Explore your inner dark side as this April the Warner Brothers Harry Potter Studio Tour invites you down to explore a celebration of Slytherin.
Ambitious, cunning and loyal to a fault the Slytherin doors have opened for the first time.
The public will get to discover the secrets behind some iconic costumes and props from the house of Slytherin.
Home to some of the greatest wizards of all time the Slytherin house will invite you into the common room for the first time ever.
This exclusive look will take you to areas not explored before on the Warner Bros Studio tour.
Prepare yourselves to embrace the darker world of witchcraft and wizardry.
Step into the fully furnished dungeon and see the iconic fireplace and sofas where Malfoy and the gang would hang out.
Also, it’s the very same sofa where Ron’s polyjuice potion ran out as he went undercover in the enemy common room.
Production designers behind the movies wanted the dungeon to look as thou it was carved out of solid rock.
A special 25-foot high section of this iconic set will also be added alongside authentic props from the film.
For the first time, you’ll be able to see the hand-crafted wall tapestries up close.
The contrasting colour palette’s to Gryffindor as the Slytherin green and silver colours dominate the landscape.
The decorating doesn’t end there thou however as the Great Hall will be filled with a sea of green banners.
The very same banners showing a victory of the House Cup for Slytherin.
Gryffindor banners will also be displayed to reference the scenes in the Philosopher’s Stone where Dumbledore awards last-minute house points for a Gryffindor win!
Are You A Slytherin?
Before you explore the next addition to the Slytherin celebration we need to see if you’re worthy to continue.
If your personality matches at least 3 of the following on the list below you may continue reading.
- Loyal to their own
- Cunning
- Strive to be the best
- Determination
- Cleverness
- Leadership-Quality
- Traditionalism
- Resourcefulness
- Powerful
Slytherin Celebration Additions
Paying homage to some of the most famous Slytherins there will be a range of original costumes on display belonging to the Malfoy family.
Each costume specially designed to show the rise and fall of Slytherin’s power.
We can’t have a Slytherin display without the one and only Voldemort. The mighty wizard will also have his costumes on display.
See the growth from orphan Tom Riddle into the deadliest wizard in history.
Why not dress the part as the Warner Bros Studio Shop based at the studio contains everything from wands to robes, jumpers to mugs of all things Slytherin.
What To Expect
Please note that the Warner Bros Studio Tour is not a theme park experience.
The tour is a walk through some of the most iconic sets from the Harry Potter franchise and a display of props, costumes and animatronics from the series.
You will get up close and personal to some of the most iconic vehicles from the franchise and even have the chance to engage in the interactive displays dotted around the venue.
The tour will last approximately 3-4 hours, after an initial introduction by a tour guide through The Great Hall you are left to your own devices to wander as you please.
A mixture of museum-style displays and then full-size sets comprise of this immersive and incredibly detailed experience.
From flying on a Nimbus 2000 or hopping into Hagrid’s motorbike or the simple delights of trying Butterbeer for the first time, fans of the franchise will certainly have lots to see and do.
Pricing
Currently, the tour is running on the standard pricing only, the deluxe tour is not in effect post lockdown but this may change in the future.
Tickets were priced at £47 per adult but considering you’re in there for a good 4 hours+ we certainly thought it was good value for money.
Children under 4 go free and family packages are available for £150 which includes 2 adults and 2 children or 1 adult and three children.
A complete studio package is charged at £56.95 and includes entry plus a digital guide (a little iPod type device to listen to as you go around) and a souvenir guidebook.
Getting There
The Harry Potter Studio Tour London is not actually in London, it’s in Watford. Just a short hours drive from central London.
There are plenty of car parking spaces and also a shuttle that operates from Watford Junction station that costs £3 for a return journey. The Studio Tour is heavily signposted at the train station.
On the bus, you can watch a video introduction by Warwick David as you head towards the studio and there’s a separate video for the journey home too.
It really does help to build the magic and the anticipation before you arrive at the gates.
Photo Opportunities
From walking through The Great Hall to being completely immersed into the magical wonderland of Gringotts Bank there are many photo opportunities throughout the tour.
