Last Updated on November 24, 2023 by Suzy McCullough
Every winter the Warner Bros. Studio London is transformed into Hogwarts in the Snow. As Christmas events go this one is pretty low-key. Not all of the sets are transformed into a wintery theme but those that are add to the magic of this place. If you are a Harry Potter fan a visit here at any time of year is a must but you will love it even more during the Hogwarts in the Snow event. There is no extra charge for visiting during their Christmas event as it is all included in the regular entrance fee. This event sells out fast, especially at weekends, so make sure you plan and book in advance.
Warner Bros. Studio is located on the outskirts of London and it is a huge indoor attraction that is packed full of sets, props and costumes from the Harry Potter series of films. We loved our visit so much, we can’t wait to return. For fans of the films, it’s great fun spotting the different sets and one of the highlights is walking through the Great Hall.
I waited until my son was 9 years old and had watched all the films before bringing him here. It is very expensive as days out go and I wanted to make sure we both got the most out of a visit. I wouldn’t say it’s somewhere to visit with really young children. Make sure you allow plenty of time to get around. There is so much to see. Including lunch, I’d allow at least 6 hours but you may want to spend even longer there. As well as all the exhibits there are also some interactive elements where you receive photos for an additional charge. These are optional or included with the deluxe package.
Watch out for the Hungarian Horntail in the entrance hall! Just on from here are two large cafe areas. The most exciting thing is that many scenes from the Harry Potter films were filmed inside here.
You book a time slot for visiting the exhibition hall and once you’ve been around you can’t go around again or re-enter (unless you have a deluxe ticket). There are toilets along the way and a cafe about halfway around from where you can purchase some delicious butter beer. The first exhibition hall is certainly one of the best as far as Christmas theming goes. You enter the Great Hall via the massive wooden doors and before you are Christmas trees and a wonderful icy scene. The hall is set up for a Christmas feast and you can see costumes from the characters.
After the Great Hall, you move into a large exhibition space full of different sets, costumes and props.
The boy’s Gryffindor bedroom has been decorated sparsely for Christmas, which is how we saw it in the films. as well as the common room. The props are all original.
One of our favourite exhibitions is where Buckbeak appears in the Forbidden Forest just before you enter the den of Aragog. This actually has a diversion path for those who are scared of spiders! I am, but I braved it and I was OK. A giant fantasy spider is a lot easier to cope with than the real thing. The set surrounding Buckbeak has a dusting of snow and he even bows back at you. It’s not always obvious but as you are walking around some of the sets are interactive. We loved the ones where if you pressed a button something would come to life.
The hall with Hogwarts Express including Platform 9 3/4 where you can pose for photos is particularly impressive. You can even walk through the carriages and hear sounds from the films.
There are plenty of sets that haven’t been given the ‘Christmas treatment’ as they were never themed for Christmas in the films. Gringotts Bank is excellent, the detail is so life-like. I honestly felt like I was being watched.
Even the Knight Bus makes an appearance. This has lots of buttons around the outside of it that you can press and hear different sound effects. My son found this great fun. The bus is located near the cafe that sells butterbeer in the exhibition halls. Here you can also walk through a recreation of #4 Pivet Drive (the real house sold for a considerable amount of money).
The greenhouse with the Mandrakes is also in this area which actually do squeal when you try to lift them out of their containers. My son loved this so much that I bought him one for Christmas that also squeals.
There are so many sets I haven’t included photos or information of as this post is mostly focusing on the changes at Warner Bros Studio for the Hogwarts in the Snow event. Diagon Alley is covered with a dusting of snow and looks really magical. I struggled to take photos here as it was incredibly busy.
The final exhibition at Warner Bros Studio London is a large-scale model of Hogwarts. During Hogwarts in the Snow, this is covered with a layer of filmmaking snow. Here there is a workshop where you can find out about how the snow is made. It’s magical snow as it never melts.
Hogwarts in the Snow is on from the 11th of November, 2023 – 14th of January 2024. At the end of the tour, there is a huge Harry Potter shop including a Christmas shop. Tickets are priced from £53.50 per person. Under 4s are free. I tried booking a few weeks in advance and it was pretty much sold out. There were no normal tickets left at all so I ended up booking the VIP tour. This was the only way we could have visited aside from booking a hotel with tickets. This cost a huge amount of money but included so much in the package. I have a post all about the deluxe package and if it’s worth the cost, please do check it out.
With or without the deluxe package you can expect to spend a full day out here.
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