A Celebration of Harry Potter, the fourth annual event for Harry Potter fans, will be held on January 27-29 this year at Universal Orlando Resort®. The celebration features question and answer sessions with stars from the films, special panels, demonstrations, exclusive exhibits, and many other activities over three days.
Of course, fans who attend will also have access to Universal Orlando's theme parks, which include The Wizarding World of Harry PotterTM at the Islands of AdventureTM, and Diagon AlleyTM at Universal Studios FloridaTM. While some of the activities are restricted to people who purchased special vacation packages, the majority are free with theme park admission. If you're planning to visit the parks during the Celebration, here are some tips to help you get the most from your experience:
Attend multiple days. Remember, there's a lot to see and do, and you'll have more fun if you are there for more than one day. Multi-day, Park-to-Park admission tickets are available, and you can save time by buying and printing your tickets online. Remember, you'll need a Park-to-Park ticket or Annual Pass to attend the Celebration and ride the Hogwarts Express. 
Plan ahead. Choose the activities you most want to enjoy, and plan your visit around those. There's a lot to experience, and you won't be able to get to everything you want to see without a strategy. Special guests for this year's celebration include Warwick Davis, who played Professor Flitwick/Griphook; Jason Issacs, who played Lucius Malfoy; and Matthew Lewis, who portrayed Neville LongbottomTM. This year's Harry Potter Expo features:
- A Warner Bros. studio tour of authentic sets and costumes Displays of original props, graphic design pieces, and more, with appearances from Harry Potter experts and prop designers to discuss these unique items Trivia challenges presented by Scholastic, and a meet-and-greet and signing with Mary GrandPré, illustrator of the Harry Potter books News, announcements, and audio challenges presented by PottermoreTM and Audible A virtual reality experience based on Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find ThemTM
The descriptions of the events and the final schedule will be available on the Universal Orlando Resort website.
Dress up. Costumes are encouraged, and add to everyone's fun. The costumes do need to adhere to certain rules, which you can find here. You should also make some time for people-watching, to see what costumes others are wearing.
Arrive early. There are a lot of Harry Potter fans, and lines can get long. It's best to arrive before the park opens. Similarly, make sure you get in line for any of the shows or sessions early as well. They are conducted on a first-come, first-served basis and fill up quickly.
Of course, there are some general tips everyone should follow. Wear comfortable shoes or bring them with you so you can change, stay hydrated, and make sure your camera/phone is charged (and carry backup batteries). You can also take advantage of the Official Universal Orlando Resort App, available for both Apple and Android devices, which shows maps of the parks, wait times, show times, dining information, and much more. You'll find more information about a Celebration of Harry Potter here, and visit www.experiencekissimmee.com to help plan your visit!
