screenplay of Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.

March 22 - VIDEO - Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery released a video and images of gameplay.

March 22 - The CW announced it would show Harry Potter: A History of Magic - a documentary accompanying the exhibition of the same name - which had previously been shown in the United Kingdom.

March 23 - J.K. Rowling tweeted that she had finished writing her fourth Cormoran Strike novel, Lethal White.

March 28 - Isaura Barbé-Brown was announced to be playing Laurena Kama in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.

March 28 - In its opening week in New York, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child reached No. 6 on the Broadway box office sales charts.

March 31 - It was announced that art by Harry Potter illustrator Brian Selznick would be added to the Harry Potter: A History of Magic exhibition in the United States.

April 5 - Jam City announced that Dame Maggie Smith, Sir Michael Gambon, and Warwick Davis would be lending their voices to Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery.

April 7 - LEGO teased the return of the Harry Potter theme by launching a teaser site with the words “Coming Soon” over an image of Hogwarts.

April 9 - Bloomsbury released a selection of artwork from the illustrated edition of The Tales of Beedle the Bard.

April 10 - Scholastic unveiled Brian Selznick’s 20th-anniversary Harry Potter covers.

April 11 - Harry Potter and the Cursed Child became the highest-grossing play in Broadway history.

April 15 - A prototype marketing poster, featuring Sirius Black from the Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban movie, set the world record for the most valuable Harry Potter movie poster ever sold at auction.

April 19 - Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Noma Dumezweni, and Anthony Boyle received nominations for the 2018 Drama League Awards.

April 22 - J.K. Rowling tweeted details of Jessica Williams’ character in the Fantastic Beasts film series.

April 24 - Harry Potter and the Cursed Child received ten Outer Critics Circle Awards nominations.

April 24 - Warner Bros. showed new footage of Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald at CinemaCon in Las Vegas.

April 25 - VIDEO - Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery was released for iOS and Android.

April 27 - J.K. Rowling spoke to Variety at the Broadway premiere of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child and stated that she had no interest in continuing Harry Potter’s storyline.

April 27 - VIDEO - Harry Potter and the Cursed Child actor Jamie Parker was determined eligible for a Tony nomination in the category of Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play.

May 1 - Harry Potter and the Cursed Child was nominated for ten Tony Awards.

May 8 - Scholastic announced its Harry Potter-themed summer reading challenge, "A Magical Summer of Reading."

May 8 - Warner Bros. Studio Tour London - The Making of Harry Potter announced its Behind the Seams experience, which allowed guests an inside look at the world of costume design within the wizarding world.

May 10 - VIDEO - The Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald teaser trailer was nominated for the Golden Trailer Award, given to those who work hard to make promotional material for films.

May 15 - We had our first look at LEGO’s new Harry Potter-themed sets, including the Flying Ford Anglia and the Great Hall.

May 15 - Harry Potter and the Cursed Child walked away with six Outer Critics Circle Awards.

May 17 - VIDEO - Bloomsbury and Scholastic revealed the cover art for the illustrated edition of The Tales of Beedle the Bard.

May 19 - Harry Potter and the Cursed Child won a Drama League Award and a Broadway Audience Award and was further nominated for nine Theater Fans’ Choice Awards.

May 19 - VIDEO - Syfy and USA announced Harry Potter summer marathons after winning streaming rights.

May 23 - A sneak peek of the television adaptation of the Cormoran Strike novels was released under the title C.B. Strike.

May 26 - Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban made the list of 100 essential books by female writers in the last 100 years.

May 30 - Cover art for the Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald screenplay was revealed.

May 31 - J.K. Rowling announced that she had begun work on the third script in the Fantastic Beasts film series.

June 3 - Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald won a Golden Trailer Award for Best Fantasy Adventure.

June 3 - Harry Potter and the Cursed Child won five Drama Desk Awards.

June 6 - Daniel Radcliffe was announced to be returning to Broadway for The Lifespan of a Fact.

June 10 - Harry Potter and the Cursed Child won six Tony Awards.

June 11 - J.K. Rowling’s Strike series became available on Cinemax.

June 17 - It was announced that J.K. Rowling will be inducted into the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame.

June 19 - Harry Potter and the Cursed Child broke its own record in Broadway ticket sales.

June 28 - Harry Potter and the Cursed Child was announced to be opening in San Francisco in fall 2019.

June 29 - J.K. Rowling was invited to become a voting member of the Academy Awards.

July 4 - Harry Potter and the Cursed Child was announced to be opening in Hamburg, Germany, in 2020.

July 9 - Syfy announced the first Harry Potter marathon on its channel since acquiring streaming rights earlier in the year.

July 10 - Warner Bros. announced that Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald was headed to San Diego Comic-Con.

July 12 - Entertainment Weekly released exclusive images of a young Newt Scamander in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.

July 14 - J.K. Rowling was nominated for the New Academy Prize in Literature.

July 20 - A Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald poster was released at San Diego Comic-Con.

July 21 - VIDEO - A new Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald trailer was shown at the Warner Bros. panel at San Diego Comic-Con.

July 26 - Scholastic released the cover for its Harry Potter: A History of Magic companion book.

July 31 - The New-York Historical Society Museum and Library released an event schedule for the Harry Potter: A History of Magic exhibition.

August 1 - New Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts LEGO sets were released, including Grindelwald's Escape and the Great Hall.

August 3 - Cinemark announced a Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts movie marathon to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the publication of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.

August 5 - Funko launched a new line of posable Harry Potter figures.

