Universal Orlando’s Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Diagon Alley expansion opens today! Naturally, we’re already wondering what will come next.

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It’s certain that something related to Harry Potter – a third phase – will happen. In a new interview with the Huffington Post published Monday, Universal Parks Chairman and CEO Tom Williams says that they “already know what we’re going to do after Diagon Alley,” and added that they have the next five years already planned.

It’s clear that Universal wants to move fast on these projects. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter’s Hogsmeade land debuted in June 2010, and Diagon Alley arrives roughly four years later. To create the expansion, Universal had to close down the Jaws attraction in January 2012. It took them 2 1/2 years to build Diagon Alley, which proves that the theme park is swinging that wrecking ball quickly to build these Potter areas while the iron is still hot.

Thanks to Fantastic Beasts, the Wizarding World will be at the forefront of pop culture for years to come.

So what will Universal create next? We don’t believe that the theme park will build a third land separate from Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade. Instead, we think they will expand the latter. When it comes to expansion ideas, there is definitely a lot more potential within Hogsmeade/Hogwarts than there is at Diagon Alley.

Idea 1: Explore Hogwarts Castle

This plan would call for multiple attractions:

– The Great Hall: Enjoy a meal at one of the four long, iconic tables within Hogwarts’ main meeting space. Order food outside of the Great Hall, then once it’s ready, carry it inside. Sit at your favorite Hogwarts House’s table and take in the remarkable sights. Do you hear house elves working in the kitchen? (Side note: There are rumors a Great Hall is being built at the Hollywood Wizarding World.)

– The Chamber of Secrets: A new thrill ride for Hogsmeade. Take Harry’s journey through the Chamber of Secrets as seen in the book and film of the same name. Descend into the depths of Hogwarts and fight the giant basilisk to save Ginny and put a stop to Tom Riddle.

– The Forbidden Forest: Take a walk through the dark and dreary forest outside of Hogwarts. Run into spiders, spot the flying Ford Anglia, and talk to the centaurs. Fluffy could make an appearance too!

– Explore the classrooms of Hogwarts: We’re not sure how this could be fun, but it’d be neat to see the various classrooms in person. Maybe a new ride could put you through a day in the life of a Hogwarts student.

– Dumbledore’s Tower of Terror: Fall off the Astronomy Tower and land on your death, just like Albus Dumbledore did in Half-Blood Prince. The fall will be different each time you ride, making your journey unpredictable. Think Disney’s Tower of Terror but with a Harry Potter twist. Afterwards, your photo op will be at Dumbledore’s grave. Morbid? Yes. Fun? Yes.

Why Hogwarts ideas may not work: The area where Hogwarts Castle stands is pretty tight on space. Universal would have to knock out the existing Jurassic Park area which seems unlikely. It would make more sense to knock out the Sinbad show, located just before Hogsmeade’s main entrance, if they were to expand Hogsmeade. This means that an expansion may have to be something unrelated to Hogwarts.

Idea 2: The World of Quidditch

Imagine taking a ride on a broom through an important Gryffindor Vs. Slytherin game, or stepping into the Quidditch World Cup stadium. A sports theme would probably appeal to people of all ages whether or not you’re a fan of the series. J.K. Rowling has been keeping everyone’s minds on Quidditch lately thanks to new reports “written” by Ginny Potter and Rita Skeeter over on Pottermore.

Idea 3: ‘Fantastic Beasts’

Warner Bros.’ CEO has already confirmed that Universal intends to create a Fantastic Beasts “attraction” within the Wizarding World park(s). We have no clue what it could be because we don’t know much about the film’s story yet. It’s easy to assume that we could take a journey with Newt as he tries to capture/discover creatures across the world.

A Fantastic Beasts attraction would probably be the one expansion that has to be somewhat separate from Hogsmeade or Diagon Alley. This is because the film’s story probably won’t be set near either of the two lands.

With that said, we don’t believe that the Hogwarts Express will ever expand into other areas of Universal’s parks because the train tracks are forced to dead end at the Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley stations. If you look at them on a map, you’ll see that other parts of the Wizarding World lands would get in the way of any sort of expansion.

Earlier this week an art director at the The Wizarding World said that creatures who appear in a shop at Diagon Alley are a preview of what’s to come in the Fantastic Beasts movie (and by extension, the aforementioned attraction).

Hotel Hogwarts

Stay in one of four wings of a Hogwarts hotel, each themed to a particular Hogwarts House. The Great Hall will be the hotel’s main eatery. The Black Lake will be the hotel’s pool. Instead of an on-site arcade, children can visit the House Elves and help bake things for the wizards and witches staying at the property.

Hogwarts classrooms will also be located at the hotel, and teachers can take you through herbology lessons, potions practice, proper spell casting rhythms, etc.

What do you want to see Universal build next?

We’re excited to see what the future holds for the Wizarding World because Universal did a remarkable job with Diagon Alley. They’ve proven they are very capable of pleasing Potter fans.

For more, check out our thoughts on Diagon Alley which were written after we visited.