Credit: Harry Potter: A Forbidden Forest ExperienceHarry Potter: A Forbidden Forest Experience is heading to Australia in April – but not everyone is happy about the move.
Currently running in Little Elm, Texas, Harry Potter: A Forbidden Forest Experience gives Potterheads the chance to get up close and personal with one of the franchise’s spookiest locations. The walkthrough combines magical creatures and “wizarding wonders” for a one-of-a-kind attraction that routinely relocates across the globe.
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In February, Harry Potter: A Forbidden Forest Experience will wrap up its run in Texas and head to its next spot, Singapore. From April 6 to May 19, it will move once again to Melbourne, Australia, as was announced in December.
This has drawn outrage from those furious about its planned venue of The Briars in Mount Martha. A petition with over 4,000 signatures claims that the experience doesn’t align with the mission of Briars Sanctuary.
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“This venue is far from appropriate for such an event, as it goes against the ethos of this sanctuary’s mission – to protect wildlife,” the petition argues. “The Briars is not just any park; it is the only fenced sanctuary on the Mornington Peninsula, home to incredibly significant yet fragile ecosystems.”
The Briars is a conservation park, home to native animals such as koalas, emus, kangaroos, and echidnas. Protestors are especially concerned about the impact A Forbidden Forest Experience will have on the natural wildlife – even though they’re fans of the event in general.
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Member for Mornington Chris Crewther spoke to Sky about the event, explaining: “I don’t normally publicly comment on Mornington Peninsula Shire decisions. However, joining with so many people in our community and beyond, I’m calling on the Shire to move the Harry Potter event they’ve planned to hold at night within the wildlife sanctuary part of The Briars. While residents and I are not opposed to a local Harry Potter event itself, which I’m sure will be great, we are opposed to its location and operations within the wildlife sanctuary part of The Briars, where many native nocturnal and diurnal animals are based.”
A representative for Fever – which organized the event alongside Warner Bros. – told Inside the Magic that a risk assessment was carried out before announcing the event. “Measures to mitigate any potential risks have been and will continue to be explored by staff and experts to minimize the impact to wildlife and the natural beauty of the location,” they said.
These measures include hosting most of the trail on pre-existing paths with the rest hosted on a path that is being improved specifically for the event. “Further measures, including prohibiting pedestrian access off the path, are being put in place,” they added. “The experience will occupy only part of the 90ha sanctuary, leaving plenty of undisturbed natural habitat space for animals. The vast majority of the overall woodland will remain completely untouched by the experience and should have minimal impact to natural habitats.”
However, they also noted that sapling trees may be removed for the event. These will reportedly be replaced with species “benefiting the overall health of the wood.”
For now, the event is still scheduled to go ahead at The Briars. Tickets are currently on sale for AUD $56 (USD $58) for adults and AUD $41 (USD $28) for children.
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