York doesn’t need film crews or a spell book to feel magical, on International Harry Potter Day

It is the perfect location to get lost in crooked lanes, medieval charm and wizarding themed attractions.

Harry Potter day is celebrated on Saturday, 2nd May 2026, the date commemorates the anniversary of the Battle of Hogwarts and was officially declared by ex-Prime Minister David Cameron.

So the question is: How are you going to spend it?

A must see is The Shambles to start your HP Day.

The Shambles is the moment York truly feels like it’s slipped into the Wizarding World and is rumoured to have inspired J.K Rowling’s Diagon Alley.

The street is so narrow that the timbered buildings lean inwards as if whispering secrets to each other, shop signs creak overhead, windows glow with potion bottles and wands, and the cobbles underfoot feel worn by centuries of footsteps.

There is a multitude of wizarding shops in The Shambles.

The Shop That Must Not Be Named is a highlight, stocking some of the rarest Harry Potter merchandise, the staff are costumed as wizards and witches ,and it is a perfect opportunity to get yourself one of Molly Weasleys knitted sweaters.

I spoke to Harry, who works as a witches and wizards shop assistant, he said there “was nowhere he would rather work” and that he “loves bringing magic to York.”

Another worker, Leah, says: “It’s usually pretty quiet on International Harry Potter Day, but we still get the odd fan popping in for a look around. People just like having an excuse to wander the Shambles and feel a bit witchy for the afternoon.”

Just a few steps from the bustle of The Shambles sits one of York’s most delightfully quirky attractions: The Hole in Wand Mini Golf.

Inside, the lights are dim, cauldrons bubble, and each of the nine holes comes with its own magical challenge—whether you’re steering your ball past a sleeping dragon or navigating a forest of glowing mushrooms.

It’s silly, theatrical and completely charming, the kind of place where adults forget themselves and start cheering like first‑years at their first Quidditch match.

After finishing the course, players are invited to the small bar area for a glass of Spellbound Butterscotch Beer, a sweet, frothy treat that feels like it’s been poured straight out of the Three Broomsticks.

If The Shambles feels like Diagon Alley, then The Potions Cauldron is its beating heart.

Step inside and you’re met with shelves stacked high with bubbling brews, glowing elixirs and mysterious ingredients that look like they’ve been smuggled straight out of Snape’s cupboard.

For adults, The Potions Cauldron offers a surprisingly fun twist: a menu of potion‑themed drinks, from colour‑changing elixirs to lightly spiced brews served in potion bottles.

It makes for a great stop after mini golf—somewhere to sip a potion, browse the shelves and enjoy the atmosphere without taking anything too seriously.

For fans willing to venture beyond York, Goathland Station offers something York can’t: a genuine slice of the films themselves.

Tucked deep in the North York Moors, the tiny heritage station doubled as Hogsmeade Station in the first Harry Potter film.

The station has barely changed since filming—its vintage signs, footbridge and old‑fashioned waiting rooms make the whole place feel suspended in time.

By the time the sun dips behind York’s crooked rooftops, it’s hard not to feel as though you’ve spent the day somewhere just a little bit magical.

Whether you’ve brewed potions on The Shambles, battled dragons at mini golf or chased the Hogwarts Express all the way to Goathland, York proves that you don’t need a wand to step into the wizarding world.