Hogwarts Castle, Diagon Alley, Forbidden Forest and 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 first announced in 2022, but few details have been released since.
Now, construction documents and updates to the official Warner Bros. World website have provided a clearer picture of what is being planned, while Harry Potter merchandise is already appearing inside the Yas Island theme park.
The new Harry Potter-themed land is being developed at Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi on Yas Island.
Miral and Warner Bros. Discovery announced the project in November 2022, describing it as a significant addition to the indoor theme park and the first Harry Potter-themed land in the Middle East.
At the time, the companies said the land would be significant in scale and would join the park’s existing six immersive lands, bringing the Wizarding World to fans in the region.
Warner Bros. World’s current website describes it as the Middle East’s first Harry Potter-themed land and says visitors will be able to step inside iconic Wizarding World locations in an all-new way. The attraction is listed as under development.
The project will join the park’s existing lands based around Warner Bros. characters and franchises, including Gotham City, Metropolis, Bedrock, Cartoon Junction, Dynamite Gulch and Warner Bros. Plaza.
The biggest new detail to emerge 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 reported by Forbes identifies Harry Potter Diagon Alley, Harry Potter Castle and a Harry Potter ride as part of the expansion.
On September 2, it was also announced that the Forbidden Forest would be featured as well, which was hinted at in the government construction permit.
A new reveal is scheduled for September 7, according to a video posted by an official account.
Theme-park publication Blooloop reported in March that this would make Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi the world’s first Harry Potter-themed land to house both the Hogwarts Castle and Diagon Alley.
That would distinguish the Abu Dhabi attraction from Universal’s existing Wizarding World destinations, where the two locations are not combined within one park.
How many rides will there be?
Warner Bros. World’s official website currently lists three rides and attractions for the Harry Potter land, alongside dining and shopping. It does not yet name or describe the three experiences.
One Harry Potter ride is specifically identified in the government construction permit reported by Forbes, although its type and storyline have not been publicly revealed.
This leaves open the question of what the other two experiences will be and how they will be incorporated into locations such as Hogwarts Castle and Diagon Alley.
While the new land is still under development, Harry Potter has already begun appearing inside the existing park.
During a recent visit to Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi, Khaleej Times saw Harry Potter merchandise on sale inside the park, giving visitors an early glimpse of the Wizarding World branding ahead of the opening of the dedicated land.
The merchandise includes Harry Potter-themed products and memorabilia.
The appearance of the products comes as the park prepares for a much larger Harry Potter retail offering within the new land. The official Harry Potter page confirms that shopping will form 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, the names of the restaurants and shops, their menus, themes and the full merchandise range have not been announced.
That means fans can expect the new land to offer more than rides, but the details of those experiences remain under wraps.
When will it open?
There is no confirmed opening date.
The official Warner Bros. World website currently describes the Harry Potter land as under development and asks visitors to stay tuned for more information.
When the project was first announced in 2022, no opening date was provided either. It was reported at the time that the new land would be a significant addition to the park, but the developers did not disclose when it would open.
There have since been reports suggesting possible opening timelines, but no date has been officially announced by Warner Bros. World.
How big will the expansion be?
The Harry Potter land forms part of a wider expansion of Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi.
Forbes reported in March, citing construction permits, that the wider expansion is expected to increase the park’s footprint by around 26 per cent. The same permits revealed the Harry Potter elements as well as a separate Superman roller coaster as part of the broader expansion.
The exact size of the Harry Potter land itself 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, offering visitors interactive galleries featuring locations, characters, costumes and props from the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts films, as well as elements from Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.
The Warner Bros. World project is different: it will be a permanent themed land inside a major theme park, rather than a touring exhibition.
Is this the first Harry Potter theme park?
No.
The Wizarding World already has attractions at Universal theme parks in destinations including Orlando, Hollywood, Japan and Beijing.
But the Abu Dhabi project is significant because Warner Bros. World is not a Universal park. Forbes reported that the Abu Dhabi land is expected to be the first Harry Potter-themed land outside the Universal Studios network.
More notably, the reported plans for Hogwarts Castle and Diagon Alley would put both locations inside the same park.
Forbes reported that the Abu Dhabi expansion is expected to be the first theme-park land worldwide to feature both Hogwarts Castle and Diagon Alley.
Will it be based on the Harry Potter films?
That has not yet been made clear.
The official description refers broadly to iconic locations from the Wizarding World.
There has been no announcement detailing which characters will appear, whether the experience will draw from all eight original Harry Potter films, or whether it will incorporate material connected to the new Harry Potter television series.
The creative details remain among the project’s biggest unanswered questions.
What we still don’t know
Despite the construction work and the latest information, several major details remain under wraps.
They include:
- The 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 definitely part of the project
- Which Harry Potter characters will appear
- The names and concepts of restaurants and shops
- The full merchandise offering
- Whether the attraction will draw exclusively from the original Harry Potter films and books or also from the wider Wizarding World
- Whether the new experiences will be unique to Abu Dhabi
For now, Warner Bros. World is keeping those details under wraps.
But after almost four years since 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; the official website lists three rides and attractions alongside dining and shopping; and Harry Potter merchandise is already visible inside the park.
For Abu Dhabi’s Potter fans, the wait for the full Wizarding World experience is not over yet; but the first pieces are already in place.
