Hogwarts Castle, Diagon Alley and More: Details Emerge on Abu Dhabi’s Harry Potter Land.
Hogwarts Castle, Diagon Alley, the Forbidden Forest and at least three rides and attractions are among the details emerging about Abu Dhabi’s long-awaited Harry Potter-themed land, as the project moves closer to becoming a reality at Warner Bros. World.
Plans for the Middle East’s first Harry Potter-themed land were announced in 2022, but details about the project have remained limited ever since.
That has now begun to change, with construction documents and updates to the official Warner Bros. World website offering a clearer glimpse into what is planned. Harry Potter-themed merchandise has also started appearing inside the Yas Island theme park, adding to speculation that the project is moving closer to opening.
Here’s everything we know so far.
What is the Harry Potter attraction?
The new Harry Potter-themed land is being developed at Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi on Yas Island.
The project was announced by Miral and Warner Bros. Discovery in November 2022 and was described as a major addition to the indoor theme park. It will be the first Harry Potter-themed land in the Middle East.
At the time, the companies said the land would be substantial in scale and would join Warner Bros. World’s existing six immersive lands, bringing the Wizarding World experience to fans across the region. Khaleej Times reported the announcement when the project was first unveiled.
Warner Bros. World’s current website describes the project as the Middle East’s first Harry Potter-themed land, promising visitors the chance to experience iconic locations from the Wizarding World in a new way. The attraction is currently listed as under development.
The new land will join the park’s existing themed areas based on Warner Bros. characters and franchises, including Gotham City, Metropolis, Bedrock, Cartoon Junction, Dynamite Gulch and Warner Bros. Plaza.
What has been revealed about the land?
The biggest detail to emerge so far is that the Abu Dhabi project is expected to bring together two of the most recognisable locations from the Harry Potter universe — Hogwarts Castle and Diagon Alley.
A government construction permit cited by Forbes lists Harry Potter Diagon Alley, Harry Potter Castle and a Harry Potter ride among the planned elements of the expansion.
On September 2, it was also announced that the Forbidden Forest will feature in the new land, confirming another major location from the Wizarding World. The inclusion had been hinted at in the government construction permit.
More details are expected to be unveiled on September 7, according to a video posted by an official account.
Theme-park industry publication Blooloop reported in March that the development would make Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi the first Harry Potter-themed land in the world to feature both Hogwarts Castle and Diagon Alley.
That would set the Abu Dhabi attraction apart from Universal’s existing Wizarding World destinations, where Hogwarts Castle and Diagon Alley are not combined within the same park.
How many rides will there be?
Warner Bros. World’s official website currently lists three rides and attractions for the Harry Potter land, along with dining and retail offerings. However, the three experiences have not yet been named or described.
A government construction permit reported by Forbes specifically identifies one Harry Potter ride, although details about its type, theme and storyline have not been publicly disclosed.
This leaves open questions about what the other two experiences will be and how the attractions will be integrated into major locations such as Hogwarts Castle and Diagon Alley.
Harry Potter-Themed Merchandise Already Appears at Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi
While the new Harry Potter land remains under development, the Wizarding World has already begun making an appearance inside the existing park.
During a recent visit to Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi, Khaleej Times spotted Harry Potter merchandise on sale, offering visitors an early glimpse of the franchise’s branding ahead of the opening of the dedicated land.
The merchandise includes Harry Potter-themed products and memorabilia.
The arrival of the merchandise comes as the park prepares for a much larger retail offering within the new land. The official Harry Potter page confirms that shopping will be part of the new experience.
Will there be shops and restaurants?
Yes.
The official Warner Bros. World website lists dining and shopping alongside the three rides and attractions planned for the Harry Potter land.
However, details about the restaurants and shops — including their names, themes, menus and the full range of merchandise — have yet to be announced.
This means fans can expect the new land to offer more than just rides, with dining, shopping and immersive experiences also forming part of the attraction. However, further details about these offerings remain under wraps.
When will it open?
There is currently no confirmed opening date for the Harry Potter land. Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi has yet to announce when the new attraction will welcome its first visitors.
The official Warner Bros. World website currently lists the Harry Potter land as under development and asks visitors to stay tuned for further updates.
When the project was first announced in 2022, no opening date was given. Khaleej Times reported at the time that the new land would be a major addition to the park, but the developers did not say when it would open.
There have since been reports suggesting possible opening timelines, but Warner Bros. World has yet to officially confirm a date.
How big will the expansion be?
The Harry Potter land is part of a wider expansion planned for Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi.
Forbes reported in March, citing construction permits, that the overall expansion is expected to increase the park’s footprint by about 26 per cent. The permits also revealed plans for the Harry Potter-themed attractions, along with a separate Superman roller coaster as part of the wider development.
The exact size of the Harry Potter land has not been officially disclosed.
Is this Abu Dhabi’s first Harry Potter experience?
No.
Abu Dhabi has already hosted a major Harry Potter experience.
In July 2025, Harry Potter: The Exhibition made its Middle East debut at Manarat Al Saadiyat, giving visitors the chance to explore interactive galleries featuring locations, characters, costumes and props from the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts films, along with elements from Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. Khaleej Times covered the exhibition ahead of its opening and later reported from the experience.
The Warner Bros. World project is different. Rather than a temporary touring exhibition, it will be a permanent Harry Potter-themed land within a major theme park.
Is this the first Harry Potter theme park?
No.
The Wizarding World already features attractions at Universal theme parks in destinations including Orlando, Hollywood, Japan and Beijing.
However, the Abu Dhabi project is notable because Warner Bros. World is not part of the Universal Studios network. Forbes reported that the development is expected to become the first Harry Potter-themed land outside the Universal network.
More notably, the reported plans for Hogwarts Castle and Diagon Alley would bring both iconic locations together within the same park.
Forbes reported that the Abu Dhabi development is expected to become the first theme-park land in the world to feature both Hogwarts Castle and Diagon Alley.
Will it be based on the Harry Potter films?
That has not yet been confirmed.
The official description refers broadly to iconic locations from the Wizarding World, but no details have been released about the creative direction of the attraction.
It is also unclear which characters will feature, whether the experience will draw from all eight original Harry Potter films, or whether it will include elements connected to the upcoming Harry Potter television series.
The creative vision remains one of the project’s biggest unanswered questions.
What we still don’t know
Despite construction activity and a growing number of details about the development, several key aspects of the Harry Potter land remain under wraps.
Several major details about the project remain under wraps. These include:
- The official opening date
- The names and concepts of the three rides and attractions
- The exact size of the Harry Potter land
- Whether the Forbidden Forest is definitively part of the project
- Which Harry Potter characters will feature
- The names and themes of the restaurants and shops
- The full range of merchandise that will be available
- Whether the attraction will focus exclusively on the original Harry Potter books and films or draw from the wider Wizarding World
- Whether any of the new rides and experiences will be unique to Abu Dhabi
For now, Warner Bros. World has yet to reveal those details.
However, nearly four years after the project was first announced, the Harry Potter land is beginning to take shape. Construction documents point to Hogwarts Castle, Diagon Alley and a Harry Potter ride, while the official website lists three rides and attractions alongside dining and shopping. Harry Potter merchandise is also already appearing inside the existing park, offering an early glimpse of what is to come.
For Harry Potter fans in Abu Dhabi, the wait is not over yet, but the first pieces of the Wizarding World are already falling into place.
