Top 7 Things About The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic

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Get ready to embark on a magical journey as we explore The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic, an exciting addition to Epic Universe at Universal Orlando Resort. Hopefully, reading about these top 7 things to see there will get you as excited as I am for this new theme park to open!

1. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic is based on both the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts film series.

If you weren’t a big fan of the Fantastic Beasts films, that’s OK, because the ride inside The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic is going to take place in the Harry Potter period from the books and the films. So you’ll get a little bit of Fantastic Beasts in the land itself and you’ll also get a little bit of the Harry Potter films in the Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry ride. 

2. Walking through the portal from Celestial Park transports you to 1920s wizarding Paris.

The look of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic appears really impressive and seems like they really did capture that Parisian vibe. Universal said that the smallest building height-wise is taller than the tallest building in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Diagon Alley, so they’re really going for immersion here. It looks like it’s going to have some really cool cafés some wizarding creatures and items scattered and hidden throughout. It overall just looks awe-inspiring and it’s going to really feel like you’re walking around in Paris, France. 

3. There will be an impressive circus-style show, the only indoor Wizarding World show at a Universal theme park.

Le Cirque Arcanus is going to be indoor as opposed to some of the other Wizarding World shows, which have just been outside on smaller stages. This looks like it’s going to be the most grand detailed show in Universal Orlando’s Wizarding World offerings. Apparently, there’s going to be kind of a pre-show themed to look like a sideshow from the circus while you’re waiting for the show to start, so that’ll be really cool as well.

4. Interactive wands and Butterbeer are back at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic.

There weren’t a ton of details released on if these wands or Butterbeer are going to be any different or if there are going to be any special offerings exclusive to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic land at Epic Universe, but you will be able to buy interactive wands that interact with things throughout the land. I would hope and assume they work with the rest of the Wizarding World locations at Universal Orlando. And you’ll also be able to purchase Butterbeer as well, though again, they didn’t mention which specific varieties they’ll be offering. 

5. The Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry ride starts by using Floo Powder to transfer you to the 1990s Ministry of Magic in Great Britain.

Yes, somehow you’re in 1920s Paris, and you step through the metro, then through portals with Floo powder. They then not only transport you across the continent but also through time to 1990s Great Britain and the Ministry of Magic. I can’t remember if Floo powder can also transport you through time in the books, but hey – it’s magic, and if you think about it too much, it’s just going to make your head hurt. I’ll try to spend less time thinking about that and more time enjoying everything The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic has to offer.

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6. The ride takes place AFTER Voldemort is defeated in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

It’s cool because this is an original story that takes place after Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, but it’s using characters everybody recognizes, including Dolores Umbridge, who we all know is the worst character in the Harry Potter series. She’s evil.

7. The ride’s story revolves around Dolores Umbridge escaping on the day of her trial.

It’s the day of Dolores Umbridge’s trial and she escapes with the help of some Death Eaters, and they want to try to bring back the days of Voldemort himself, so you have to hop on this ride and travel through the Ministry of Magic to try and catch her. They haven’t released a lot of details on the ride itself, but they said it’s pretty technologically advanced, involves “omnidirectional lifts”, and is the largest ride building not just in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic, but in all of Epic Universe. So they have to be storing a bunch of exciting things in there for it to be that big of a building!