Harry Potter Back to Hogwarts event: Every reveal from new house crests to wand replicas

The Harry Potter Back to Hogwarts event took place on September 1, 2026, as it marks the day student witches and wizards return to Hogwarts in the wizarding world. This year's event revealed everything new coming to the wizarding world, including new house crest designs, the sorting ceremony, and upcoming events.

The event also addressed the upcoming HBO series, book accurate changes, theme-park experiences, a new store opening, and new fan experiences.

Back to Hogwarts reveals a new Harry Potter store, ice attractions, and book accurate changes and more

The most talked-about announcement from the Back to Hogwarts event is the change in the designs of the House crests, which will apply in the show as well. The new crests have a simpler design compared to the elaborate heraldic shields used in the original films. The House animals have been given more focus in the new crests and are also more book accurate.

However, fans aren't happy that the raven on the crest and flag has been replaced with the book-accurate eagle and has the original blue and bronze color scheme. One group of fans feels that the eagle looks less like a majestic bird of prey and more like a chicken. Another group of fans aren't happy with the minimalistic design of the crest, especially because an eagle isn't traditionally supposed to have a minimalist style. Moreover, many fans are also unhappy since they like the raven over the eagle.

Another change that is book accurate is the Hogwarts acceptance letter. The event revealed that Harry's acceptance letter will resemble the version described in the books more than the one seen in the films. This is consistent with the broader approach of the HBO adaptation, which is expected to follow the books more accurately than the films.

One of the most interesting things revealed at the Back to Hogwarts event is that the Harry Potter website is launching a new version of the Sorting Hat quiz. The online sorting ceremony has existed for years, since the time of Pottermore, and determines whether fans belong to Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, or Slytherin.

The 2026 version includes new animation and music, including the new Hogwarts house crests from the upcoming HBO series. Another exciting piece of news is that Warner Bros. World Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, has teased that three new themed lands are in development. The event mentioned that more information regarding these themed lands will be revealed on September 7, 2026.

The wizarding world is now extending to a new kind of experience. Back to Hogwarts reveals that there is going to be a winter attraction called ICE! at Gaylord Texan Resort in Grapevine, Texas. The winter attraction will be held from November 13, 2026, to January 3, 2027. As the event revealed, approximately 2 million pounds of ice will be used to create 10 scenes inspired by the Harry Potter films.

Some of the inspirations for the scenes are the Hogwarts Express arriving at Hogsmeade Station, a Honeydukes-inspired sweets area, Hedwig, and Hogwarts Castle. The ice sculptures will be preserved in their original shape and size by keeping the temperature at approximately 9°F.

A new Warner Bros. Studio Tour London will be held from January 23, 2027, to April 19, 2027. Visiters will be given a tour of the sets, props, different elements of the houses, etc. More details about the tour will be revealed at a later time. The HBO Harry Potter series will be featured in the 2026 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. This is mainly a promotional event for the new adaptation outside HBO's own platforms.

Moreover, the event also revealed that a new Harry Potter store is going to be opened November 4, 2026, at The Ribbon, 134–140 Oxford Street, London. The store will be of two floors, spanning more than 21,000 square feet, becoming the largest store of the franchise in the UK.

A broomstick experience already exists at Harry Potter's New York flagship store, but Back to Hogwarts reveals that a new broomstick experience will be introduced soon. Not much about this experience has been revealed yet, but it is suggestive of the fact that the new experience will be more interactive than the existing one.

The store's design is inspired by Diagon Alley and is planned to be an immersive Wizarding World destination rather than just a retail store. Fans can expect features like a Ukrainian Ironbelly dragon positioned above a Gringotts-inspired section, a full-size Knight Bus, a dining area inspired by the Leaky Cauldron, Butterbeer, and merchandise including a Diagon Alley-inspired wand.

As Back to Hogwarts reveals, LEGO Harry Potter sets based specifically on HBO's upcoming television adaptation are in development. The sets are expected to reflect the visual interpretation of the Wizarding World created for the new series rather than reproducing designs from the original films. Specific set names, release dates, and detailed images are yet to be revealed.

The event also revealed that new Harry Potter games are being planned, but exact details have not been revealed. The wizarding world is also expanding when it comes to its themed food products. We're soon going to be able to buy and eat Exploding Bon Bons, a Sorting Hat hot chocolate bomb, and a Harry's birthday cake baking kit.

A lot of things are thus changing in the wizarding world. The Harry Potter franchise is rebooting itself for newer generations not only through a new show, but also through its experiences and minute details.

The Harry Potter HBO series will premiere on December 25, 2026.

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