A Happy Back to Hogwarts Day Was Had by All at King’s Cross Station

by · September 4, 2019

While much of the world considers Halloween to be the kickoff of the holiday season, we in the Harry Potter fandom know better: It’s actually Back to Hogwarts Day, September 1.

Each year, Potterheads young and old celebrate the start of a new term at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and nowhere is that celebration more magical – not to mention backdropped to perfection – than at King’s Cross in London, England.

The railway station played host once again Sunday to hundreds of fans decked out in their House robes or dressed as their favorite characters as they awaited 11 a.m., the appointed departure time of the Hogwarts Express. To add to the atmosphere, King’s Cross added “Edinburgh via Hogsmeade” to its departure board. The train was, of course, on time.

As fans prepared for the countdown to the Express’s arrival, they were entertained by the choir of the Queen’s College, Oxford, which performed selections from the film soundtracks, including Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban‘s “Double Trouble.”

 

 

 

After the countdown, cast members of the current West End production of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child appeared in front of platform nine and three-quarters for an exciting performance of the “Wand Dance” scene.

 

 

 

 

 

Other treats included a life-size LEGO Ford Anglia and a pop-up from Wizarding World Digital that introduced fans to a new interpretation of the Sorting Hat and teased a new and “more immersive” Sorting Ceremony coming soon online and on the impending Wizarding World app.

 

 

It’s safe to say a happy Back to Hogwarts Day was had by all, and if you weren’t able to make it to King’s Cross on time, you can check out a short video of the festivities, along with photos from the event, below.