Interactive displays brought some of the iconic experiences from the movies to life. I greeted Buckbeak the Hippogriff with a perfect bow (of course he bowed back!). We went by Hagrid, waving at Fang and endured a photo opportunity with a giant, burping Grawp.
An actual Ford Anglia had crashed the trail too. It’s windshield vipers were going crazy, headlights on, and there couldn’t have been a better photo op.
There was a Village halfway down the experience. Ah! It was a well deserved break from the hike. There was a warm fire pit to roast marshmallows, Christmas trees added to the holiday cheer, and a carriage was parked there, apparently being pulled by an invisible Thestral. Visitors were dining on some delicious looking meals ranging from roasts and fish and chips to vegetarian options.
I chose to stick to a desserts overload with Hogwarts Hot Chocolate to sweeten the deal and warm our freezing bones. My picks of the night were Aragog’s Lair Doughnut, a lemon cake, and a Nimbus 2000 Broomstick cookie. The cookie wins it for me! It was a gorgeous shortbread! I actually brought the goodies back home with me. I seriously wished I had taken tupperware for bringing back more desserts. They had run out of takeaway boxes and I totally understand why!
The star performance of the night was by the King of Arachnids, Aragog himself! The 8 legged dude got his own limelight and a concert style stage! He got our nerves on the edge as his majesty crawled out of his lair to greet an audience. The perfect stunner was his kin dropping down on our heads! I’m talking menacing, meaty spiders dangling down on our heads and coming as low as 6 feet!
Holographic scenes were so well put in the dark trees that you could actually believe there was a real unicorn crossing by. There was a band of centaurs too, warning visitors about possible perils ahead. I also cast a Patronus charm and watched my Patronus run about through the trees. I had my Elder Wand with me for random photos but the staff does offer wands for photo opportunities. A particular favorite was the dueling setup for which they handed us special wands that trigger the light flash! Sara cast an Expelliarmus as I cast an Avada Kedavra!
The best of scenes was the finale! A stag Patronus appeared to shoo away the Dementors and Harry’s powerful spell sounded “Expecto Patronum”. The background score made tears well up for me! We really did cast our Dementors away in more ways than one!
The Harry Potter Forbidden Forest Experience is a must see for Potterheads!
Tips for the Experience
- Book in advance at the Fever website or app because at present the event has only until January 2023 open and dates have been booking up lightning fast since it opened up in October.
- Tickets are refundable via Fever up to 48 hours before the event. Refund takes about 10 business days.
- Ticket dates can also be rescheduled and an exchange voucher is issued by Fever which you can use to schedule another date and time. The ticket prices vary though so you may end up paying a processing fee and a balance if ticket is expensive for another date. If you purchase a date that is less than your ticket value, consider a refund because the exchange voucher balance goes waste. An exchange voucher balance cannot be used for any event other than the Forbidden Forest Experience.
- Dress in layers and dress for freezing cold gloves and all.
- Wear shoes for hiking on gravel.
- Plan for a 3 hours visit.
- Have a light snack before you start because the Village is halfway.
- Take Tupperware for takeaways!
- If you don’t like portable toilets please go to a restroom before entering park grounds. There are town centers in the areas with restaurants and restrooms.
- Do take your wands for personal photography but the staff offers wands for the specific scenes mentioned above.
- Dress like a Potterhead because visitors do show HP pride!
- The hike is wheelchair and stroller accessible but it is a tricky gravel road.
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