Disappointed Harry Potter fans booed after an annual announcement at London King’s Cross railway station did not happen.
People gathered at the station hoping to hear a message on the public address system that the fictional Hogwarts Express would depart from platform 9 ¾ at 11am, as happens in JK Rowling’s books.
The back to Hogwarts tradition, which celebrates the start of each academic year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry every 1 September, has previously also involved the train service being displayed on departure boards, with hundreds of fans attending the 2023 event.
But King’s Cross did not mark the occasion on Sunday.
A video posted on X shows an expectant crowd count down to 11am, and then booing when nothing happens.
Warner Bros Discovery, which owns the Harry Potter franchise, issued a statement in July urging fans to avoid travelling to King’s Cross on Sunday and instead watch a programme on YouTube hosted by the London King’s Cross a Celebrity … Get Me Out Of Here! winner Sam Thompson.
It said: “Come 1st September, fans are strongly discouraged from travelling to King’s Cross as there will be no event, departure board or countdown at the station.
“Instead, everyone is invited to tune in and join proud Hufflepuff and king of the jungle, Sam Thompson, in a specially recorded online programme made in celebration of back to Hogwarts.”
