Line up, Potterheads! Harry Potter fans around the world lined up at their local bookstores to celebrate the midnight release of the beloved series’ eighth book, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, on Sunday, July 31.
The new story, which is set 19 years after the events of seventh novel, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, follows an adult Potter and his son Albus Severus. The book is the rehearsal script of the two-part West End stage play of the same name, which premiered in London on Saturday, July 30.
The release of the Harry Potter and the Cursed Child screenplay — which was written by original author J.K. Rowling with Jack Thorne and John Tiffany — is timed perfectly, as Sunday is both Potter and Rowling’s birthday.
Eager fans took to social media as they purchased the eighth installment overnight in Europe, Australia and more.
“ITS SO PRETTY #HPScriptBook #CursedChild,” one user captioned a Twitter photo of the Cursed Child books stacked up at his local bookshop.
Another user shared a photo of fellow Potterheads — clad in Hogwarts clothing, of course — lined up, waiting to purchase their copies. “And the people just keep on coming,” she wrote.
Earlier on Saturday, Rowling, 50, thanked fans who caught an early glimpse of the stage play and kept the story a secret for patient readers.
“It’s the most extraordinary fandom so I’m kind of not surprised because they didn’t want to spoil it for each other,” she told the BBC. “I’m so happy we got here without ruining everything.”
Find a midnight release party near you on Scholastic’s website!
Tell Us: Are you picking up Harry Potter and the Cursed Child at midnight?