New Details Revealed About The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic At Universal Orlando’s Epic Universe

Next year, Universal will debut its third Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Orlando Resort as part of its new Epic Universe park.

Combining wizarding Paris from Warner Bros. Pictures’ Fantastic Beasts films and the British Ministry of Magic from the Harry Potter film series, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic joins The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Hogsmeade at Universal Islands of Adventure and The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Diagon Alley at Universal Studios Florida, to create a trilogy of wizarding adventures across Universal Orlando.

It’s one of five immersive worlds to be featured at the all-new Universal Epic Universe in Orlando. Those five worlds include Celestial Park, the first world visitors encounter. It serves as a portal the to the other four: The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic; Super Nintendo World; How To Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk; and Dark Universe.

In Ministry of Magic, guests will first journey from a Muggle park in Paris into the breathtaking spectacle
of 1920’s Place Cachée, a hidden, bustling shopping district in wizarding Paris lined with Haussmannian buildings, shops, sidewalk cafés, and historic Parisian domes rising in the distance. Here, wizards and non-magiques alike can cast spells in the streets using interactive wands, encounter fantastic beasts at a traveling circus, and – for the first time ever within The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – travel across space and time to 1990s London using the MétroFloo to the iconic British Ministry of Magic.

Among the world’s elements will be:

Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry: Promising “first-of-its-kind ride technology,” Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry begins when guests travel by Métro-Floo – a unique mode of wizarding
transit inspired by the iconic Floo Network seen in the films – to journey from wizarding Paris to the British Ministry of Magic for the long-awaited trial of the infamous Dolores Umbridge. Guests will
enter the Ministry’s grand atrium and venture through other departments before boarding omnidirectional lifts to watch the trial — until Umbridge attempts to escape. Guests then join Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger and a house-elf named Higgledy on a chase that will propel them up, down, forward, backward, sideways and more throughout the Ministry as they try to capture Umbridge – all while dodging attacks from Death Eaters, rampaging creatures and more.

Le Cirque Arcanus: Guests can experience a live, full-scale theater experience with Le Cirque Arcanus. The show will feature live performers and aerialists, puppetry and special effects as it allows guests
encounters with fantastic beasts. The show follows Ringmaster Skender, who has stolen Newt Scamander’s suitcase – where Demiguise, Diricawl, Mooncalves and more reside – to try and bring the failing Le Cirque Arcanus back to its former glory. It’s then up to circus employee Gwenlyn to rescue these creatures before they end up in Skender’s greedy hands forever.

Cosme Acajor Baguettes Magique: Guests can shop some of the world’s finest wands designed by
esteemed artisan wandmaker, Cosme Acajor, in the premier Parisian wand shop, Cosme Acajor Baguettes Magique. In addition to popular imports from Ollivanders, visitors will find a selection of wands
packaged in unique three-sided boxes – each containing a list of locations throughout the wizarding world where guests can practice casting spells.

Wand Magic: As mentioned above, guests explore the streets of wizarding Paris and use their interactive wands to create magical experiences as they cast spells at various locations, interact with fantastic beasts such as Nifflers, Bowtruckles and a Demiguise, and engage with enchanted objects in many of the storefront windows plus other areas throughout the marvelous Place Cachée.

Unusual Entertainment: While exploring the streets of Place Cachée, guests will encounter officials and residents of the wizarding world, including exchange Students from the Hogwarts and Ilvermorny Schools of Witchcraft and Wizardy, an Auror from the Ministère des Affaires Magiques de la France who searches for suspicious characters, talking portraits of wizards who engage with guests.

Brian Roberts, CEO of NBCUniversal parent Comcast, was ecstatic about Universal’s fourth theme park and most ambitious theme park on an earnings call with Wall Streeters in January. He called it “completely original” and “the most exciting project I’ve seen since we bought” NBCUniversal. “We are so excited, we are taking the board of directors to see the construction, which is something we have never done before.”

With Epic likely to drive visitors and boost the park’s market share, Comcast-owned NBCU is adding thousands of hotel rooms. The Orlando airport is building a new terminal, which will add capacity. The Epic property will be about three miles from the existing parks on the “north campus,” or a 25-minute ride on a road the company’s rebuilt to include a median for a dedicated Universal fleet of electric buses.