Wizarding World Gold Holds First Exclusive Event: A Christmas Party in the Great Hall

Leaky was lucky enough to be invited to a Christmas party in the Great Hall at Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter last week, an exclusive event for subscribers to Wizarding World Gold.

It was a thrilling night, and came with a fair share of surprises! Keep reading to find out more:

Wizarding World Gold subscribers received an email prior to the event, allowing them to sign up for free tickets for them and a guest. As this was a fairly small and exclusive event (just a few hundred attendees in total), subscribers to Wizarding World Gold had to be quick!

After checking into the tour, guests made their way to the entrance lobby, where canapés, wine, beer and prosecco were being served under a Ukranian Ironbelly, and next to the tour’s huge signature Christmas tree displayed during Hogwarts in the Snow.

After this drinks reception, guests made their way through the entrance of the tour, where, aside from the usual props and timeline, Wizarding World Gold were also displaying the new Sorting Hat from their reimagined Sorting Ceremony:

Finally, it was time to head into the Great Hall, and after the evening was introduced by surprise host, Harry Potter star Warwick Davis (who portrayed Griphook, Flitwick and a Gringotts Goblin teller), the doors were opened by some lucky fans:

We met @WarwickADavis at the @wbtourlondon! #WizardingWorldGold #gifted pic.twitter.com/U7bhbPf248

— The Leaky Cauldron (@leaky) December 3, 2019

The Great Hall look simply sublime – each table was complete with a Wizarding World Gold gift (stickers for the Wizarding World Gold Keys and Curios journal!), cracker, and exclusive Warner Bros. Studio Tour pin for Wizarding World Gold subscribers, showing the iconic doors to the Great Hall:

The Great Hall looked INCREDIBLE tonight! Thank you @wbtourlondon @wizardingworld for letting us experience the #WizardingWorldGold Christmas event! 😍 #WizardingWorldChristmas #gifted pic.twitter.com/0YRt7D5fYw

— The Leaky Cauldron (@leaky) December 4, 2019

Warwick Davis made a lovely speech, talking about his time on the Harry Potter movies, repeating the story we’ve heard previously from other stars, telling us that when the actors filmed on the feast scenes in Philosopher’s Stone, the food was real, and after a week of filming had started to rot — thankfully we were treated to a fresh feast!

He also covered the importance of magic, and set us up for the incredible evening ahead. He took the time to visit each and every table, making every guest’s night extra magical:

We’re in the Great Hall with @WarwickADavis at @wbtourlondon! ✨🤩 #WizardingWorldGold pic.twitter.com/qspLar9Cve

— The Leaky Cauldron (@leaky) December 3, 2019

The surprises just kept coming! Smoke began to collect at the doors to the Great Hall, and much to our surprise, Death Eaters crashed the event! Usually we would be duelling dark wizards and witches like these, but the Studio Tour had things under control:

A Death Eater in the Great Hall?! We were surprised AGAIN at @wbtourlondon! 😨😨😨 #WizardingWorldGold pic.twitter.com/HQoUFT2vSD

— The Leaky Cauldron (@leaky) December 3, 2019

The meal was simply delightful, and offered two courses with drinks, and a delicious vegetarian/vegan option (the Studio Tour just won a PETA award for cruelty-free travel!). Dessert was being served on Platform 9 3/4 (halfway through the tour), and guests were given a token for a free butterbeer each in the backlot cafe following this, so it was time to make our way through the Studio Tour at our own pace!

Hogwarts in the Snow is a great time to visit the tour anyway, as you get to see props and moments from the Yule Ball, try to do McGonagall’s waltz, find out how snow is made for the films and more, but the Wizarding World Gold Christmas Party was extra-special in being an 18+ event, and allowing guests take drinks around the tour with them — even serving drinks by Snape’s Potions classroom!

Drinks by the potions classroom at @wbtourlondon? #WizardingWorldGold pic.twitter.com/eqS7bQNQlA

— The Leaky Cauldron (@leaky) December 3, 2019

During the drinks reception earlier in the night, guests were asked to write down their #1 favorite thing about Christmas in the Wizarding World, and as guests arrived at Platform 9 3/4, they were greeted by a mural by Hatch Art, combining all of the submitted answers into one illustration.

From Flitwick decorating the Christmas tree, to the Burrow’s Christmas feast, Dumbledore’s Christmas hat, Mrs Weasley’s jumpers, butterbeer, Hogwarts in the Snow and much more – it was expertly done, and such a wonderful way to bring together all the magical moments that make Harry Potter special at this time of year:

What’s your favorite thing about Christmas in the Wizarding World? A special art piece is going to be created at @wbtourlondon combining everybody’s answers at the #WizardingWorldGold event!🎄✨ pic.twitter.com/GQzPib2B46

— The Leaky Cauldron (@leaky) December 3, 2019

Guests were also gifted a wand, which could be chosen from any wand in the store at the end of the tour. After exiting the gift shop, guests were welcomed to probably the best thing we’ve ever seen – a dance party underneath a Ukranian Ironbelly – all that was missing was some wizard rock!

A dance party with a Ukrainian Ironbelly happened at @wbtourlondon as part of the #WizardingWorldGold event tonight! 🤩 pic.twitter.com/uwoRLAXlQO

— The Leaky Cauldron (@leaky) December 4, 2019

Overall, we had a fantastic night, and enjoyed getting to meet so many other lovely fans of the wizarding world and talk about how incredible everything at the tour was – it was a dream come true, in so many ways.

Thanks to #WizardingWorldGold for an event that let us get so many clear shots of the sets! @wbtourlondon has never looked so magical 🤩🎄✨ #gifted pic.twitter.com/gD7a4SAVHp

— The Leaky Cauldron (@leaky) December 4, 2019

The Wizarding World Gold Christmas Party was a very special evening indeed, treating subscribers to a fantastic night to celebrate the launch of the subscription service.

We know there are plenty out there hoping for more events in future and the chance to attend another exclusive event, and the good news is, there are more being planned! We’ll keep you posted in future. Let’s hope the next is just as good as this dream Christmas party!

Take a look at the official video of the event below. Many thanks to Wizarding World Gold for inviting us to be a part of this magical night! Find out more about Wizarding World Gold here.