The Forbidden Forest is a misty dark landscape that may be a little scary for children so if you approach the forest make sure to take the first right as you walk through to skip the giant spiders and storm effects.
Green Screen footage and photo stages are dotted around the venue so you can test out your flying skills in addition to wand masterclasses and more.
The tour is split up into two sound stages with a cafe in the middle to help break up what will be a good few hours of walking.
The cafe was reasonably priced (for London) and it is here where you can sample the infamous Butterbeer.
Not a personal favourite of mine but the buttery froth on top of the drink was rather splendid.
Just outside the cafe is the Knight Bus and Privet Drive for more glorious photo opportunities.
It’s only a slight outdoor section so come rain or shine the tour is suitable for all weather conditions.
Harry Potter Passport
A cool little addition to the tour is the inclusion of the Harry Potter Passport.
Dotted around the tour are stamp machine checkpoints where you can stamp your passport and say that you’ve visited that portion of the tour.
Not only for children we had good fun locating the stamp machines and topping up our passport even though we accidentally missed one out and didn’t release until later that evening!
Top Tips for Harry Potter Studio Tour London
Even though we only visited once we got a good idea of some tips to share with you to get the best out of your day and they are as follows:
- Make sure you book online as you cannot book tickets at the venue. Also, book in advance! Like way in advance
- Digital guides aren’t really worth it unless you speak another language. There’s plenty of information to read and enjoy as you walk around
- Butterbeer is VERY sweet so buy the cheapest cup you can and see if you like it before taking the plunge with a pint of it!
- Make sure your phone is fully charged you will be using it a lot as you go around
- Highly recommend the deluxe tour when they become available as you get a 2 hour dedicated tour and more access than that of the standard tour
- Shuttle buses run every 20 minutes from the studios and Watford Junction station. Priced at £3 return kick back, relax and enjoy!
- Make sure to visit when the children are back at school. The venue was quiet and there were zero queues for photo ops which do get long at weekends/term time
- Post lockdown the venue is only taking card, cash will not be accepted
- With one of the biggest gift shops I’ve ever seen, be careful, it’s a rabbit hole that will drain your bank account dry!
- Watch the films before you arrive so you can appreciate the tour just that little bit more
- When in the stand-up pre showroom make sure to head through the doors on the left as you’ll get to the front rows within the cinema
- If it’s your birthday, make sure you tell a staff member as they’ll let you open The Great Hall doors!
Warner Bros Studio Staff Members
Well, they’re much more friendly than Ukrainian Ironbelly I can tell you that for sure!
It was clear to see that all of the staff members at the Harry Potter Studio Tour loved their jobs. I mean, who wouldn’t?
They get to walk around the sets and talk about one of their favourite movies all day with likeminded fans.
We arrived on a quiet day which was perfect for the staff members as they could spend more time interacting with guests without being divided between large groups.
The second we walked into the main entrance and it was empty, I genuinely thought it was closed!
The staff members also knew that I was filming a VLOG and as a result let me record extra little bits of footage for the video, going as far as letting me back into the Great Hall once it was empty to film a silly video.
Celebration of Slytherin Overall
As far as the Celebration of Slytherin event goes this mainly comprised of banners hanging in The Great Hall and costume displays dotted around the venue.
I certainly thought there would be a bigger focus on Voldermort but other than a Tom Riddle costume display and one Voldermort costume I couldn’t see anything else.
That’s certainly not to say that it wasn’t there, I just may have missed it. There’s such a ridiculous amount to see that you’re absolutely going to miss something or other on your journey.
If we had spent time reading every last board of information we’d probably still be there now over 24 hours later!
The attention to detail certainly immerses you into the magic of the movies.
It’s been a long time since I’ve been blown away by any attraction but my jaw was firmly on the floor for large portions of the tour.
All of the items and the common room extension will be on display from Friday 3rd April 2020 until Sunday 6th September 2020.
To tie in with the Slytherin Celebration the exhibition leads into The Dark Arts celebration at the studios that begins on Friday 25th September.
This popular Halloween attraction sees the great hall decorated with over 100 pumpkins along with Halloween treats on the long tables.
Find out more at https://www.wbstudiotour.co.uk/
