There's a certain magic in the air at Universal Studios as of late and it probably has something to do with new details about the Diagon Alley expansion at the Wizarding World Of Harry Potter inside Universal Studios Orlando.
The highly-anticipated theme park addition is expected to complement the park's Wizarding World of Harry Potter -- Hogsmeade, doubling the park in size and transport visitors even further into a magical land of witchcraft and sorcery once it opens this summer, the Associated Press reports.
If the artist's renderings released on Thursday are any indication, the expansion will draw heavily from the film franchise, recreating Knockturn Alley, various shops like the Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes joke emporium, Florean Fortescue's Ice-Cream Parlour, and an expanded Ollivanders' wand shop.
But visitors will have to find the entrance first. Universal Studios hasn't elaborated how to enter, keeping in line with the franchise's lore. In the books, Diagon Alley is something of a commercial hub in the wizard world, hidden amid the muggle world (that's a term for non-wizard folk).
There'll be a train to shuttle visitors between the Potter-themed areas in Universal's Islands of Adventure park and the new area in Universal Studios park, designed to look like London's Picadily Circus area according to Behind The Thrills.
Once inside, fans of the franchise will immediately recognize shops like "Madam Malkin’s Robes for All Occasions," where they can pick up robes, sweaters, and character costumes; "Wiseacre’s Wizarding Equipment" where guests looking for telescopes, compasses or hourglasses will feel right at home or nosh on traditional British fare at the Leaky Cauldron, a iconic bar from the books.
As for travellers looking for a simple thrill, the expansion's main attraction will be the "Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts" ride, a multi-dimensional adventure set in the massive wizard bank run by goblins and guarded by a dragon.
Admission to Universal Studios will grant you access to Diagon Alley but if you're looking to hop over to the original Hogsmeade area, you'll need a park-to-park admission to hop aboard the Hogwarts Express, according to CNN.
For more images of what theme park visitors can expect, check out the renderings below
