5 Reasons to celebrate the season at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter
The holidays come to Universal Studios Hollywood with Christmas in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter in mid-November. You’ll feel the wintry magic as you walk through the decorated grand entry into Hogsmeade, where snow blankets the rooftops, holiday greenery wraps windows and gables, and giant wreaths are tied with bright red bows above doorways. As the sun sets, the streets transform with delightful, twinkling lights. From archways to window sills to the turrets on the towers of Hogwarts Castle, the feel of yuletide casts its spell throughout the whole town. Snow even falls nightly in Hogsmeade!
Christmas in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter lasts through the first weekend in January. Here are 5 holiday extras not to be missed!
KidTripster Tip: If you want to ride The Forbidden Journey, we’d recommend buying the Front of the Line pass; you’ll cut your wait from over 1-1/2 hours to just 5 minutes. The pass is good for other rides and shows as well, including the Universal Studio Tour. However, know that the pass can only be used once per ride.
KidTripster Tip: Buy your tickets online and get early access to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter.
1. Savor a hot butterbeer
The hills of Hogsmeade get a little chilly in the winter, so grab a seasonal treat: hot butterbeer! A favorite among Hogwarts students, it tastes like a cross between cream soda and butterscotch with a hint of shortbread and caramel flavors, swirled with a thick pillow of foam on top. Although it’s sold both frozen and hot, the warmer butterbeer seems to be the tastier of the two. You can get a 12-ounce cup for around $6 – or pay a little more for a souvenir mug to take home and remind you of how much you long for its soft, sweet taste. You can get hot butterbeer inside the Three Broomsticks or Hog’s Head.
2. Feast like a Hogwarts student
Three Broomsticks also has a special holiday dinner for the season. In addition to its traditional fare of bangers and mash, fish and chips, and shepherd’s pie, a new dish includes roast turkey, pigs in a blanket, and Christmas pudding with brandy butter. If you decide to eat somewhere else in Hogsmeade, still stop by Three Broomsticks to check out its classic medieval architecture and enormous cast-iron chandelier decorated in holiday greenery.
3. Shop for magical gifts
Bring home stockings and stuffers, snow globes featuring the Hogwarts castle, stocking holders featuring the Hogwarts Express, and Christmas tree toppers. If you’re looking for gifts, consider the keepsake ornaments, which you can customized with the names of your favorite muggles. If you’re shopping for train lovers, the Hogwarts Express line has special ornaments dedicated to Hogwarts Railways and Platform 9 3/4.
4. Listen to caroling frogs
The Frog Choir sings a set of holiday carols almost every hour, mixing haunting sounds with holiday flair and the throaty, croupy barks of accompanying giant frogs. Songs include hits such as The Most Magical Yule Ball of All and muggle favorites like We Wish You a Merry Christmas.
Die-hard fans may recognize the expansion of a familiar tune. In Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, a trio of ghosts sing a snippet of this holiday song, chanting “Merry Christmas! Merry Christmas! Ring the Hogwarts bell,” as they float through the hallways. (You can catch the scene around an hour and 25 minutes into the movie.) Now The Frog Choir shows off the full, extended version.
5. Be mesmerized by a truly magical light show
When the sun sets, you have a few chances to catch The Magic of Christmas at Hogwarts Castle. The show is a 7-minute light projection spectacle with 3-D images casting animations onto the castle, choreographed to familiar music from the Harry Potter movies. Universal Studios Hollywood has put all its movie-making magic into the special effects, using lasers and a high-tech projection mapping technology (also likely: charm and transfiguration spells!) to make the images flash perfectly across the castle’s uneven surfaces. The castle magically appears bedazzled with twinkling lights; towers transform into Christmas trees. Snow falls as Harry and his friends appear, circling on their flying broomsticks, and each show bursts into a magical finale of fireworks.
Tamara Duricka Johnson is a Los Angeles-based journalist and author. Always up for an adventure, Tamara met her husband while tackling a self-induced dating challenge: a month packed with first dates while exploring New York City’s best sites. You can read all about it in her award-winning memoir, “31 Dates in 31 Days.” These days, she’s a master multitasker, wrangling two kids with one hand while typing with other.
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