Displeased Harry Potter fans booed after an annual announcement at the King’s Cross railway station in London did not occur.
In anticipation of hearing over the public address system that the imaginary Hogwarts Express will leave platform 9 and a quarter at 11 am, as it does in J.K Rowling’s novels, people flocked to the station.
The train service was previously featured on departure boards as part of the Back to Hogwarts tradition, which commemorates the beginning of each academic year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry every September 1, with hundreds of fans attending the event last year.
However, on September 1st, King’s Cross did not commemorate the event.
A video posted via X (formerly Twitter) shows the crowd counting down to 11 am, and then proceeding to boo after nothing has transpired.
Harry Potter fans were left disappointed after the annual tradition of the Kings Cross Hogwarts announcement didn't happening today pic.twitter.com/5myFuDRh8e
— UB1UB2 West London (Southall) (@UB1UB2) September 1, 2024
Warner Bros. Discovery, the media and entertainment company that owns the Harry Potter franchise, released a statement last July urging fans to avoid traveling to King’s Cross on Sunday and watch the program instead on YouTube hosted by I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! Winner Sam Thompson.
“Come 1st September, fans are strongly discouraged from travelling to King’s Cross as there will be no event, departure board or countdown at the station,” it stated.
They continued saying, “Instead, everyone is invited to tune in and join proud Hufflepuff and King of the Jungle, Sam Thompson, in a specially recorded online programme made in celebration of Back to Hogwarts.”
The station’s owner, Network Rail, decided not to host an event at London King’s Cross.
A representative from the company stated, “While our station concourses are sometimes used for commercial events, our priority must always be passengers who are trying to make their journeys on the railway.”
“Having begun as a small number of fans waving off the departure of the Hogwarts Express, celebrations have grown significantly in popularity and last year’s event saw thousands of people at King’s Cross, which made it challenging for us as a station operator,” they continued.
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