Just about every Harry Potter™ fan has imagined what it would be like to be able to cast some of the spells that are taught at Hogwarts. If only you’d received that acceptance letter! Well, now you can learn spell casting when you visit the Wizarding World of Harry Potter™ –no letter necessary!
| WHERE CAN I |
| PURCHASE A WAND? |
Like all first years on their way to Hogwarts™, you’re going to need a wand!
There are two locations in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter™ where visitors can purchase these special interactive wands. Interactive wands can be purchased at Olivanders or at the Wand Cart on that can be found along the path to Hogwarts™ Castle. Perhaps you’ll choose the walnut and dragon heartstring wand that is a special edition only available at the wand shops at Universal Studios Hollywood.
Wands are also available for purchase at the Universal Stores at the entrance to each park and CityWalk. Pricing is the same at all locations where wands are sold.
Olivanders, Makers of Fine Wands Since 382 B.C., has a wand for every aspiring witch or wizard. Enter the store and wander through the corridors, stacked floor to ceiling with boxes of wands. A small group of visitors will enter the Wandkeeper’s chamber where one witch or wizard (usually a child) will be chosen to be part of the show. The Wandkeeper will ask some questions about the young wand shopper and then allow the child to try a few wands out by casting various spells. The Wandkeeper is always able to match a wizard to a wand. The wand that is used in the show will be available for purchase, but there are many other wands available.
Olivanders sells over 50 different wands. 48 of these wands are interactive and can be used to cast spells throughout Hogsmeade™. 34 of these wands are interactive replicas of the wands used by witches and wizards from the Harry Potter™ book series. The other 26 wands (2 versions of each of 13 wands) are “unclaimed wands,” which means that they are waiting to be claimed by a young witch or wizard. These wands are based on the Celtic Tree Calendar, which J.K. Rowling used as a source for designing the wands used by her characters. Finally, there is one special edition collector’s wand that is exclusive to the wand shops at Universal Studios Hollywood.
| HOW DO I |
| CAST SPELLS? |
First, be sure you purchase a wand with a gold sticker on the box. This is an indication that it is, in fact, an interactive wand. All interactive wands purchased at Olivanders will include a two-sided map of spell locations. Diagon Alley™ and its various corners is found on one side, and Hogsmeade™ is on the other side.
Of course, the wizards of old aren’t going to make this quest easy for you. There are a few spell-casting spots that aren’t on the map! There are three, to be exact. These three locations can be found in the same part of Diagon Alley™. Two of these secret spell casting locations are in the windows of Slug and Jiggers Apothecary, which is actually on Diagon Alley™. The other is the farthest right window of Scribbulus Writing Implements which can be found on Horizont Alley. Keep your eyes open for the four red dots in the windows of those stores to cast those secret spells. They usually work if you move your wand in a triangle fashion.
If you need any assistance, there are plenty of witches and wizards close by who are ready to lend a helping wand. But, if you see a sign that says there is currently an “anti-jinx in place,” it will take a very powerful wizard to overcome such a thing, so you’ll need to check back later to see if the Ministry of Magic has removed it.
HAVE FUN!