A global Harry Potter exhibition will debut at the Franklin Institute in 2022

The globally touring exhibition, featuring material from across the entire Wizarding World, will premiere at the Franklin Institute in 2022.

Peter Crimmins

July 1, 2021

File photo: The Franklin Institute in July 2020. (Emma Lee/WHYY)

A new portal to the magical world of Harry Potter will emerge in 2022 at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia.

The institute has announced that it will host the world premiere of “Harry Potter: The Exhibition,” featuring content from the breadth of the Wizarding World and all the franchises associated with J.K. Rowling’s global phenomenon across books, films, websites, and video games. That includes the two “Fantastic Beasts” movies, with a third scheduled for release next year.

A promo image of the Harry Potter exhibition — The globally touring exhibition, featuring material from across the entire Wizarding World, will premiere at the Franklin Institute in 2022. (Franklin Institute)00

There is already a museum show about Harry Potter, touring since 2009, featuring mostly props from the Potter movies. This new exhibition promises to be highly technological and interactive, featuring immersive environments recreating key moments from the stories within the Wizarding World.

WHYY thanks our sponsors — become a WHYY sponsor

The company Imagine Exhibitions, based in Atlanta, will use the Franklin Institute to launch “Harry Potter: The Exhibition,” which will then go on to travel to Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, Europe, and the Asia Pacific region.

The CEO of Imagine Exhibitions, Tom Zaller, said the Franklin Institute is a “great cultural driver for Philadelphia, and a perfect location” to premiere the show.

WHYY thanks our sponsors — become a WHYY sponsor

WHYY is your source for fact-based, in-depth journalism and information. As a nonprofit organization, we rely on financial support from readers like you. Please give today.