Magical experience
Harry Potter Forbidden Forest event reveals Austin dates this fall
Harry Potter: A Forbidden Forest Experience comes to Austin starting November 9.
There's magic happening in Austin this fall. An event called Harry Potter: A Forbidden Forest Experience will transform McKinney Roughs Nature Park into a mysterious wizarding wonderland starting November 9.
The website does not show an end date before users sign up, but when presale access is given, the last available date is December 19. (That's as of our search on August 28.) If it's as successful as it was in Dallas, there's precedent to extend the activation past the current end.
Inspired by the iconic Forbidden Forest and featuring creatures from the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts series, the experience will use lights to transfigure the landscape into a magical outdoor trail. Visitors will be able to discover some of their favorite moments from the Forbidden Forest, encounter mystical creatures such as hippogriffs, unicorns, and nifflers, and practice casting their very own spells, a release says.
Guests also will find a themed village at the end of the trail, where they can enjoy food and drink, as well as a gift shop with merchandise from the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts movies.
The event is produced by Warner Bros. Discovery Global Themed Entertainment, in partnership with Fever and IMG.
The run in Austin follows earlier stays in Dallas, the U.K., New York, Brussels, and Washington D.C.
Tickets will be available for purchase starting Thursday, August 29, but fans who sign up for the waitlist will unlock exclusive access to secure tickets.
Ticket prices range from $28 for children to $41 for adults. More information about the experience and the ticket waitlist are at hpforbiddenforestexperience.com.
This story was originally published August 22, 2024, and was updated August 28. The update includes new information about the end date of the activation, obtained by notification email that presales had opened.
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