July 16, 2026
Universal Studios Japan (Osaka, Japan) will run a month-long “Back to Hogwarts” event at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter from September 1 through 30, 2026, timed to a double anniversary: 25 years since the release of “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” and 25 years since the park itself opened. September 1 is the date Hogwarts students return to school in the books, and Universal parks worldwide, including Universal Orlando and Universal Studios Hollywood, mark it each year as a global “Back to Hogwarts” celebration.
The Exclusive After-Hours Night
The centerpiece is a single after-hours event on September 1 from 8:30 to 10:00 PM, when Universal Studios Japan hands the entire Wizarding World over to a small group of guests. Access is by advance lottery only, with no day-of tickets, and applications ran July 1 through 14 for USJ Fan members holding a valid park ticket or annual pass. Winners can arrive in Hogwarts robes with wands and move through the land after the park’s regular close, with Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, Flight of the Hippogriff, Ollivander’s Wand Shop, Honeydukes, and the Butterbeer carts all open.
What Runs All Month
Beyond the one exclusive night, the “Back to Hogwarts” programming runs the full month for regular guests. Hogwarts Castle Walk, the self-guided tour through the castle interior, returns on September 1 and stays open through January 17, 2027. USJ Fan members can collect four house-themed digital badges, one released each week across September for Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw, which unlock a fifth badge. The park is also handing out original “Jelly Beans” stickers to guests starting September 2.
Discover U!!!
The event sits inside Universal Studios Japan’s broader 25th-anniversary campaign, themed “Discover U!!!,” which the park is using across its 2026 programming, from the three Frieren experiences it debuted this spring to this Harry Potter anniversary. Tying the Wizarding World’s own film milestone to the park’s anniversary lets Universal Studios Japan build a marquee seasonal moment around an IP it already owns, on a date that Harry Potter fans mark on their own calendars. Full event details are on Universal Studios Japan’s news release.
