Every year, a large group of Harry Potter fans typically make a pilgrimage to King’s Cross. The real life busy London train station is the fictional home of the Hogwarts Express, the magical transport wizarding students take to school that departs from Platform 9 3/4s. In the books and movies, the train leaves at 11 AM sharp on the first day of September each year; so, it’s become a tradition for muggles, often dressed as their favorite characters, to visit the station at the appointed time .
King’s Cross has at least partially embraced its place in Harry Potter lore over the years by adding a Platform 9 3/4s sign and a shop where fans can buy wizarding merchandise. In the past, they’ve also played along with the Back To Hogwarts attendees by putting the train to Hogsmeade, the town Hogwarts is located in, on the list of departures at 11 AM. This year, however, the decision was made to cancel the festivities. Network Rail, which runs King’s Cross, told Newsweek the number of fans showing up in recent years made it “challenging” and their priority was to serve the actual passengers.
Unfortunately, not everyone got the owl. Many fans still showed up, and they were quite disappointed to see the Hogwarts Express absent from the list of departures. You can watch the sad countdown video, followed by booing below…
All involved were hoping to stop exactly what happened from happening by announcing a special online only version of the Warner Bros Harry Potter Studio Tour, hosted by reality star Sam Thompson. That definitely helped reduce the volume of Harry Potter fans who descended on King’s Cross, but it didn’t stop all of them, many of whom weren’t aware the annual tradition had been cancelled.
I get it. I’m sure it’s tough to find the balance for Network Rail. Many thousands of people take trains at King’s Cross every day, and I’d guess quite a few of them aren’t fans of trying to scoot around someone cosplaying as Dumbledore to try and get to their transport on time. Some of the people showing up probably buy coffees and muffins and spend a little money, but I’m sure there are a lot of them who don’t.
But it’s also seemingly a wasted opportunity. It’s hard to get thousands of people interested in anything, and there are thousands who want to show up at King’s Cross at this specific time. Why not find a way to monetize that interest and give them an experience they would enjoy? Offer a special train ( like the one offered at Universal ) they can actually take that’s full of Harry Potter merchandise and costs more than the usual experience. Give them some special experiences to take pictures at. Find a way to make it worth your time and then use that money you generate to improve the commuting experience for everyone else the other 364 days a year.
Given the fan backlash, it’ll be interesting to see whether King’s Cross plays along next year or whether they’re committed to keeping Harry Potter fans away, at least on September 1st.
Regardless, you can check out the Harry Potter movies with a Peacock subscription or via other streaming options in various countries.
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