Warner Bros has installed nine giant wands that will illuminate the gardens in Leicester Square in London to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the film Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.
The 15-feet high "Wizarding world wands", which form an 18-metre walkway, are replicas of those belonging to nine characters in the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts films. They join Harry Potter and eight other bronze statues that make up the scenes in the square installation – a statue trail featuring memorable film characters.
From 13 to 25 October the nine wands will be illuminated between 6pm and 8.35pm. They will perform regular light shows to music from Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts on scheduled days.
Polly Cochrane, country manager UK and Ireland at Warner Bros, said: "Leicester Square itself has played its part in the wizarding world legacy by hosting premieres for the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts films over two decades, so we are delighted to bring the wands here for fans to enjoy."
The wands will form part of Inside Out Festival, a free event produced by Westminster City Council and partners, bringing art, entertainment and culture outdoors until the end of October.
In the lead-up to the 8 April release of Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore in cinemas, the wands will tour four UK cities: Hull, Stoke, Reading and Birmingham. The locations were chosen after a nationwide vote. Each will display the wands for a week from March 2022 onwards.
The official 20th anniversary of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone falls on 16 November 2021. It will be celebrated throughout the autumn, with special screenings in cinemas across the UK and Ireland from 29 October.
Other festivities include a tour of the Platform 9 ¾ Trolley, which will be installed at railway stations in Edinburgh, Birmingham, Cardiff and Belfast.