Hogwarts Holiday Projections

samara

Mouseketeer
Joined
Mar 15, 2006
I’m a little confused about the projection show...I assumed it wasn’t a huge issue to see it, but someone told me that you get held outside the area while it’s going on and that it gets very chaotic. Can anyone give me a clearer idea of what you see and what the process is for seeing it?
 
If you are not in the viewing area when it starts, you will be held out until the next viewing.

It doesn't last that long, so any wait should be small.

Once in the area, they did not push us on, so if you want to watch it again, no problem just staying.

I was waiting for some people so I sat there a pretty long time.

I was there Thanksgiving week, and I did not find it to be chaotic at all.

Frankly for me, it was nice but if I had missed it, I would not have cried. I just happened to be in the area when it started. It was pretty and I really liked the music.
 
People are moved into the viewing area in shifts. The area is outdoors but relatively small, so when you arrive you are held in the next area down until the current show finishes and the group watching leaves. Both times we went we saw the following show, but it was relatively uncrowded when we went. The process was remarkably orderly but it is a lot of people in a relatively confined space, both to watch and to wait. The show is a lot of fun and I would certainly recommend it--we saw it twice.
 
IME the later shows are less busy and you can wander in and out of the area at will, with plenty of space to stand. The first few shows of the evening were crowded and people had to wait for the viewing area to clear between shows. They limit the number of people in the area in front of Hogwarts (including access to Forbiden Journey & I believe also Hippogrif), but after each show people disperse and the next crowd can enter.
 


The earlier shows are very crowded. That was handled much better this year than last. We were there the first weekend they did it last year and it was very crowded and chaotic. I'm not sure they thought things out well. There was a lot of confusion and some pushing and jockeying for position last year. Don't know when the person you talked to went but that could be why. They have definitely improved things and I think there are enough people in the crowd that understand what the process is to help those around them not get frustrated.

If you go to an early show, basically you walk into Hogsmeade from the Lost Continent side until you run into a mass of a 1000 best friends. If you are on the Jurassic Park side, there is a pathway they open up to get you to LC. You wait with your 1000 bff's until the current show is over and then it's a pretty orderly walk up to the front of the castle. The shows are about every 10-15 minutes.

You can stay and watch 2 shows as pp said. If you don't want to hang with 1000 friends, go 20 mins before park closing and you can walk right up and pick your spot. We try to watch near the Frog Choir stage first and then up close to the Hippogryph entrance for two different perspectives.

A TM told us there is a back passage opened up to get to Hippogryph when it's crowded (it was closed by the time we asked though and we were able to get through the lighter crowd). You can also get to 3 Broomsticks.
 
I watched the show last weekend when I was there and it wasn't bad at all. I arrived while a show was going on and the team members were doing traffic control, they had a pathway open but were telling people you couldn't stop, that was just for exiting the area, then they had the rest of the street blocked off and there was a crowd standing there waiting. Once the show ended and the other people started exiting the area in front of the castle, the street was opened up and the rest moved forward. It was actually quite orderly and I found a good spot to watch from with no problem at all and wasn't nearly as squished as I am in front of cinderellas castle for the Disney fireworks. By comparison my family of four had a ton of room to move around while watching the Hogwarts show.
 


If you're counting on a distinction between late and early shows make sure you factor in park closing times. Both days we went (as with all five of our park days) the park closed at seven so there were only four shows I believe. If anything it seemed that the crowds got worse as it got closer to close..
 
Thanks so much for the advice! I feel like I have a much better handle on what to expect now!

The person I talked to was there over Thanksgiving weekend, so maybe it was just way more people than normal!
 
We saw it in October (reg show) and I did not understand that they showed it many times in one night. We got held in the waiting area near the shops and I was really sad to miss it. They had the entrance by the bridge blocked off, we had to walk a long way around to enter on the other side. Then they explained we could move up after 1st showing. Which we did, most people left. We saw that showing, they walked into the nearby FJ gift shop. When leaving, it was starting again, and we watched from the bridge that had been re-opened. Only 3-4 other people on the bridge. Then left the near empty park (it was closed), back to our resort.
 
We saw it over Thanksgiving weekend, and it wasn't horribly crowded. It was very orderly. There was no pushing or shoving. Made all of Hosmeade more orderly than normal. We just happened to be some of the first people for the next show, so we got to pick a great view on the near edge of the bridge, closer to Wizarding World than Jurassic Park.
 
Maybe I'm in the minority, but didn't think it was all that great. Sorry.
 
I was there Thanksgiving week, and I did not find it to be chaotic at all.

I was there that week as well. I agree, it is not that chaotic. The only chaos comes from those who don’t understand the process and try to push or cut in front of you. Some folks just can’t be patient.
 

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