Wands at the ready!
It’s not quite Diagon Alley, but over at Leicester Square you might just witness the warm glow of sorcery as wands illuminate the city. Here to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the release of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone in cinemas, nine wands will simultaneously activate “Lumos” to create a radiant walkway. Kicking off on October 13, the trail will shine from 6-8.35pm each evening.
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Even Harry Potter himself would be hard-pushed to handle wands of these proportions; but we’ll let him off considering they stand at 15ft tall. Sitting along an 18-metre walkway, each one represents a character from the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts franchise.
They’ve also joined nine bronze statues – including Harry Potter, of course – that make up the award-winning Scenes in the Square installation. Moreover, they form part of the brand new Inside Out festival, produced by Westminster City Council and partners to bring outdoor free art, entertainment and culture to the streets of Westminster.
Polly Cochrane, Country Manager UK & Ireland at Warner Bros. said: “We are thrilled to unveil the Wizarding World Wands in London’s Leicester Square to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone being released in UK cinemas and look forward to next year’s release of Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore.“
“Leicester Square itself has played its part in the Wizarding World legacy by hosting premieres for the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts films over two decades, so we are delighted to bring the wands here for fans to enjoy.”
Following the display, the UK will continue its Potterversary celebrations, by kicking off special screenings of the first movie in cinemas across the country. Plus, October 25 does not mark the end of the giant wands. Leading up the April 8 release of Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore in cinemas, the wands will hit four other UK cities, as voted for by the public: Hull, Stoke, Reading and Birmingham. Each city will enjoy the wands for a week from March onwards.
Find the illuminated walk from October 13-25 at Leicester Square.