This review of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter exhibit (when it was at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia) tells you everything you really need to know about the exhibition before you go, as well as whether it’s worth it.
Since the world premiere of this exhibit was first announced, it sold tickets at an all-time record speed in the history of the museum at which I visited it, with many dates sold out months before the exhibit even began!
As a book blogger, I visited the exhibit during its first week and am here to share my literary lifestyle tips and tricks with you: all the details, tips to make the most of your experience, whether it’s worth it, and photos from the exhibit.
Review of the Harry Potter Exhibition
An immersive and interactive exhibit for fans of the Harry Potter movies, filled with costumes and props in impressive set designs. It also incorporates interactive, personalized technology with which visitors can engage, as well as movie clips.
Tips
First and foremost, wear your best Harry Potter gear! SO MANY fans came to the exhibit dressed in everything from Harry Potter shirts to Harry Potter scarves, Harry Potter wands, and full Harry Potter costumes, and it really added to both the fun and the communal experience!
If you can, try to go on a weekday. I heard the first weekend was immensely crowded. I went at 9:30 a.m. on a Wednesday, and I found the crowd to be manageable. I was worried at first because there was a line to get in, but I found the whole experience to be really well managed overall. The staff was well prepared and the Harry Potter exhibit itself is set up for dispersing guests within each setting. Going early on a weekday also helps with parking.
Plan to spend about 1-2 hours inside the exhibit. I spent about 1.5 hours in the exhibit itself.
Is the Harry Potter Exhibit Worth It?
Below are my top six pros and cons of the Harry Potter exhibit, to help you determine if it’s worth it for you.
Pros:
- Laid out well to disperse crowds in each setting
- Staff was well prepared to manage crowds
- Fun community atmosphere of excited fans
- Feels immersive and interactive with elements of technology and magic
- Covers most of the important plots, settings, plots, and characters
- Designed to please both adults and children
Cons:
- Expensive for a family or group visit
- Hard to get tickets due to popularity
- Non-refundable and non-transferable tickets
- May be crowded, depending on when you go
- Parking may be difficult, depending on when you go
- No rides or amusements like you would find at Universal Studios in Florida
The Harry Potter exhibit was worth it for me. I really enjoy seeing movie memorabilia in person, and I did feel like they were placed in a really interactive, impressive, very crowd-controlled environment. I thought that the price was fair, nearly everything I wanted to see was there, and the community of museum staff and guests maintained a fun and polite atmosphere.
Beyond the memorabilia, each guest receives a “golden snitch” wristband, by which you set up a profile with your favorite Hogwarts house, Patronus, and wand. You then scan this wristband throughout the exhibit to take photos and engage in other magical tasks, like casting spells! This element really takes the Harry Potter exhibition to the next level, especially for kids.
The exhibit may not be worth it if: you don’t really enjoy movie memorabilia (or are a fan of the Harry Potter book series but not the movie series); you want a more amusement park type of experience; or you have a large family, as several tickets plus parking, food, and more can really add up to one expensive day.
Photos of the Harry Potter Exhibit
Below are photos I took of the Harry Potter exhibit during my visit. Of course, this means they are SPOILERS, and you should proceed only if you do NOT want to be fully surprised at the exhibition.
That being said, I did my best to leave A LOT out of these photos, so as not to spoil ALL the surprises for you. There’s definitely a lot more at the Harry Potter exhibit beyond what’s pictured below. These photos are meant to give you a general idea of what it’s like.
Conclusion
That concludes my review of the Harry Potter exhibition. If you attend, I would love to hear your thoughts, tips, etc., in the comments below!
Related Harry Potter Posts
For more Harry Potter, I have tons of Harry Potter posts for you to explore. You can start with the following posts to get your gear ready to attend the Harry Potter exhibit:
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I have a question? Is the VIP worth 99.00 per person? I see you choose the time you enter, don’t have to wait in line, get 10% off in the store and receive some kind of special collectable item? Does anyone know what that item is? I would be going to Atlanta, Ga for this exhibition, November 2022?? Thanks
I didn’t pay for the VIP ticket and I had a great experience when it was in Philly! The lines moved fast and the crowd was very well dispersed.
