Harry Potter dragon headed your way!

Edinburgh locals will have a rare chance to interact with a piece of Harry Potter filmmaking magic history on the 30th and 31st May.

Article Source: Warner Bros.
Last Updated: 22 May 2025 15:44

A Hungarian Horntail dragon will be landing at Castle Street, Edinburgh in a special appearance outside of its rightful home at Warner Bros. Studio Tour London - The Making of Harry Potter. Visitors will be able to get up close and personal with the magical creature, which fans will recognise from Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire, experiencing its ability to roar, move and even give passersby a delightful wink of its eye.

The huge animatronic dragon, which weighs 1.3 tonnes, brings to life the fan favourite, nail-biting scene where Harry Potter’s Hungarian Horntail breaks free of its chains during the first task in the Triwizard Tournament.

The dragon was created to mark the launch of the new ‘Triwizard Tournament - Making of Champions’ feature at the Studio Tour, running from 15th May to 8th September 2025. The new feature celebrates the 20th anniversary of the cinematic release of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and invites visitors to go behind-the-scenes of the Triwizard Tournament to discover how filmmakers created the iconic competition we see and love on-screen.

As well as having the rare opportunity to come face to face with a legend of the wizarding world, fans seeing the dragon on tour will have the chance to win tickets to ‘Triwizard Tournament - Making of Champions through an exclusive competition.

Harry Potter filmmaker and Animatronic Designer, Joe Scott, designed the dragon , replicating the creature in the fourth film, complete with a moving head, mouth and eyes and sound effects.

The skilled recreation of the famous dragon was carefully crafted over 750 hours, using materials that included 40 metres of fiberglass. The team first created a series of detailed sketches and CGI mock-ups, before Sculptors, Carpenters and Scenic Artists meticulously built the dragon's head, which was 3D printed using a scan of the original Hungarian Horntail from the film.

A total of 119 spikes were individually applied to garnish the dragon’s head and tail, taking 265 painstaking hours, whilst 38 razor-sharp teeth were 3D printed in resin to create bite in the creature’s animatronic mouth.

The stunning creature will give visitors a preview of the new summer feature at Warner Bros. Studio Tour London, where for the first-time ever, fans can explore the Backlot Stage, showcasing the Secrets of Special Effects. This new, dedicated indoor space, offers visitors the opportunity to discover how filmmakers brought the action-packed scenes from the Triwizard Tournament to life.

Comprising a digital screen, a stage and tiered seating, it promises to uncover secrets that not even the most knowledgeable Muggle will know. From creating the Hungarian Horntail dragon to understanding how Harry Potter held his breath for so long underwater, all will be revealed as part of the feature. Visitors can also witness a mesmerising demonstration reminiscent of the Beauxbaton and Durmstrang students’ arrival, featuring Beauxbaton’s iconic blue dresses as seen in the film.

Geoff Spooner, Senior Vice President at Warner Bros. Studio Tour London says, "We’re excited to launch our brand-new summer feature, Triwizard Tournament – Making of Champions, where visitors can learn behind-the-scenes secrets of the fourth Harry Potter film. To celebrate and bring the magic of Warner Bros. Studio Tour London to fans across the UK we recreated the iconic moment of the escaped Hungarian Horntail dragon 20 years on from ‘Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.”

Further additions to the Warner Bros. Studio Tour London summer feature include Mad-Eye Moody’s arrival into the Great Hall and wizarding journalist Rita Skeeter, best known for her poison pen articles.

The dragon will land at Castle Street, Edinburgh at 1pm on the 30th and 9am on the 31st May. For those wanting to see more, the Triwizard Tournament - Making of Champions is a special feature at Warner Bros. Studio Tour London running from 15th May – 8th September and all new additions are included in the ticket price.

Hungarian Horntail National Tour details
Location: Castle Street, Edinburgh
Date and Time: 30th May from 1pm until 9pm, 31st May from 9am until 8pm
Head to www.wbstudiotour.co.uk/whats-on/dragon-tour/ for more info.

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