August 9 - VIDEO - Actress Natalie Dormer was announced as the narrator of the Harry Potter: A History of Magic audiobook.

August 9 - Entertainment Weekly released an image of a baby Niffler from Fantastic Beasts: Crimes of Grindelwald, and it was adorable.

August 13 - Trivial Pursuit: World of Harry Potter Ultimate Edition was released.

August 23 - MuggleNet released reports from our visit to the set of Fantastic Beasts: Crimes of Grindelwald, including details on new characters, settings, and more.

August 24 - The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando Resort announced special events to celebrate back to school.

August 29 - Pottermore Publishing offered two weeks of free access to Harry Potter e-books to library users in honor of the 20th anniversary of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.

August 30 - Scholastic announced the publication of a new line of Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts tie-in books, including LEGO and Scratch Magic titles.

August 31 - Pottery Barn launched a new line of Potter-themed houseware.

August 31 - VIDEO - New scenes from Fantastic Beasts: Crimes of Grindelwald were revealed in a video celebrating back to school.

September 1 - Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone reached its 20-year anniversary of publication in the United States by Scholastic.

September 1 - Eddie Redmayne and Jude Law made a surprise appearance at Platform 9 ¾ for the start of term at Hogwarts.

September 2 - VIDEO - The Harry Potter and the Cursed Child cast for Melbourne, Australia, was announced.

September 5 - Funko revealed new Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald Pop!s.

September 6 - Jam City launched Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery Year 5.

September 7 - The LEGO Harry Potter Collection was confirmed to be coming to Nintendo Switch and Xbox One.

September 11 - Evanna Lynch announced that she would be competing on the upcoming season of Dancing with the Stars.

September 18 - Lethal White, the fourth book in the Cormoran Strike series, was released.

September 25 - VIDEO - The final trailer for Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald was released.

October 1 - Promotional art for Universal Orlando Resort’s new coaster was revealed, showing a rising track from the Forbidden Forest into Hogwarts Castle.

October 2 - Tom Burke and Holliday Grainger were announced to be reprising their roles for the fourth installment in the C.B. Strike television series.

October 10 - Pottermore released Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald character posters.

October 11 - Two tracks from Harry Potter and the Cursed Child were released for online streaming ahead of the score being released for purchase.

October 13 - A casting call for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child in San Francisco was announced.

October 15 - Details of the Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald soundtrack were released, including the tracklist.

October 16 - J.K. Rowling gave an interview discussing writing Albus Dumbledore for Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.

October 16 - Fans were introduced to new Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald character Yusuf Kama.

October 18 - VIDEO - An installation of 15-foot wands benefiting Lumos opened to the public in London.

October 19 - Concept art for Harry Potter characters that never made it to the screen was released by Entertainment Weekly.

October 20 - Butterbeer sales at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter topped 20 million cups sold to park visitors.

October 26 - Composer James Newton Howard released three tracks from the Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald soundtrack.

October 29 - Harry Potter and the Cursed Child was nominated for Best Long-Running West End Show.

October 30 - VIDEO - Globus Mundi, the store MuggleNet had been investigating since the sign mysteriously appeared in Diagon Alley in January 2018, officially opened at Universal Orlando Resort.

October 31 - VIDEO - A new track from The Music of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, “Godric’s Hollow,” was released for fans to listen to.

November 1 - VIDEO - The worldwide press tour for Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald kicked off in Beijing, China.

November 1 - VIDEO - A new featurette from Warner Bros. introduced us to the fantastic beasts in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.

November 2 - VIDEO - International trailers for Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald revealed new scenes from the film.

November 2 - A new Harry Potter app was announced to be in the works from game developer Zynga, while LEGO announced that its Harry Potter games will be available on new platforms in the future.

November 2 - Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone was translated into Hawaiian by Keao Nesmith.

November 6 - Hi-res images from Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald were released, revealing never-before-seen characters and beasts.

November 8 - Emma Thompson became a dame in the Queen’s Birthday Honours.

November 9 - VIDEO - A new featurette featuring Dumbledore was released ahead of Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.

November 9 - Illustrator Mary GrandPré revealed the secrets behind her Harry Potter success.

November 9 - VIDEO - J.K. Rowling revealed why she chose to return to the wizarding world.

November 14 - J.K. Rowling added a new FAQ section to her website, addressing fan queries regarding the Fantastic Beasts film series.

November 14 - VIDEO - A new television spot for Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald was released and Zoë Kravitz spoke about her character, Leta Lestrange.

November 14 - VIDEO - The first trailer for the Harry Potter: Wizards Unite mobile game was released.

November 18 - Eddie Redmayne revealed his thoughts on Newt being a hero with autism.

November 26 - Harry Potter and the Cursed Child broke its own record for ticket sales and made Broadway history for most weekly ticket sales ever.

December 1 - The only officially licensed Harry Potter quiz became available as a skill on Amazon Alexa devices.

December 2 - The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando Resort introduced two new cards for Chocolate Frog eaters.

December 3 - Rupert Grint gave some insight on playing Ron, acting, and his future.

December 4 - VIDEO - The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios Japan announced a magical new light show for 2019.

December 13 - The Princess Theatre in Melbourne received a makeover for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.

December 17 - Daniel Radcliffe dished on Broadway success and how the stage has made him a better actor.

December 23 - Iacopo Bruno debuted seven new book designs for the 20th anniversary of the Harry Potter series in Germany.

December 29 - VIDEO - Merlin’s Spectrespecs! Visitors to AT&T’s Chicago store saw elements from Fantastic Beasts in augmented reality.