A Very MuggleNet Roundup of A Celebration of Harry Potter 2018!

by , · January 31, 2018

Well, another Celebration of Harry Potter has come and gone! MuggleNet had a team on the ground for the festivities, and we are here to give you a rundown of all the events.

Beginning Friday, we were treated to a private Q&A with the film talent in attendance: Stanislav Yanevski (Viktor Krum), Natalia Tena (Nymphadora Tonks), Bonnie Wright (Ginny Weasley), and James and Oliver Phelps (Fred and George Weasley)!

It’s no secret that the twins are jokesters, much like their wizarding counterparts, but we had no idea how hilarious Stanislav was! He had us practically rolling on the floor with laughter with some of his answers to the questions, even revealing that he carries around a little Minion (of the Despicable Me kind) in his pocket and practically owns a zoo.

We were able to ask the panel two questions. Our first question (at around 18:30) asks the actors to hypothetically “redo” a scene of Harry Potter with a spoof; our second question (at around 38:00) asks the actors to take another character they’ve portrayed and put them into the Potter universe. See below!

 

The weekend officially started with an opening ceremony, where thousands of fans gathered to greet the talent and partners of A Celebration of Harry Potter. Representatives of Pottermore, Harry Potter: The Exhibition, and Harry Potter and the Cursed Child in New York introduced what they had in store for fans in 2018. Scholastic’s Brian Selznick (illustrator of the American 20th-anniversary editions of Harry Potter), special effects designer John Richardson, wand choreographer Paul Harris, and videos from Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them VR Experience urged fans to visit their panels and booths to get a first-hand experience at the magic behind Harry Potter.

The opening ceremony concluded with a breathtaking performance from the Harry Potter Film Concert Series. The Orlando Philharmonic brought iconic clips from the first and second Harry Potter films to life as they demonstrated the power of music in a scene, as well as its absence. The brief concert culminated perfectly with a beautiful fireworks display.


Immediately following, we were among the first to experience the brand-new “Nighttime Lights at Hogwarts Castle” light show! In this show, all the Hogwarts Houses took center stage in a showstopping, beautiful spectacle.

 

 

On Saturday and Sunday, we spent much of our time running to booths in the Expo and getting some exclusive looks at the newest projects in the wizarding world.

At the Audible booth, we tapped into our competitive sides with several rounds of Audible Recall – Hear the Magic. They had a special Quidditch round to celebrate the announcement of Andrew Lincoln to narrate the audiobook of Quidditch Through the Ages. Check out our full coverage and review.

 

 

We were able to take a close-up look at beautiful, original costumes from Cursed Child, Potter, and Fantastic Beasts films at the Cursed Child and Harry Potter: The Exhibition booths!

 

 

 

Over at the Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery booth, we had an exclusive interview with the team behind the game and were also able to try out a demo (see below)!

 

 

We then stepped into London for a moment, visiting an exhibit from Warner Bros Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter.

 

 

As if that wasn’t enough excitement for one day, we met with Miraphora Mina and Eduardo Lima at the House of MinaLima booth and were given an amazing opportunity to have a short interview with the brilliant minds behind the designs in Potter and Beasts.

 

 

They “didn’t” know much about the #GlobusMundiConspiracy, but we are going to stay vigilant!

Speaking of conspiracy theories, at the evening tribute on Saturday, we got a surprise message from the cast of Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, which was followed by flashes of footage from the upcoming film! Check out the footage taken at the event here!

There were fun panels galore, including a wand combat panel taught by Paul Harris! After teaching a set of defensive wand movements, he invited the audience to test their skills against Death Eaters!

 

 

The weekend was, to put it in simple terms, magical. The number of fans who came from around the world, many of them dressed in amazing costumes, really speaks to the power that Harry Potter still has.

We hope you enjoyed all our coverage of the event and hope to see you next year!