Harry Goes Global! Exciting Events at Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

The Tony Award–winning phenomenon Harry Potter and the Cursed Child continues to make headlines as the epic stage production expands its reach from Broadway and London to Melbourne and now San Francisco. (On tap in 2020: Toronto and Hamburg, Germany.) This fall, Harry & Co. are celebrating a gorgeous new official trailer, book, fan-centric events, and surprises galore at the Lyric Theatre. We’ve rounded up all the news from J.K. Rowling’s theatrical universe, plus videos, photos, and opportunities to interact with the magical Cursed Child world.

Where the Magic Is Real

“Like a bolt of lightning, it sparked something inside us all.” So begins the thrilling new 90-second official trailer for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. Packed with Easter eggs for fans, the trailer zooms through iconic images from Rowling’s novels, reminding viewers of the appeal of “a world filled with magic, heart, and a courageous trio of friends.” Jumping forward 19 years to the stage production of Cursed Child, “where the magic is real,” the trailer offers never-seen snippets of dialogue, illusions, and dazzling designs.

Times Square Takeover!

Harry Potter fan Sarah Jessica Parker stepped into Times Square on September 5 to kick off the global expansion of the record-breaking stage hit. Wielding a wand, the Broadway star and mom of three unleashed the biggest Times Square takeover on record. As a Time-Turner counted down to zero, a billboard-sized Harry is seen a casting a spell welcoming audiences back to Hogwarts. But wait! His welcome is interrupted when the screens are taken over by the Dark Mark, the symbol of Lord Voldemort. As Rowling herself tweeted, “Sometimes darkness comes from unexpected places… and last night it was New York’s Times Square.”

Read All About It

Just in time for holiday gift-giving — if fans can wait that long! — Potter publisher Scholastic is unveiling Harry Potter and the Cursed Child: The Journey — Behind the Scenes of the Award-Winning Stage Production. Set for release on November 5, this deluxe collectible hardcover book is packed with interviews and never-before-seen notes and sketches charting the play’s journey to the stage. Lavishly illustrated with production photos and candid backstage moments caught on camera, this gorgeous volume is the perfect keepsake for everyone who has experienced the eighth Harry Potter story live. Prefer to peruse an eBook? The digital Harry Potter and the Cursed Child: The Journey will also be available from Pottermore Publishing.

Celebs Heart Harry

You never know who you might spot in the audience at Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. In the past few months, the Broadway production has welcomed Potterheads Zendaya (who rocked oversized metallic specs), “Bad Guy” rocker Billie Eilish (who proudly posed with Harry’s wand), and a double dose of celebrity firepower when Super Bowl–bound singer Shakira and Oscar-nominated actress Anna Kendrick attended the same performance. Before seeing the show, überfan Kendrick confessed to MTV News that she took the Sorting Hat quiz on Pottermore.com. The result? “Slytherin, obviously!”