For years, fans have crowded together at King’s Cross Station on Sept. 1 to celebrate the day Harry Potter and other wizards met at Platform 9 ¾ — but it’s 2020 and we no longer do crowds.
Instead, Wizarding World is inviting fans to celebrate Back to Hogwarts with a livestream and various online activities. Don your finest robe and pour a butterbeer to countdown to 11 a.m. when the Hogwarts Express finally left the station. The livestream event will have a number of special guests to help fans count down, including the Weasley twins themselves, James and Oliver Phelps.
Fans can also expect to join in on wizarding world-inspired activities, view a special concert of music from the films from CineConcerts, watch a special presentation from wand choreographer Paul Harris (how do I get that job, btw), and more.
Some quizzes and other Back to Hogwarts activities are already online, and even more will be added on Aug. 28 to make it a weekend-long event. Fans can find trivia challenges, craft videos, shopping guides, and more. People are also invited to join the Back to Hogwarts Class of 2020. Fans can take pictures of themselves decked out in their most magical gear and submit them. A lucky few will have their photos projected at King’s Cross.
The livestream will take place from 10:30-11:30 a.m. BST on Sept. 1. Fans looking to celebrate before then can find the special Back to Hogwarts 2020 poster designed by MinaLima (featured above) here.