Ollivanders Wand Shop at Universal Orlando

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Ollivanders Wand Shop is located in The Wizarding World Of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando Resort. Be it in Hogsmeade or Diagon Alley you can go into the shop, and if luck would have it you may be chosen for your own wand. As Ollivander said to Harry Potter, “the wand chooses the wizard…”

Ollivanders Wand Shop- Makers of Fine Wands Since 382 BC

During a recent visit to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, I learned that JK Rowling did use some criteria in the wand selection for each character that appears to carry over to Ollivanders Wand Shop at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. This is probably old information for die-hard Potter fans, but I found it very interesting.

Purely by coincidence, after selecting the type of wood for Harry’s wand (holly), JK Rowling discovered that Harry’s birthday coincided with holly on the Celtic calendar that assigns different types of wood to sections of the calendar.  With this match, JK decided to follow this guideline for Ron and Hermione’s wands, as well to further entrench the connection these three characters have in the story.  Some Harry Potter characters have wands according to the Celtic calendar and some don’t.  Any other than these three are chance, not intentional, but interesting, nonetheless.

Anyway, back to my point…

So, what does all this have to do with Ollivanders Wand Shop at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter?  If you are chosen, one of the first questions the wizard asks in the shop is, “What is your birthday?” Whether or not this is used as criteria for Ollivanders Wand Shop to select your wand or not, I find it interesting that they would ask.

At Ollivanders, you can watch, and maybe take part in, a wand pairing show with a wand-keeper. In this dark room of the wand shop, the wand-keeper will select someone to participate in a wand pairing demonstration. The wand-keeper will offer several wands to the individual to see how well they work together. As you can guess, it may take a few tries for the correct wand and wizard to magically find each other. Even if you are not shopping for a wand, this show is worth the wait for Harry Potter fans.

During our last visit my daughter was chosen, I don’t recall what her wand is made of, so I cannot say for sure if it aligns with her birthday. But this is a truly magical event for the younger (well older too) Potter fans. You don’t have to do the selection show, if you wish to purchase a wand, you can skip right to the shop itself.

Parents, we all know your child wants to be chosen, but if you ask the wand-keeper or his assistant they will not oblige. Just let it happen, and if your child isn’t chosen go back another time.

Insider Tip: The Ollivanders in Hogsmeade, is empty about one hour prior to park closing, this makes smaller crowds and your child more likely to be chosen by the wizard.

A wand can cost anywhere from $45-$80, so be prepared for that expense if your child (or you) really want a wand. I absolutely think the cost of the interactive wands is worth the price of watching your children bring spells to life in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. You may even be shown a few secret spells that aren’t on the maps.

No matter if you are chosen by the wizard, or choose your own wand, you will experience a truly magical day spell casting in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter.