What to Do Now That You’ve Finished “Harry Potter”
So you’ve finished reading and watching (or rereading and rewatching) the Harry Potter series, and now you’re feeling that large, empty, aching hole in your heart. We’ve all been there. While we cannot cast Obliviate and allow you to re-experience the magic for the first time, we can offer suggestions for things you can do to continue exploring the wizarding world and all it has to offer.
The Harry Potter Filming Locations
Feeling adventurous? Take a vacation and tour all the Harry Potter filming locations. Did you know Hogwarts castle is a real place? Stop by England to visit Durham Cathedral, Alnwick Castle, New College, Lacock Abbey, Gloucester Cathedral, and the University of Oxford. These different locations were used to film the exterior of Hogwarts, various halls, and classrooms. Many different locations were used for shots around Hogwarts grounds – head over to Virginia Water before traveling to Scotland to see Glencoe and Loch Eilt. Also in Scotland, take a train across the Glenfinnan Viaduct and ride the Jacobite Steam Train to get the Hogwarts Express experience.
Head over to London to visit Grimmauld Place in Claremont Square, or wander inside Gringotts at the Australia House. Be sure to stop by King’s Cross station and visit Platform 9 ¾. In England, you can go by Ashridge Wood and the Seven Sisters Country Park to see where the Quidditch World Cup was filmed. You can also visit Hardwick Hall to see the Malfoy Manor.
Parks, Stores, and Hotels
Experience the magic of the wizarding world by exploring theme parks, shopping for merchandise, and staying at Harry Potter-themed hotels. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme park is a place that all Harry Potter fans should visit at some point. The parks are located in Orlando, Florida, Los Angeles, California, and Osaka, Japan. Stop by England and go to the Warner Bros. Studio Tour to learn about “The Making of Harry Potter.” How about a tour that comes to you? The Harry Potter Exhibition is a popup store coming in 2022 that will travel worldwide to show you the magic behind the films.
Another wizarding world place to visit is the new Harry Potter store located in New York. Here in the store, you can purchase anything from butterbeer to the official Hogwarts uniforms made by Lochaven International. Also, the Noble Collection is a great source for fans to buy amazing prop replicas, jewelry, games, and more. Looking for a place to stay while on your travels? How about a Harry Potter-themed hotel? There’s Georgian House Hotel in London, Gryffindor Dorm Room Cottage and Ground Keeper’s Cottage in Liverton, Godric’s Hollow in Lavenham, and so many more.
Movie Soundtracks
Don’t have time to rewatch all the films? No problem. Go about your day while listening to the Harry Potter movie soundtracks. Many playlists can be found all over the Internet, YouTube especially, but we recommend the Harry Potter Soundtracks (Years 1-7) playlist on Spotify, organized by Alan Morris. This arranges all the amazing songs by film, which allows you to picture each movie scene the song is associated with.
YouTube Is Your Friend
Set aside a whole day (or week) to dive into the many, many Harry Potter videos YouTube has to offer. Need more Harry Potter content in your life? Look up the Harry Potter bloopers and deleted scene videos. Want to know how the magic was made? Check out Harry Potter behind the scenes. Cast interviews and games are always a joy to watch as well. There are plenty of Harry Potter parodies out there too. Watch Potter Puppet Pals, the animated “How Harry Potter Should Have Ended,” the Hillywood Show, or StarKid’s A Very Potter Musical (be sure to check out all three parts).
Content from Fans
The creativity never stops with us Harry Potter fans. Explore new and exciting content on social media. There are tons of fan accounts posting creative picture edits, creative video edits, wizarding world facts, fan opinions, DIY props, and so much more.
Interested in experiencing magic in real life? There are many interactive events you can join as well. Grey School of Wizarding is a real school inspired by Harry Potter. They offer over 500 classes in “magick” including Alchemy, Defense the Dark Arts, Divination, and much more. For The Love Of Fantasy is a comic con in Scotland that hosts a variety of events for different fandoms, including Harry Potter. The three-day event has lots of activities to participate in: quidditch matches, cosplay competitions, Dark Arts classes, and dueling lessons, to name a few. They also host signings and meet-and-greets from Harry Potter actors and have shops full of merchandise. Take some time searching for interactive events near you.
We hope this list serves you well. Which Harry Potter-related activities are your favorites? Are there any others that should be added to the list? Let us know in the comments.
