If you’re already looking for the perfect cozy, autumnal night out—complete with glowing lanterns, crisp October air, and a little wizarding nostalgia—grab your wand and prepare to head into the woods.
Following a wildly popular, sold-out run in 2022, Harry Potter: A Forbidden Forest Experience is officially returning to New York. The illuminated nighttime walking trail will reopen on October 16, 2026, nestled inside the wooded grounds of Franklin D. Roosevelt State Park in Yorktown Heights, Westchester County.
Created in collaboration between Warner Bros. Discovery Global Experiences and live-entertainment platform Fever, the outdoor experience has welcomed more than three million visitors worldwide across stops in the UK, France, Australia, and Singapore.
For its Westchester homecoming, however, the production is unveiling an all-new, six-chapter chronological storyline that lets fans walk directly through iconic moments from both the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts films.
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A Brand-New Storyline and Interactive Spells
Rather than simply admiring glowing light displays from afar, the revamped trail is designed so guests physically walk through key scenes in sequence.
Along the winding forest path, visitors will encounter life-sized magical creatures like bow-truckles, centaurs, unicorns, Hippogriffs, and mischievous Nifflers. The new chapters also feature dramatic recreations from the stories, from braving Harry and Draco’s tense detention in the woods and meeting Hagrid’s giant half-brother Grawp, to facing down a chilling Dementor mist, stepping onto the Triwizard Walkway, and snapping photos beside Hagrid’s rustic hut.
Fans will also have plenty of chances to practice their wandwork. Interactive spell stations scattered along the route let visitors cast incantations like Serpensortia and Colovaria, illuminate hidden forest clearings, and try their hand at conjuring a full, glowing Patronus to ward off the shadows.
Related: Universal’s New ‘Harry Potter’ Experience Goes Darker Than Ever
Butterbeer, Themed Bites, and the Sorting Hat Village
Harry Potter: A Forbidden Forest Experience
The adventure continues past the woods at a dedicated festive village hub.
Making its New York debut after a trial run in Cincinnati is a brand-new Sorting Hat experience, where guests can take center stage for memorable photos and finally settle which Hogwarts house they truly belong in.
The village area also features an on-site retail boutique stocked with exclusive merchandise, along with festive food and drink stands serving sweet treats, warm seasonal bites, and cups of frothy Butterbeer to sip by the fire pits.
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Dates and Ticket Information
Harry Potter: A Forbidden Forest Experience
Timed-entry tickets are on sale now, with prices starting at $35.90 for adults and $28.90 for children.
Because sessions operate on timed slots to keep the trails uncrowded and preserve the eerie, atmospheric woodland feel, prime weekend and Halloween-week evening slots tend to book up fast.
Whether you’re planning a family evening out or a fun seasonal date night an hour north of Manhattan, it’s shaping up to be one of New York’s most enchanting fall traditions.
Related: The World’s First Harry Potter Land With Both Hogwarts Castle and Diagon Alley Is Officially in the Works