Fans will need a revelio spell, or their imagination, to see Hogwarts Castle at the Universal Orlando Resort during extensive refurbishment. Located at Universal Islands of Adventure, this Hogwarts Castle was the very first Wizard World of Harry Potter location at any Universal theme park. After more than a decade in the Florida weather, it was time for a magical touch-up. But, fans may be surprised to see that this iconic structure is almost entirely covered up.
Theme park renovations are nothing new. Theme parks, especially those in Florida’s harsh sunshine, need to be touched up to maintain the proper look. Not far from the Universal Orlando Resort, Magic Kingdom Park is undergoing a structure repainting to change the look of Cinderella Castle back to the original 1971 look. But, the difference in this case is the mass of scrims almost entirely covering up Hogwarts Castle.
Hogwarts Castle covered in scrim during refurb
Harry Potter fans may be a bit surprised to turn the corner into Hogsmeade and see the view in the above image. While the village of Hogsmeade is open to explore and the ride inside of the Hogwarts Castle is operating, this view is still shocking. On the Universal Orlando Resort Temporary Closures area of their website, the castle work is not listed. In Universal’s defense, this portion of the site is reserved for ride and show closures and usually lists out info well in advance.
But, this isn’t just some building in the park. This is one of, if not the most iconic view at the entire resort. Some fans online have mentioned that info of this major refurbishment should have been shared for those once in a lifetime visitors. In the case of oversized scrim walls or extended refurbishment, theme parks occasionally use themed scrims. While certainly not perfect, these scrims attempt to showcase the idea of what is behind the work.
Universal is currently utilizing these types of scrims in the same park, just a different area. The Port of Entry area of Universal Islands of Adventure has scrims around the Confisco Grille. It is worth noting that this construction is also not noted on the Universal Orlando website as Confisco Grille is also operation, much like the Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey attraction inside of Hogwarts Castle.
Universal Orlando Resort is in the middle of another construction frenzy
If you thought that the Universal Orlando Resort was slowing down after the opening of their new theme park, Universal Epic Universe, you were wrong. The resort is actively working on a new Fast & Furious roller coaster, a Luke Combs entertainment venue, renovated shopping and dining at CityWalk, an undisclosed project at their Universal Epic Universe campus, a rumored Harry Potter ride, a theme park venue space and a rumored Pokémon land. While there are no major ride or land announcements for 2026 (yet?) for the Universal Orlando Resort, 2027 is lining up to have new options throughout the parks and CityWalk.
