“Harry Potter” Wands to Be Displayed in Leicester Square for 20th-Anniversary Celebrations

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Warner Bros. Pictures has announced that a walkway of nine wands from the Harry Potter film series will be displayed in Leicester Square for two weeks later this month to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the first Harry Potter film, which had its world premiere there as Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone on November 4, 2001.

According to a press release from Warner Bros. Pictures, the upcoming installation – running from October 13 to October 25 – is in partnership with Discover Leicester Square and will be at Leicester Square Gardens. The timing comes right before the theatrical rerelease of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone in the United Kingdom and Ireland on October 29. In addition, the same wands will go on tour in cities across the UK next year, leading up to the release of Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore on April 8, 2022. As decided by a previous fan vote, those cities will be Hull, Stoke, Reading, and Birmingham, and each will host the wands for a week, beginning in March.

The wand installation is similar to an installation in support of Lumos from 2018. This time, Warner Bros. notes, the installation will be part of the new Inside Out Festival, put on by Westminster City Council and running through the month of October. The wands also aren’t the only part of the Leicester Square Gardens display.

Standing fifteen feet tall and forming an 18[-]metre walkway, the wands are exact replicas of those belonging to nine of the most beloved characters in the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts films and join Harry Potter and eight other bronze statues in the award-winning [‘]Scenes in the Square[‘] installation.

Additionally, all nine wands will be illuminated from 6:00 p.m. to 8:35 p.m. in Leicester Square Gardens “and will perform regular light shows to music from the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts [films] on scheduled days.”

 

A mock-up of the upcoming wand installation at Leicester Square Gardens is shown. The wands are illuminated at night along either side of a pedestrian walkway.

A mock-up of the upcoming wand installation at Leicester Square Gardens is shown.

 

If that’s not all, the press release mentions an additional opportunity for fans: “a tour of the Platform 9 ¾ [t]rolley, which will be installed at train stations in Edinburgh, Birmingham, Cardiff and Belfast.”

Are you looking forward to the celebrations in store for the 20th anniversary of the first Harry Potter film? Tell us in the comments below.

Press Release

WALKWAY OF NINE GIANT WIZARDING WORLD WANDS TO ILLUMINATE LEICESTER SQUARE FOR TWO WEEKS IN CELEBRATION OF THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF HARRY POTTER AND THE PHILOSOPHER'S STONE

  • A dazzling installation of Wizarding World [w]ands to grace Leicester Square to celebrate the 20th [a]nniversary of the Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone film and its premiere in Leicester Square in 2001
  • Installation consists of nine 15ft tall wands representing nine key characters from Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts films and is displayed in partnership with Discover Leicester Square
  • From the 13th until 25th October, the enchanting installation will bring magic into Leicester Square Gardens.
  • The official 20th [a]nniversary of the Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone film will be celebrated this [a]utumn, with the film returning to UK and Ireland cinemas from 29th October.
  • The wands will go on display in cities across the UK next year, in the lead[-]up to the release of Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore in cinemas from 8th April 2022

LONDON, UK: 6th October 2021 – A breathtaking installation of nine giant wands will illuminate the gardens in Leicester Square in London, where Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone had its premiere back in 2001, as excitement builds for the 20th anniversary of the film’s release.

Standing fifteen feet tall and forming an 18[-]metre walkway, the wands are exact replicas of those belonging to nine of the most beloved characters in the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts films and join Harry Potter and eight other bronze statues in the award-winning ["]Scenes in the Square["] installation.

All nine wands will be illuminated from 6 pm until 8.35 pm every evening from 13th to 25th October and will perform regular light shows to music from the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts [films] on scheduled days.

The wands will form part of Inside Out Festival – a brand[-]new, free festival produced by Westminster City Council and partners that brings art, entertainment, and culture outdoors to the streets of Westminster and will run until the end of October.

Polly Cochrane, Country Manager UK & Ireland at Warner Bros., says, “We are thrilled to unveil the Wizarding World [w]ands in London’s Leicester Square to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone being released in UK cinemas and look forward to next year’s release of Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore.

“Leicester Square itself has played its part in the Wizarding World legacy by hosting premieres for the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts films over two decades, so we are delighted to bring the wands here for fans to enjoy.”

The official 20th [a]nniversary of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone will be marked on the 16th November 2021 and celebrated throughout the [a]utumn, with special screenings in cinemas across the UK and Ireland from 29th October. Other celebrations include a tour of the Platform 9 ¾ [t]rolley, which will be installed at train stations in Edinburgh, Birmingham, Cardiff and Belfast.

Following the announcement of the UK release of Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, the wands will next tour four UK cities in the lead[-]up to the 8th April release of Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore in cinemas, following a nationwide vote on the wands’ next destinations. Victorious locations Hull, Stoke, Reading and Birmingham will each display the wands for a week from March onwards.

The Harry Potter Magical Movie Mode is a wondrous new way to experience Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. Available now on Blu-ray, DVD & Digital.

 

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Mary W.

I am a Slytherin, a lifelong fan of Harry Potter, and a member of MuggleNet staff since 2014. In my Muggle life, I am passionate about human rights, and I love to travel around the world and meet new people.