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Hogwarts Castle Emerges from Six Weeks Behind Scrim at Islands of Adventure: Fresh Paint, New Two-Tone Towers, and a Reveal Closing in Ahead of Epic Universe's First Anniversary
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Hogwarts Castle Emerges from Six Weeks Behind Scrim at Islands of Adventure: Fresh Paint, New Two-Tone Towers, and a Reveal Closing in Ahead of Epic Universe's First Anniversary

Michael Travels
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If you have ever rounded the bend in Hogsmeade and stopped short at the sight of Hogwarts Castle, you have been waiting weeks. The scrim is finally coming off. After Universal quietly wrapped the centerpiece of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter in construction sheeting in March, the scaffolding on the right and center towers is now being dismantled, and the freshly repainted exterior is emerging in pieces just in time for the busy summer season.

Hogwarts Castle at Universal's Islands of Adventure with most scrim and scaffolding removed during the May 2026 refurbishment.
Hogwarts Castle refurbishment, May 2026. Photo: WDW News Today.

The headline beats:

  • Most scrim has come off; only the right and center towers still carry scaffolding.
  • WDWNT reports painting will "hopefully wrap up within a few weeks." No firm public completion date.
  • The summer calendar is stacked. May 22 is the one-year anniversary of Epic Universe's opening, and May 23 kicks off Universal's Blockbuster Summer with the Mega Movie Parade return and the broader summer event lineup.
  • The refurbishment was never publicly announced, which prompted weeks of fan speculation before Universal's informal acknowledgment in early April.

What's changed on the castle

Per WDWNT's ongoing photo coverage, the new paint job is the most extensive cosmetic refresh Hogwarts has had in years. Several towers have shifted from a browner tone to a pale gray. The crest above the main entry was sitting in a flat gray during the repainting process and is now in a pale yellow base coat. The front-right towers are currently two-tone: nearly-finished on top, still gray on the bottom where crews are painting at ground level without scaffolding.

Two-tone painting in progress on a Hogwarts Castle tower during the May 2026 refurbishment at Universal's Islands of Adventure.
Tower-by-tower repaint in progress. Photo: WDW News Today.

The texture technique is the part nerds will love. Per WDWNT: "there are spots of moss elements on the faux stone surface. Crews will apply paint over the moss and then remove them, creating texture and age spots." It's the kind of detail you only notice if you stand inches from the wall, but it gives the castle a hand-weathered quality at scale that flat overspray cannot match.

Why the timing matters

Universal has been building toward two summer anchors:

  • Friday, May 22: Epic Universe celebrates its first anniversary. Pteranodon Flyers reopens the same day at Islands of Adventure. Viking Training Camp at Epic Universe is scheduled to reopen one day later, May 23.
  • Saturday, May 23: Blockbuster Summer 2026 kicks off across Universal Orlando Resort. The Mega Movie Parade returns the same day at Universal Studios Florida, and the JAWS Amity overlay at USF anchors the summer programming through August.
  • Saturday, May 30: "Hogwarts Always" projection-mapping show debuts nightly at the castle as part of Blockbuster Summer. A clean castle exterior, free of scrim and scaffolding, is the natural backdrop for a projection-mapping debut.

If WDWNT's "few weeks" timeline holds, guests visiting the weekend of May 22-24 should get the cleanest castle photos in years.

The refurbishment timeline

  • March 2026: Universal wraps Hogwarts Castle in scrim and erects construction walls. No advance public announcement.
  • Late March 2026: Aerial photos surface; Inside the Magic and other outlets publish the "Hogwarts Castle is missing" story.
  • Mid-April 2026: WDWNT publishes the first close-up ground photos of the painted faux-stone process, including the moss-element texture technique.
  • Late April 2026: Towers shift visibly from brown to pale gray; aerial photos show scrim coming off the upper portions.
  • Early May 2026 (this week): Most scrim is down; scaffolding around the right tower has started to come down; crew work continues on lower portions and the crest.
  • Late May 2026 (target): WDWNT says work should "hopefully wrap up within a few weeks." Universal has not given a firm public completion date.

Quick planner notes

  • Visiting this week? Expect partial scaffolding visible on at least the lower portions of the right tower and around the crest. The two-tone tower paint is currently a photographic curiosity, not an eyesore.
  • Visiting late May or after? If WDWNT's "few weeks" timeline holds, you'll get the cleanest castle look since before the refurbishment started. Plan a morning Hogsmeade walk and a late-evening return once Hogwarts Always debuts May 30.
  • "Hogwarts Always" debuts at the castle May 30 as part of Blockbuster Summer 2026. The projection show is not yet running during the current crew work.
  • Stack with Pteranodon Flyers reopening May 22 for an Islands of Adventure-heavy day on Epic Universe's anniversary weekend. Viking Training Camp at Epic Universe follows May 23.
  • Volcano Bay Nights night #3 returns Sunday May 17 (after May 3 and May 10). The Wizarding World plus Volcano Bay at night is a strong May weekend stack while waiting for the castle reveal.

Sources

Image credits: WDW News Today.

Mentioned in this story

Islands of Adventure

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