The Boston Globe

‘Harry Potter: The Exhibition’ debuts here in Sept.

- ADri prAY

the wizarding world is coming to New England this fall, as the uS leg of the “harry potter: the Exhibition” tour makes its Greater boston debut at cambridgeS­ide Sept. 13.

the behind-the-scenes exhibition gives muggles access to characters, props, stories, settings, beasts, and more set in the “harry potter” and “fantastic beasts” worlds.

before the experience begins, visitors will be sorted into their harry potter house, or group, and will pick a wand and a patronus, a magical guardian summoned for protection from Dementors, mythical guardians of Azkaban, the wizard prison. then, they’ll be guided through several interactiv­e galleries where they’ll have the opportunit­y to collect points that go toward winning the “house cup.”

“When you come into this experience, we allow [visitors] a moment to step inside that world,” said tom Zaller, cEo of imagine Exhibition­s. “there are so many different ways of celebratin­g this amazing experience. We create an opportunit­y for people to better connect with something they love.”

Guests will travel through the hogwarts castle gallery, where the Whomping Willow, Dementors, and marauder’s map reside. the hogwarts classroom gallery allows visitors to brew potions, predict the future, pot a mandrake, and defeat a boggart, a shape-shifting creature that takes the form of a person’s worst fear. hagrid’s hut and the forbidden forest gallery features an interactiv­e patronus charm experience and iconic creatures to be uncovered.

“harry potter: the Exhibition” first premiered in philadelph­ia in 2022. it has since traveled the world, with residencie­s in major cities, including Atlanta, barcelona, paris, and Vienna. it’s currently showing in New York city and macao, china, with additional tour dates to come in Sao paulo and munich.

“the [‘harry potter’] brand has been around for a long time — it’s multigener­ational,” Zaller said. “We’ll be here when school gets back in, and a lot of students who are the next generation of kids who’ve loved the books are now going to college, so it’s a good time to be in boston.”

Tickets for the experience go on sale May 16 at eventim.com.

 ?? ?? Visitors at “Harry Potter: The Exhibition.”
Visitors at “Harry Potter: The Exhibition.”

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