Harry Potter: The Exhibition transports us into the wizarding world of Harry Potter
An interactive exhibition where you can channel your inner wizard
Photo Provided by Harry Potter: The Exhibition
Photo Provided by Harry Potter: The Exhibition
★★★★★
Harry Potter: The Exhibition
Created by Warner Bros. Discovery Global Themed Entertainment in partnership with Imagine Exhibitions and Eventim Live
https://harrypotterexhibition.com/locations/boston/
100 CambridgeSide Place
Cambridge, MA 02141
Hours:
Sunday–Thursday 9 a.m.–5 p.m.
Friday–Saturday 9 a.m.–7 p.m.
Holidays 9 a.m.–7 p.m.
On display until January 5, 2025
Harry Potter: The Exhibition is a behind-the-scenes traveling exhibition that transports you into the wizarding world of Harry Potter. It contains original costumes, props, and imagery from the films—both the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts franchises—and the Tony Award-winning Broadway play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.
The exhibition begins with guests receiving a golden snitch wristband, which allows them to register for an account by tapping the wristband at a kiosk. They can then choose their Hogwarts house, wand, and Patronus! Throughout the exhibition, guests can take part in interactive activities to earn points for their house, as well as have their photos taken, which are emailed to them at the end of the tour.
With Hedwig's theme guiding you into the exhibition, which features a series of rooms, each with tailored theme music, you are instantly swept away into the world of magic! The first room showcases a first edition of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone encased in a Gringotts-inspired vault, along with original props of the luggage belonging to James Sirius Potter, used in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2. An exhibition guide then leads the guests into the next room, where the walls and the floor display the Marauder’s Map. I took part in an interactive session where I tapped my wristband on the wall, and my name appeared on the Marauder’s Map as if I was walking through Hogwarts castle.
After a quick Harry Potter trivia session, an exhibition guide opens the doors to the Grand Staircase of Hogwarts, where the ragged, old Sorting Hat used in the films is on display. While the Sorting Hat enclosed in glass is not interactive, guests can get their pictures taken in this room with their Hogwarts house in the background. This room provides information about the four Hogwarts houses: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. The robes worn by actors who played Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Cedric Diggory, Cho Chang, Luna Lovegood, and Draco Malfoy, as well as Scorpius Malfoy and Albus Severus Potter in the Cursed Child play are also on display. Text panels elaborate how the wardrobe has evolved over the years, with robes personalized for every character to complement the tone of the films. The sword of Godric Gryffindor particularly stood out and instantly reminded me of the moment when the sword appeared before Harry in the Chamber of Secrets!
While you cannot sit at the dining table, the Great Hall in the next room, adorned with floating candles, is nevertheless a sight to behold! The following room, dedicated to wandlore, is one of my personal favorites, featuring the wands of key characters such as Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter, Voldemort, and Hermione Granger. The text panels here elaborate on how wands were customized for each character, and as a fun fact, we learned that Daniel Radcliffe, who plays Harry Potter, broke about eighty wands during the filming of the movies! This room also has an interactive session to practice casting spells.
Although I do not fancy Divination class, I really enjoyed its recreation, where I read a prophecy of myself in a Divination crystal ball. This is followed by even more thrilling Potions and Herbology classrooms, both of which also have interactive activities where you can make a potion and re-pot a Mandrake (better wear some earmuffs for this one!). The next couple of rooms include the Hogwarts Grounds with Hagrid’s Hut, the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom where you can cast your Patronus, and a room with artifacts from the Triwizard Tournament (the dragon looks incredibly lifelike!). You’ll also find Quidditch grounds showcasing Nimbus Two Thousand brooms used in the films, as well as a room with Newt Scamander’s outfit and some magical creatures from the Fantastic Beasts franchise.
Some of the best parts of the exhibition are saved for the end. Harry’s bedroom, the Cupboard under the Stairs in the Dursley household, is one of my personal favorites, partly because you can enter the room and sit on the cozy bed! This is followed by the Chamber of Secrets, where you can witness the name “Tom Marvolo Riddle” rearrange into “I am Lord Voldemort,” which is both incredible and terrifying. The penultimate room showcases scenes from the ultimate battle between Harry Potter and Voldemort, which can be recreated with two people casting the spells “Expelliarmus” and “Avada Kedavra”. It was one of the most captivating parts of the exhibition! The next and final room with a Pensieve, where another interactive session awaits. I looked into the Pensieve and saw my journey through the Harry Potter exhibition, which felt like a sweet parting gift from the experience.
Speaking about Harry Potter: The Exhibition, Tom Zaller, the President and CEO of Imagine Exhibitions said, “I love immersive-style experiences. It is not just watching a screen, but you can be in an interactive space. To me, it is the holy grail of experiences. Harry Potter is such a relatable one—it is not too futuristic or too unbelievable. You are not on Mars. You can see yourself in a boarding school or a castle.”
Zaller started Imagine Exhibitions in 2009 and has worked on multiple other exhibitions. Speaking about one of his notable works, Zaller explained, “I previously worked on the Titanic exhibitions. I have been to the ocean floor and recovered artifacts. What I loved about Titanic was that with Titanic, we were telling a real story.” The opportunity to tell a relatable story inspired Zaller, who is unapologetically a Gryffindor, to develop the Harry Potter exhibition.
When asked about how this exhibition compares to those previously hosted in Atlanta and New York, Zaller responded, “This is the same exhibition touring, but it is much bigger. The new addition to Boston is the Butterbeer which is fun.” He further explained that the exhibition is adapted to the building space they are given, noting, “It was challenging to have space in New York but the space is much bigger here (in Boston). This is the biggest version we have done of the show yet.”
Zaller was particularly excited about the Great Hall, one of his favorite aspects of the exhibition. He mentioned the challenges of making it grand using projection techniques because of the limited space available. Regarding his favorite rooms, Zaller said, “I always knew it was going to be good, but I just did not realize how good the room with the Marauder’s Map would be. It’s like asking me to choose my favorite child. I love the Portkey room, the Quidditch Grounds, the Mandrakes, the wands, and Hagrid’s chair.”
Overall, I would highly recommend visiting Harry Potter: The Exhibition in Boston. It takes about 60 to 90 minutes to explore the exhibition, which offers an interactive and immersive experience that brings the fictional world of Harry Potter to life. The exhibition is like receiving a Hogwarts acceptance letter, giving you the chance to brew potions, cast spells, and learn about the magical world of Harry Potter. While the standard tickets start at $29 on weekends and holidays, tickets start at $25 on weekdays. Trust me when I say it is worth every penny of the price!