Harry Potter Photographic Exhibition Review

1/25/2022

Located in Covent Garden, the new (and permanent!) Harry Potter Photographic Exhibition displays an extensive collection of behind-the-scenes photos, sketches, and original props and replicas from the movies.

As soon as you enter the premises, you’re greeted with the Weasleys’ flying Ford Anglia - before its trip in the Forbidden Forest, that is! A garland of Hogwarts letters leads you down the stairs (the exhibition is underground) to the start of the display.

We move through the exhibition in the same way that Harry discovered the wizarding world, starting with an oversized replica of Harry’s acceptance letter to Hogwarts and continuing on to a section devoted to Diagon Alley. Shop signs and original costumes are some of the special items that you might want to have a closer look at here.

The Exhibition

Before ordering some vegan butterbeer, be sure to exchange your wizarding money for Muggle money, since they don't take Galleons here!

Hogwarts, Grimmauld Place, The Burrow, and The Ministry of Magic are some of the locations that we get to examine within the exhibit. There’s even a portion dedicated to the Cursed Child stage play and the Fantastic Beasts film series.

Throughout your visit, be sure to chat with the available guides who will make your experience even more entertaining. We enjoyed talking to Tomas, who was very knowledgeable and friendly as he led us through the exhibit, pointing out things we might not have noticed at first glance.

In the text next to exclusive behind-the-scenes photos, you can find the filming locations of many of your favorite scenes. Many of them are nearby in London! While you can easily recognize Piccadilly Circus and Scotland Yard in the movies, you might not know that Claremont Square was the exterior location for Grimmauld Place.

The exhibition did not highlight animals used in making the films, nor did it provide insight into the creation of our beloved fantastic beasts.

However, we do see a couple of photos of owls and everyone’s favorite slobbery dog, Fang. But what struck us was a photo of a woman holding caged birds and, next to it, text informing us that “no animals were harmed during filming.”

Unfortunately, this statement is incorrect. PETA’s investigation on Birds & Animals Unlimited (BAU), the company that provided animals used to make the Harry Potter films, uncovered instances of neglect.

Interactivity

Significant space is allocated to a photoshoot experience where, for a price, you have the chance to immerse yourself within green screen technology by hopping on a broom or creating your official Ministry of Magic identification card.

If you want to save money, there are plenty of other opportunities to have your photo taken for free. You can pose below the flying Ford Anglia, in front of Harry’s oversized acceptance letter, or inside a red telephone booth like the one that took Harry and Arthur Weasley to the Ministry of Magic in Order of the Phoenix. And, of course, there’s always the Butterbeer Bar!

Fortunately, with Warner Bros.’s decision to exclude live owls from all their licensed productions, there were no live owl photo ops at the exhibition.

(PS: If you do witness any mistreatment of owls in a fandom event, you can report it on our Owl Resource Page.)

Accessibility

The exhibition is accessible for wheelchair users by elevator. Accessible toilet facilities are also available. The exhibition features several videos which are not captioned or subtitled.

The Butterbeer Bar

We were very excited to try London’s only bottled Butterbeer Bar! Accessible only with a ticket to the exhibition, the Butterbeer Bar offers a variety of vegan options, some of which we’ve tried just for you!

Our first order was, of course, the bottled butterbeer with its collectible tankard designed by MinaLima. Proof that our #AccioVeganButterbeer spell worked, our favorite wizarding drink is vegan friendly. As advised by a staff member, we poured the butterbeer from a height to create some foam on top.

Next came the vegan “Almost” Tuna Panini and the vegan Onion Bhaji Wrap.

Prepared with separate utensils, the “Almost” Tuna vegan panini consists of a creamy, cheesy filling in between two slices of soft bread, served with a side of chips. While the tuna flavor didn't come through as well as it could have, we really enjoyed the cheese, which had melted perfectly and had a great texture.

The ready-made Bhaji onion wrap consisted of red onion and spinach with mango chutney and a coriander cucumber dressing. Lightly spiced with a sweet and salty taste, this vegan option was satisfying, though the sauce could have been more evenly distributed throughout the tortilla.

Other vegan options included a superfood salad made fresh on-site and the Leaky Cauldron soup. On our visit, the superfood salad included red quinoa with broccoli, edamame, pumpkin seeds, and vegan feta with a mustard dressing. The Leaky Cauldron soup was made with tomatoes and carrots.

Different varieties of chips and apples were available, as well as a vegan jaffa cake that was not written on the menu.

The selection of hot drinks, including coffees and hot chocolate, are available to order with your choice of soy, almond, or coconut milk at no extra cost. While the “Crazy Shakes” do not have a vegan option, a staff member told us that one is in the works, though the release date is unknown.

We love the attention that went into decorating this bar, which has a warm and cozy feel. We also appreciate the addition of a tankard wash station in the bar to avoid needing to wash our souvenir mug in the bathroom sink.

Note that the blankets and cushions lining the booths are disappointingly made of wool.

The Shop

After relaxing in the Butterbeer Bar, the last stop in this experience is the official Harry Potter Photographic Exhibition shop, where you can find many vegan-friendly items.

The same bottled butterbeer from the Butterbeer Bar can be purchased individually or in a 4-Pack. Other butterbeer merchandise includes keychains, enamel pins, and a tea towel.

To our knowledge, most of the merchandise available in the shop is vegan-friendly.

All of the clothes we looked at were made out of cotton, acrylic, or elastane. As seen in our review of the Harry Potter New York store, the cosmetics, including eyeshadow palettes, lipstick, and bottles of nail polish, do not contain animal products and have not been tested on animals.

Foodwise, the selection is more restricted. To satisfy your sweet tooth, be sure to choose a Dark Chocolate Wand, a Slytherin Dark Chocolate Bar, or Peppermint Toads, which do not contain milk.

Exhibition Details

The Photographic Exhibition is open Monday through Sunday from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm.

Tickets cost £20 for adults, £14 for children and teens between the ages of 5 to 15, and there’s a special family rate of £56 for 2 adults and 2 children or 1 adult and 3 children.

Vegan Menu

Apple £1
Tyrrells chips (Lightly salted, Sea salt and cider vinegar, Sweet chili and red pepper) £1.3
Vegan ‘Almost Tuna’ Panini £8.25
Vegan Pasty with Marmite Butter £6.25
Vegan Onion Bhaji Wrap £4.95
Vegan Superfood Salad £8
Vegan Jaffa Cake £2.30
Soup £5.75

Assortment of coffees and hot chocolate £2.10 - £3.75
*Soy, almond, and coconut milk are available at no extra cost.

Bottled Butterbeer £5.95
Bottled Butterbeer with Souvenir Tankard £6.95
Bottled Butterbeer 4-Pack £13.95
Slytherin Dark Chocolate Bar £4.95
Peppermint Toads £5
Dark Chocolate Wand £5

Overall Experience

While diving into the wizarding world is always magical, the Harry Potter Photographic Exhibition didn’t provide much novelty for Potterheads like us.

If you have been to the Studio Tour in London or have read the scrapbooks on making the films, you’ll already know lots of the behind-the-scenes anecdotes shared in the exhibition. However, talking to the various guides and staff members added to our enjoyment of the experience and made it unique.

The highlight of our visit was the Butterbeer Bar, which provided the much-anticipated vegan bottled butterbeer and many vegan food options!

Have you visited the Harry Potter Photographic Exhibition? Let us know about your experience!

Written by Assya Ahouandjinou