Warner Bros. Studio Tour London have announced their annual Hogwarts in the Snow feature will return this year from 14 November – 17 January 2021, visitors will able to explore their favourite sets in the snow as Diagon Alley undergoes a wintery transformation.
New for 2020, the cobbled stones and magical shops fronts of Diagon Alley will be given a festive makeover draped in layers of filmmaking snow. During filming, many different types of ‘snow’ were used, each selected for its ability to crunch under foot, float like falling flakes or glisten in the light like ice, but never melts. The same techniques will be used by filmmakers to cover the magical shopping street this year. Though Diagon Alley was not seen in the snow, the same set was used for parts of Hogsmeade during the wintery scenes that see Harry make use of his invisibility cloak to join the school trip without permission.
The Hogwarts castle model will also be transformed with a dusting of snow again this year. During filming, a member of the crew climbed aboard an elevated work platform and sprinkled the mixture of granulated paper and grains of salt onto the model by hand with a sieve – like dusting sugar onto a cake. The same process takes place at the Studio Tour every festive season.
As visitors step onto the original stone floor of the Great Hall, they will be welcomed with wreaths, garlands and trees topped with witches on miniature broomsticks. The long dining tables will be dressed like they were for the seasonal feast in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, complete with SFX flaming Christmas puddings and prop versions of the mouth-watering roast turkeys and hams studded with cherries.
In addition, many more of the iconic sets housed at the Studio Tour will receive a festive makeover. The Gryffindor Common Room and Boy’s Dormitory will be decorated with the original props including handmade Christmas cards, some of which were created by the cast members during production. Fireplaces throughout the Studio Tour (including those in the Leaky Cauldron and Great Hall) will be ‘lit’ with special effects fire, created by John Richardson and the SFX team using a combination of water vapour and lighting effects.
To pre-book your tickets, please visit the website.
