The Harry Potter: A Forbidden Forest Experience has made its way to Singapore. The attraction has made stops the United States, Australia, and has made is now on in Singapore — its first stop in Asia! We were really excited and booked tickets for the opening day when the news dropped. Without giving away too much, here are my thoughts after the experience, in this Harry Potter: A Forbidden Forest Singapore review.
Modelled after the forest that bordered the edges of the grounds of Hogwarts, the experience, allows you to discover the magical creatures of Harry Potter and Fantastic Beast franchise. Its Singapore stop is located in Sentosa, along the Coastal Trail at Siloso Point.
Getting to Harry Potter: A Forbidden Forest Experience Singapore
Public Transport
To get to Harry Potter: A Forbidden Forest Experience via public transport, you’ll first have to take the MRT to Habourfront station and navigate your way through VivoCity to the Sentosa Express that will take you to Beach Station. The Sentosa Express costs S$4 for adults, S$2 for seniors, persons with disabilities and some concession holders, and is free for children under 0.9m.
You can also check out Sentosa’s website for more ways to get to Sentosa.
Tip: If you want to save some money, you can choose to walk from VivoCity to Universal Studios Singapore and board the Sentosa Express there. You will only have to pay for the Sentosa Express if you board from VivoCity.
Once you’re at Beach Station, hop on the Beach Shuttle towards Siloso and alight at Siloso Point. From there, it’s a 5 minute walk to the Coastal Trail.
There are signs around the area, so don’t worry about getting lost.
Car
For drivers, there is a carpark right by the exhibition, but it’s pretty small. If you want to avoid not being able to find parking, you can also park at Beach Station Carpark and hop onto the Beach Shuttle to Siloso Point.
Taxi
There is currently a Google Maps location for the exhibition, but if you’re unable to find it, you can set your drop off location as 5 Siloso Beach Walk. You should see Shangri-La Rasa Sentosa; it’s right by the entrance of the exhibition.
Interactive Zones, The Exhibits And The Experience
The entire experience takes about 45 to 60 minutes to see. Harry’s patronus will be at the entrance to greet you and ready for a picture with you. Throughout the trail, you’ll see many magical creatures such as the Niffler and Bowtruckle from Fantastic Beasts, as well as the Hippogriff from The Harry Potter series.
Without giving away too much, there are various interactive zones throughout the trail, such as the wand duel and various spell casting areas. You don’t need to have your own wands for these. These interactive zones were fun and often had a line of people waiting. Hence it is recommended to go on the weekdays and take that into account when planning your trip.
Forbidden Forest Experience App
Throughout the trail, there are projections on the floor and you can scan them with the Forbidden Forest Experience App, which will reveals quizzes, video clips of the movies and more.
The connectivity of the app was not great. Not only did we have to scan multiple times for something to show up on our screens; we also couldn’t submit our quizzes despite trying a few times and getting great scores on them.
Download for IOS | Download for Android
Weather-dependent
The Forbidden Forest Experience is entirely outdoors and is at the mercy of the weather. Singapore’s weather is often unpredictable so it’s best to bring along an umbrella! No refunds for rescheduling should it rain. I would also recommend bringing insect repellent.
Food and Merchandise
The main merchandise and food stands are around the area where you alight the Beach Shuttle at Siloso Point. Food is pretty expensive and the crowd favourite, butterbeer, costs S$14 and is served in a plastic takeaway cup — a stark contrast to the other Harry Potter experiences around the world, like Universal Studios Japan and the Warner Bros. Studio Tour, where they serve the butterbeers in a souvenir cup.
Food prices start at S$8 for a themed cookie and ranges from S$10-15 for cakes and finger food.
Verdict
I did not quite enjoy the experience, firstly because it rained before our timeslot. There were many muddy patches, especially the area around the food and merchandise, which ruined our shoes. Some parts of the exhibition also felt just like a walk in the park and I did forget for a second I was at a Harry Potter experience.
The creatures also weren’t that well made, you can clearly see where the mechanical parts are, or if there were strings and screens involved, which spoils the magic. Perhaps my expectations were too high, but having been to a number of Harry Potter exhibitions, this Forbidden Forest experience really pales in comparison. In fact, we actually went to the Forbidden Forest experience on its opening day, but I’m only writing this piece 1.5 months later, because I did not have much to say about the experience.
Price: 2/5
Ambience: 3/5
Value: 1/5
Ticket price: adult tickets start at S$56 for off peak, child tickets start at S$45 for off peak.
Opening hours: 7:45 p.m. – 11:00 p.m. (last entry at 10:15 p.m.), from 3 February 2024
Accessibility: Although most of the trail’s path is pretty spacious, the path is not well paved, which may be challenging for wheelchair users or those with mobility issues.
