A glimpse at the Great Hall as decorated for the Yule Ball.
This holiday season, Harry Potter fans are invited to experience Hogwarts at Christmas time, and see how filmmakers created ice, fire, and snow that never melts as Warner Bros. Studio Tour London gets a magical makeover for “Hogwarts in the Snow.”
From Nov. 18, 2017 – Jan. 28, 2018, guests will be able to see the Harry Potter film series’ sets decorated for holiday scenes. The Great Hall will be transformed for the Yule Ball for the first time, the Gryffindor common room will get dressed up for the season, and a fresh blanket of snow will be applied to the Hogwarts castle model.
As seen in “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire,” the Great Hall was covered in silver, dripping icicles and snow for the Yule Ball during the Triwizard Tournament. Visitors to the tour will get to see a glimpse of this as the top section of the Great Hall will be decorated with snowy Christmas trees, icicles and an orchestra of magical instruments conducted by Professor Flitwick, all painted silver to match the theme of the ball.
In the center of the Great Hall, one of the Yule Ball sculptures, inspired by the Brighton Pavilion, will be on display. The sculptures in the film were cast from resin and surrounded with imitation ice, and held refreshments for Yule Ball guests.
In addition to the Yule Ball decorations, the Great Hall will be lined with Christmas trees and the dining tables set for a seasonal feast at Hogwarts, with prop roast turkeys, hams topped with cherries, and even Christmas puddings surrounded with real flames.
The Gryffindor Common Room and Boys’ Dormitory will be decorated with the original holiday props, including handmade Christmas cards – some of which were made by the cast members during filming. Fireplaces throughout the Studio tour will be “lit” with special effects fire, as created by John Richardson and the SFX team using water vapor and lighting effects.
The Hogwarts castle model will be decorated for the season with a layer of filmmaking snow. During filming, a crew member climbed upon an elevated work platform and sprinkled the snow mixture, made of granulated paper and grains of salt, onto the model by hand with a sieve. The same process will be used at the Studio Tour, and guests can even touch samples of the different types of “snow” used during production.
This holiday season also brings the return of the “Dinner in the Great Hall” events at the Studio Tour, which will run for an additional evening this year. Every night from Dec. 11 – 13, Harry Potter fans can enjoy drinks and canapes before indulging in a two-course Christmas feast on the Great Hall set. Dessert will be served on Platform 9 3/4, next to the original Hogwarts Express train, and guests will be free to explore the Studio Tour after hours.
“Hogwarts in the Snow” will run from Saturday, Nov. 18, 2017 – Sunday, Jan. 28, 2018. Tickets must be pre-booked online, and all extra features are included in the general ticket price. For more information, and to purchase tickets, visit wbstudiotour.co.uk.