How to Have a Harry Potter Halloween at a Real-life Hogwarts

Harry Potter fans looking for a one-of-a-kind Halloween experience are invited to visit some of the most iconic sets used in the films and enjoy a multi-course meal filled with behind-the-scenes experiences this year.

The Warner Bros. Studio Tour London—The Making of Harry Potter, which introduces visitors to sets, special effects, and secrets from the popular film series, is bringing back its Halloween event for three evenings only.

The Hogwarts After Dark events will take place on Friday, Oct. 26, Saturday, Oct. 27, and Sunday, Oct. 28, inviting guests over the age of 18 to enter the park after hours from 7:30 p.m. through midnight.

The exclusive celebration will start off with spooky cocktails adorned with smoking dry ice and canapés before visitors enter the Great Hall to enjoy a two-course dinner and drinks.

The hall will be adorned with more than 100 pumpkins, modeled after those in Hagrid’s pumpkin patch in “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban,” that float in the air just like in the films.

Each of the long tables, which seat 10 to 12 guests, will be topped with red apples, pumpkins, and lollipop cauldrons, while original props and costumes from the series will also fill the space.

The Halloween-themed dinner menu will consists of starters like smoked duck with a pumpkin puree and blood orange jelly and vegetarian options like goat cheese ravioli with roasted squash and pumpkin seed granola, while main courses include a roasted lamb loin and shoulder and a vegetable pudding.

Each course will be paired with wine, and dessert will be offered in the Forbidden Forest, where guests can enjoy options including a cherry tart or spiced pumpkin brulee alongside Buckbeak the Hippogriff and Aragog the Acromantula.

Afterwards, they’ll be invited to explore the studio and sets like the Gyffindor common room and the Weasleys' kitchen before learning secrets about the films from the prop department and learning wand moves for a live battle with Death Eaters.

There will, of course, be Butterbeer, and the chance to stroll to Diagon Alley, where said Death Eaters lurk around every corner.

If you can’t make the Halloween events, as tickets tend to sell out fast, the studio will be hosting its Dark Arts tours from Sep. 28 through Nov. 10, offering the same Death Eater tours, décor in the Great Hall, and studio tours during regular hours.

Tickets for the Halloween events go on sale on Aug. 28 and cost about $280 per person.