Closing soon: Welcome to the magical world of Harry Potter

The film series may be over, but Harry Potter continues to cast his spell. A new exhibition in Brussels gives fans of the boy wizard an up-close-and-personal look at his world.

Harry Potter: The Exhibition is a showcase of the artistry and craftsmanship that went into creating the props and costumes that appeared throughout the movies. Following stops in cities from Sydney to Seattle to Singapore, the touring show arrives in Brussels just in time for the summer holidays.

With hundreds of props from the movies, there’s plenty to titillate fans with a pining for Hogwarts: The exhibition displays items including Harry’s original wand and glasses, the Marauder’s Map, the Golden Snitch, Gryffindor school uniforms and costumes worn at the Yule Ball. That’s before you get to the interactive exhibits, offering a chance to toss a Quaffle or uproot a Mandrake.

So far, about 3.5 million fans have visited the touring exhibition that began in 2009 in Chicago. The creators were given exclusive access to the movie studios during the shoots and were able to copy props, costumes and sets.

More than 100,000 advance tickets have already been sold for fans in Brussels who want to check out the costumes and artefacts, enter the Quidditch arena, tour Hagrid’s hut, encounter Buckbeak the hippogriff and look into the many eyes of a giant acromantula spider.

Actors James and Oliver Phelps, who played identical twins Fred and George Weasley in the films, were on hand for the opening last month, where they hailed the local Potter fans. “We were here for one of the film premieres, and they were by far the loudest we had ever heard,” said James (or Oliver).

Until 6 November, Brussels Expo