It’s true! A new Harry Potter Ride will replace Dragon Challenge in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter

Get ready Potter fans, the rumors are true and there is going to be a whole new ride at the Wizarding World!

ALERT Wizarding World fans! The rumors are true – Universal Orlando is replacing the Dragon Challenge ride with a new Harry Potter ride!

Dragon Challenge started life as “Dueling Dragons” in 1999. Then in 2010, when Hogsmeade opened, it was dubbed “Dragon Challenge” to give it a Potter-esque feel. We were free to imagine why.

The Dragon Challenge is fun!

My personal favorite way to imagine how Dragon Challenge fit into the Harry Potter universe was to assume that there is a World Cup of dragon fighting, witches and wizards strapped to the dragons’ backs while they hurl themselves at each other. That thought was totally not inspired by the ride feeling exactly as if that was happening.

Once was enough – I threw in the towel, abandoning any pretensions of being the best dragon fighter on the planet.

My favorite memory of Dragon Challenge actually came before the Wizarding World opened. Universal had curtained off Hogsmeade so we could not see a thing, but there were little flaps in the tarps, knotholes in wood, where you could peek through.

To Hogsmeade we go

They had made a very long walkway to guide people around Hogsmeade as it was being built and it ran through the Dragon walkway area, with LOTS of opportunity to get glimpses. Then one day, I tried to take a picture of an emerging, crazily-built Hogsmeade rooftop and a VERY grump employee told me to beat it.

He then yelled at everyone else walking along who even thought of looking towards the Hogsmeade skyline. Then I remembered hearing from someone that J.K. Rowling would be there for a private visit. I grabbed peaks anyway, and got yelled at some more. I didn’t see her but the adrenalin was worth it.

Universal being Universal, and oblivious to the dire fact that not everybody enjoys the feeling of imminent death, they will probably replace the ride with something like “Obscurus: Crash through buildings while killing the senator” or “Swooping Evil: have your brain sucked out while you dive through death potion”.

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I’m feeling sick already. But I will absolutely ride the new ride at least once, to make life complete.