The ride remains open as crews work on the exterior elements of Hogwarts Castle, the facade for Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey.
Refurbishment Underway on School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
A new batch of aerial photos from X user @bioreconstruct revealed new angles on the variety of exterior work underway on the Hogwarts castle, located on the edge of the Hogsmeade area in Universal’s Islands of Adventure.
A large array of scaffolding and other construction elements are visible around the core of the structure, namely the Great Hall and the castle’s large central tower, where (in the world of Harry Potter) the school’s grand staircase is located.
The nature of the work on the ride’s showbuildings has not been officially detailed by Universal. Given the general well-worn state of the structure’s exterior, however, we suspect some extent of general maintenance and visual refresh work is underway.
Thanks to these aerial angles, we can see much of the staging area behind the guest-facing castle facade. Various construction elements are visible, including more material for additional scaffolding. This could suggest the scaffolding that’s currently standing around the structure may expand upward to encompass the rest of the castle spires, or to cover the smaller towers seen to the left.
The ride itself remains open during this time, so no changes are expected to the interior portions or the ride experience.
Recently, we gleaned some our first bit of personal insight into bioreconstruct, the mysterious aerial photographer we have to thank for these photos and many similar angles we have enjoyed across Orlando-area theme parks.
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