“Strictly Come Dancing” Waltzes into the Great Hall

For this year’s Strictly Come Dancing Christmas special, some footage has been filmed at the Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter. Photos and footage show the stars of the special dancing in the Great Hall itself, as well as boarding the Hogwarts Express.

While the main dances for the show have been filmed in the usual Strictly Come Dancing studio, some behind-the-scenes footage has taken place at the Studio Tour. The stars and their dance partners can be seen leaping around the Great Hall, reminding us of the Yule Ball.

You can see the stars dancing in the festive Great Hall below.

Most recently, the Studio Tour hosted the first ever Dinner in the Great Hall, and it got us wondering – wouldn’t it be wonderful to hire out the Great Hall for our own personal parties and events? Here’s why it would be the perfect setting for a dance, wedding, or dinner.

1. It would be truly magical. 

Every Harry Potter fan has dreamed of getting to visit the Great Hall, let alone attend a wedding or party in that magical space. With the set in place, the theme for any party would already be there, making party planning a whole lot easier. Watching the Strictly stars whirl around the set makes us wish that we could do the same. We can’t think of anywhere more atmospheric and emotive, especially with all those Christmas decorations adorning the walls.

2. As Harry Potter super-fans, we would appreciate everything about it. 

The Great Hall is iconic, and every Harry Potter fan knows that. It would be the perfect place to tie together something we love with a special occasion.

3. We would be able to dance and eat where our favorite Harry Potter actors have walked and eaten.

It would make us feel more than ever that Hogwarts is real, and it would be the closest we could get to going to Hogwarts (mainly because of that strict Statute of Secrecy).

4. There’s plenty of space for all those party guests and lots of dancing. 

No one would have to be left out of your special day/evening/moment.

The most famous dance to have taken place in the Great Hall is of course the Yule Ball. We’d love to emulate our favorite characters and waltz upon the Great Hall tiles.

Of course, its not possible to hire out the Great Hall (yet) for wedding or parties. There are too many precious props and artifacts hanging around for it to be feasible, and with tours often running into the evenings, it wouldn’t always be practical. But still, we can keep on dreaming…

For now, we’ll have to content ourselves with visiting the Studio Tour, watching Strictly this Christmas, and reading up on how Muggles across the world have made their magical wedding dreams come true.

If you’re in the UK, you can catch up with the most recent edition of It Takes Two on iPlayer, where some footage from the Great Hall and the Hogwarts Express was shown.

We recently visited the Studio Tour for their festive Hogwarts in the Snow feature. Catch up here.

What event would you love to hold in the Great Hall? Let us know in the comments!