It was wonderful!
Thanks Jules, very helpful. Beyond wearing my robe, is there any point in bringing my wand? Would it do any spells anywere?
I wouldn’t worry about it since the bracelet they give you has a lot of magical features as you go through the exhibit. Have fun!
@Jules Buono, wow thanks for your review. Im still debating if it’s worth it. I love both the book and movie series. I’ve visited both parks in Orlando and the LA wb studio tour. The wristband sounds cool and overall an interactive experience. Prob just do the after 5p time…. Oh and a London tour? I must go to England then!! I’ll let you know if I end up going!
Please do!! Have fun 🙂 And, I agree, the London tour sounds amazing!!
Any comments on the audio tour and if it’s worth the extra $8? Going this weekend snd was curious if we should get it. Our tickets are for 6pm so we only have two hours. Thank you!
I did not do the audio tour nor have I heard anyone talk about it, so I don’t have any comments on it, unfortunately. I will say I found the signage to be in-depth and informative even without the audio tour. And I wouldn’t worry about the 2 hours — I think that’s plenty of time to enjoy the exhibit! Have fun.
Is there food venders? How much money should I bring with me for gist store and food? Im planning a surprise for my friends birthday who is OBSESSED with harry potter and I just want us to make sure were prepared.
I did not see any vendors other than those already in the Franklin Institute. In the gift shop, they had candy and butterbeer. For costs in the gift shop, it really depends on what you want to buy, but I’d say the bulk of items were in the range of a few dollars to $50+. The smaller items were things like cards and mugs, and the larger items were things like sweatshirts. A lot of it was sectioned off by Hogwarts house. I hope you and your friend have an AMAZING time! Happy birthday to him or her!!
Thanks for the info – great article. My wife and I are reading the books for the first time along with our 8 year old who loves them all. We are only on books 3 and 4. We really want to visit the Philly exhibit, but curious if there are spoilers that would ruin anything in upcoming books/movies?
Hello, I would say yes you will probably feel there are spoilers. The exhibit really tracks the books/movies in order from 1-7 almost directly in a row and there’s also some video at the end. I hope you can finish them up and visit before the exhibit leaves town!
Hi Jules, love HP so would be keen to visit this, but do you think it offers something new for those who have been to the Studio Tour in London? Thanks for the informative post!
I wish I could fully answer this, but I have not been to the Studio tour. From what I can see on Google images, the props and costumes look similar but the Studio tour set designs look more impressive and immersive. Perhaps the Franklin Institute’s golden snitch wristband technology features would be distinguising. Hopefully, if someone else reads this and has been to both, they can kindly reply to you and provide more info!
To follow up on this, I spoke with a friend who visited the exhibit in Philly, as well as the Studio Tour in London, and the Wizarding World in Orlando. She enjoyed all three. She found the London tour to make it feel like you are actually on set, and the Philly exhibit to be good for costumes and technological fun.
I went with my mom and it was really awesome!! We both enjoyed creating a profile and since we could pick our house, it made it easy. Plus I was wearing my Gryffindor house robe. While it was crowded for a weekday, it was alright, we managed to get through and enjoy it. We can’t wait to go back again and I also plan on going with my dad at some point. The one downside was that there were a couple of the interactive portions that didn’t work for my mom, like the potions one. She went to tap hers and it said she had already done that activity when in fact she had not, so she got no points and yet when I did it, it worked just fine and I got my points. Hopefully they get it checked out. All in all, an enjoyable day!!
Thank you so much for sharing your experience with me and other readers and visitors to the exhibit. I agree, it was an enjoyable experience overall!
Yo I thought it was the shiznit