Harry Potter fans boo as King’s Cross fails to celebrate Back to Hogwarts

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 stating that the fictional Hogwarts Express would depart from platform 9 and three-quarters 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 September 1, has previously also involved the train service being displayed on departure boards, with hundreds of fans attending the 2023 event.

But London King’s Cross did not mark the occasion on Sunday.

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A video posted on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, shows an expectant crowd count down to 11am, and then booing when nothing happens.

Media and entertainment company 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 I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! winner Sam Thompson.

It said: “Come 1st September, fans are strongly discouraged from travelling to Kings 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.”

The decision not to hold an event at London King’s Cross was made by Network Rail, which owns the station.

A spokesperson for the Government-owned company said: “While our station concourses are sometimes used for commercial events, our priority must always be passengers who are trying to make their journeys on the railway.

“Having begun as a small number of fans waving off the departure of the Hogwarts Express, celebrations have grown significantly in popularity and last year’s event saw thousands of people at King’s Cross, which made it challenging for us as station operator.”