Harry Potter Fans Gather in London as Back to Hogwarts Takes Over Old Billingsgate - What happend on the day!

[Dumbledore]

Harry Potter fans descended on London on Tuesday, September 1, as Back to Hogwarts celebrations took place across the capital, with this year’s main event moving away from the traditional setting of King’s Cross.

For years, September 1 has been one of the biggest dates in the Harry Potter calendar. Fans have gathered at King’s Cross Station to mark the moment when the Hogwarts Express traditionally departs for the new school year. But this year was different.

There was no official Harry Potter event, countdown or announcement at King’s Cross on September 1, with fans instead directed towards Old Billingsgate, near the Tower of London. The change was announced ahead of the event, with organisers specifically asking fans not to travel to King’s Cross expecting the usual celebration. Instead, Old Billingsgate became the centre of London’s Back to Hogwarts celebrations.

The Back to Hogwarts: The HBO Max Platform 9¾ Fan Experience opened on September 1 and ran from 11am until 7pm. The free, ticketed event was designed around the upcoming HBO Harry Potter television series, which is due to arrive this Christmas. Fans attending the event were treated to interactive experiences, photo opportunities, giveaways and displays inspired by the new series. And there were some interesting discoveries for anyone keeping a close eye on the new adaptation.

One of the biggest talking points was the first proper close look at Harry Potter’s new wand. A replica from The Noble Collection was displayed at the London event, giving fans a much clearer idea of what Harry’s wand will look like in the HBO series. The design has a noticeably natural and organic appearance, making it different from the wand used by Daniel Radcliffe in the original films.

The new Hogwarts house designs also attracted plenty of attention. Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw all have redesigned house imagery for the television series, and fans at Old Billingsgate were able to see several different versions of the new crests.

There was even a hidden detail in the designs. The new house shields feature objects connected to the four Hogwarts founders. Gryffindor is represented by the Sword of Gryffindor, Slytherin by his locket, Hufflepuff by her cup and Ravenclaw by her diadem.

For longtime fans, that is a particularly interesting choice, considering that three of those objects eventually became Horcruxes. The London celebrations weren't limited to Old Billingsgate either. Warner Bros. Studio Tour London also marked Back to Hogwarts, with a special announcement at 11am and additional broadcasts throughout the day at its Platform 9¾ area.

The Studio Tour is currently celebrating 25 years of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone with its First Year at Hogwarts feature, which includes original props, sets and new experiences based around the first film.

Meanwhile, Bloomsbury, Pottermore Publishing and Audible were also part of the Old Billingsgate celebration.

Fans could receive copies of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, while Pottermore Publishing and Audible offered access to the full cast audiobook of the first Harry Potter story.

The London event also tied into the wider Back to Hogwarts Showcase, which brought a series of announcements for the future of the Wizarding World. Among the announcements were more details surrounding the HBO series, new LEGO products inspired by the upcoming adaptation, updates to the official Sorting Ceremony, gaming news and new Harry Potter experiences around the world.

For many fans, though, the biggest story of the day may simply have been seeing the new HBO version of Harry Potter begin to take physical shape.

The new wand. The redesigned Hogwarts house crests. The displays and props. After months of casting announcements, production updates and behind the scenes photographs, September 1 gave fans a chance to actually see some of the visual identity of the new series up close.

And that makes the reboot feel a little more real. King’s Cross may have been unusually quiet this year, but Harry Potter certainly wasn't absent from London. Instead, the celebrations moved across the city and placed the upcoming HBO series firmly at the centre of Back to Hogwarts.

With the first season arriving this Christmas and a new trailer expected on September 2, the next few weeks could be very interesting for Harry Potter fans.

After all… we've spent a long time talking about this new Hogwarts.

Now we're finally starting to see it.