Harry Potter fans queue overnight as huge new Oxford Street shop opens
Harry Potter fans queued overnight in London as the UK’s biggest shop dedicated to the wizarding world opened on Oxford Street, with Warwick Davis welcoming the first customers.
Harry Potter fans queued through the night in London as a huge new shop dedicated to the wizarding world opened on Oxford Street.
Crowds were already waiting outside before doors opened at 10am on Wednesday, with Warwick Davis on hand to officially launch the new flagship store.
The actor, who played both Professor Flitwick and Griphook in the films, greeted fans before the first customers headed inside.
Davis said: “I’m honoured to be opening London’s first official flagship Harry Potter Shop.
“It’s such a special place and a brand-new way for fans to experience the magic.”
Those who turned up for the opening were also given a commemorative badge, while pictures from Oxford Street showed fans lining up outside ahead of the launch.
The shop is being billed as the biggest Harry Potter store in the UK and is packed with merchandise, props and experiences spread across the new Oxford Street site.
Among the items created specifically for the store are a London Harry Funko Pop, a limited-edition MinaLima Oxford Street print and a Diagon Alley wand which cannot be bought elsewhere.
There is also a new Black & Gold Oxford Street range covering clothing, accessories and homeware, alongside Butterbeer products and a Leaky Cauldron collection.
But Warner Bros is clearly aiming to make the new site more than somewhere to buy scarves and wands.
Fans can create and dress their own Hogwarts house bear as part of a new Hogwarts Bear Ceremony, while a Gringotts-themed scavenger hunt links the Oxford Street store with the existing Harry Potter shop at King’s Cross.
The opening gives Harry Potter fans another major London destination alongside King’s Cross and the Warner Bros Studio Tour in Leavesden.
It also lands at a busy time for the franchise, with a new HBO television adaptation of JK Rowling’s books due to arrive this Christmas.
The Harry Potter series has now been running for more than 25 years, spanning eight original films, the Fantastic Beasts movies, stage shows, games and attractions around the world.