A “Harry Potter: A Forbidden Forest Experience” in Vancouver, Canada, shattered ticket pre-sales records and and drew a massive waitlist after an anti-JK Rowling backlash reached the city council.
The event was a huge success in Stanley Park, Vancouver, with interest in the event reaching an all-time high, Fever Originals Canada Regional Manager Annie-Lou St- Amant told The Daily Hive.
“We have seen the number of people signing up on the waitlist. As well, the pre-sale of tickets have been the biggest success we have had across all the markets we have been in, so I think this speaks to how many Harry Potter fans there are in Canada,” she said.
This comes on the heels of a backlash in early October. Vancouver Park Board Commissioner Scott Jensen was visibly emotional as he and other commissioners apologized for approving the event, according to the New York Post. “I’m really moved by your words,” he said. “The lived experiences, the hurt … so on behalf of myself I do apologize.”
His colleague, Commissioner Angela Haer, vowed, “This will not happen again.” Following the meeting, Commissioner Tom Digby claimed the board “did the right thing” in apologizing.
JK Rowling responded to Digby’s post Oct. 9. “To be honest, I didn’t even know Vancouver Parks and Recreations had avowed me, so the disavowal hasn’t been much of a blow,” she wrote.
JK Rowling’s political stance may have been off-putting to some but sales continue to demonstrate that isn’t enough to get in the way of die-hard Harry Potter fans.
A Vancouver Park Board commissioner named Tom Digby @ThomasDigby1 (slogan: “Tom gets things done”) wants the city of Vancouver to apologize to transgender people for …. allowing a Harry Potter-themed event to take place in a city park https://t.co/MCmsDEWKsS pic.twitter.com/dmGDZ5AqFU
— Jonathan Kay (@jonkay) October 1, 2025
“Harry Potter: A Forbidden Forest Experience,” based upon a setting in JK Rowling’s fictional world, is a nighttime trail featuring fictional creatures, mock spell-casting stations and other amusements, The Daily Hive reported. Fever Originals partnered with Warner Bros. Global Experiences to produce the theme park.
First opening up in October 2021 in Cheshire, England, the event has been featured at 13 locations globally, including in the U.S. Tours are also open in Chicago, Illinois and Cincinnati, Ohio. (RELATED: Reporter Confronts Keira Knightley About Playing Role Written By JK Rowling. She Doesn’t Seem To Care Much)
A Vancouver Park Board commissioner named Tom Digby @ThomasDigby1 (slogan: “Tom gets th
Harry Potter Forbidden Forest Experience in Stanley Park opens TONIGHT. ✨
This Vancouver stop’s ticket sales has already broken all-time records, exceeding previous cities.
“We have never had another event with as much interest as Vancouver.” #vanpolihttps://t.co/N8YnyTyaIq
— Kenneth Chan (@iamkennethchan) November 7, 2025
Deanna Woo, a local content creator, posted about her attendance of the event on Instagram. Most responses were positive, though a few complained. “Selling out to promote an event that supports JK Rowling smh,” one commenter wrote.
