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Credit: Universal StudiosThe Wizarding World of Harry Potter has expanded dramatically since it first opened – but is there more that could be done? With the upcoming addition of Epic Universe to Universal Orlando Resort’s theme park line-up, there’s proof that there’s still much more creative juice to squeeze from JK Rowling’s magical creations.
Related: Universal Park Permanently Closes ‘Harry Potter’ Experience
From 2025, guests will be able to step into not only Hogwarts Castle, Hogsmeade Village, Diagon Alley, and Gringotts Bank, but the new addition of the Ministry of Magic (which will host the new land’s biggest attraction) and Paris as seen in the spinoff series Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. But we’ve only just scratched the surface. What else could come to life at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in the future? Here are five additions we’d love to see at Universal Orlando Resort in the coming years.
1) The Great Hall
How, in 2024, do we still not have an extravagant Great Hall dining experience? While Islands of Adventure may have its own Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry – and you can catch a glimpse of the Great Hall at the end of Forbidden Journey – we are yet to receive the best attraction any recreation of Hogwarts could offer.
The setup would be simple. Like the Great Hall in the films, guests would be seated on one of four long tables. This would require seating parties together, but if that’s what it takes to dine like a Gryffindor student, so be it. This table-service restaurant could serve food family-style, à la the unlimited feasts seen throughout the series. There could even be Halloween and Christmas overlays over the holiday season.
Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter already offers something similar in the UK and charges an incredibly high premium for the experience. However, considering how many people have spent years dreaming of eating like Harry, Ron, Hermione, and co, we’re pretty confident they’d be more than willing to pay what’s necessary – and that this could easily become Universal’s most in-demand restaurant.
2) The Burrow
The home of the Weasleys is seen in most of the Harry Potter movies. In the books, it’s regularly described by Harry as the coziest place he’s ever been.
While it would admittedly be tough to conceive an attraction that would fit the theme, a recreation of The Burrow could serve a similar atmospheric purpose to Grimmauld Place at Universal Studios Florida. Replace glimpses of Kreacher through the window with the Weasley clock ticking around each member of the family and you’ve got yourself a winner.
3) The Great Lake
Harry visits the lake more in the books than he does the movies, where it’s main scenes are those in which Harry casts his first proper Patronus to save Sirius and Harry participates in the Second Task of the Triwizard Tournament.
It’s the latter that could provide inspiration for another solid attraction at the park. Technically, there’s already a “lake” of sorts next to Hogwarts at Islands of Adventure. However, finding a way to incorporate a nearby attraction where guests could dive into the depths of the lake alongside Harry and encounter creatures such as Merpeople and the Giant Squid, or even an intricate, immersive boat ride, would offer something different to the thrills already offered in the Wizarding World.
4) The Chamber of Secrets
Technically, the Chamber of Secrets is located within Hogwarts – and Forbidden Journey features a very, very brief glimpse of Salazar Slytherin’s secret – so any attraction based on it would need to be smart about how it blends into the existing infrastructure at Islands of Adventure.
If Universal could find a way, however, this could be the land’s creepiest attraction yet. Anything involving an animatronic Basilisk as impressive as those found on Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure has the potential to be terrifying – in the best possible way, of course.
5) The Quidditch Pitch
Every Harry Potter fan will acknowledge that, yes, the game of Quidditch is an extremely flawed concept when you think about it too hard. However, the most important thing is that it’s fun – which is exactly what a Quidditch attraction could be.
Building an interactive attraction (think a shooter ride but way more technologically advanced, and preferably involving riders sat on seats designed to somehow resemble broomsticks) that allows guests to participate in a “game” of Quidditch would be tricky, but done well, it could be every Potterhead’s dream come true. The brief glimpse of the Quidditch pitch in Forbidden Journey isn’t enough – we want to play this game, and play to win.
What else would you like to see at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter? Let us know in the comments!