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

Published May 13, 2026 at 9:50 AM EDT

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.

The Mystic Fountain at Islands of Adventure May Close This Friday: Lost Continent's Last Operating 1999 Attraction is Reportedly Down to Five Days, Per Annual Passholder Group Reports

Per posts circulating in Universal Orlando Annual Passholder groups (and reported by WDWNT, Attractions Magazine, and Inside the Magic this past weekend), The Mystic Fountain at Universal's Islands of Adventure may have its final day on Friday, May 15, 2026. Universal has not officially confirmed the closure. The interactive talking-water-spirit fountain has operated in Sindbad's Bazaar in The Lost Continent since the park's 1999 opening day, making it the last continuously-operating piece of that original 1999 land. Lost Continent's broader dismantling was confirmed last week (Sindbad closed 2018, Poseidon's Fury closed 2023, Mythos closing 2027).

May 10, 2026 News

Universal Orlando Will Dismantle Lost Continent at Islands of Adventure: Mythos Closes in 2027, Thunder Falls Terrace Becomes a Signature Restaurant, and Joey Fatone is Bringing Hot Dogs to CityWalk

Universal Orlando dropped a sweeping closures and reimaginings announcement this morning. Lost Continent at Islands of Adventure will be dismantled in phases. Mythos Restaurant, the 1999 opening-day fan favorite, closes in 2027. Thunder Falls Terrace closes summer 2026, transforms into a new full-service signature restaurant for IOA, and reopens in 2027. Hot Dog Hall of Fame at CityWalk closes in July 2026 and is replaced by Fat One's Hot Dogs & Italian Ice, the concept from *NSYNC's Joey Fatone and his manager Joe Mulvihill.

May 7, 2026 News

Pteranodon Flyers' Reopening at Islands of Adventure Just Slipped Another Week to May 22, Leaving Jurassic Park With Two Simultaneous Attraction Closures

Pteranodon Flyers, the suspended kiddie ride that has flown over Jurassic Park at Islands of Adventure since 1999, just had its reopening pushed back another week to Friday, May 22, 2026. Universal has not issued an official explanation, but guest chatter points to brake-system work. The delay overlaps with the Jurassic Park River Adventure closure (down through November 19), leaving Jurassic Park land operating with two simultaneous attraction closures heading into Memorial Day weekend.

May 6, 2026 News

Walt Disney World President Jeff Vahle Announces Retirement After a 36-Year Disney Career: From Magic Kingdom Engineer in 1990 to Running America's Largest Single-Site Workplace

Walt Disney World Resort President Jeff Vahle announced his retirement on Monday afternoon, capping a 36-year Disney career that started as a Magic Kingdom engineer in 1990. He'll depart in late July 2026. No successor has been named yet. The exit completes the post-Iger leadership cascade that started with Josh D'Amaro becoming Disney CEO in March and Thomas Mazloum taking the Disney Experiences chair on March 18.

May 13, 2026 News

United Parks Q1 2026: Revenue Slips on Weather and International Drop, In-Park Spend Hits a Quarterly Record, Discovery Cove and Pass Sales Called Out as Bright Spots

United Parks and Resorts (parent of SeaWorld Orlando, Aquatica, and Discovery Cove) released Q1 2026 results this morning. Revenue $278.3 million, down 3% year-over-year. Attendance 3.22 million, with roughly 140,000 guests lost to weather and another 80,000 to declines in international visitation. The bright spots: a record in-park per-capita spend of $40.62, pass sales up around 10% in Q1 (about 12% through April 30), and Discovery Cove pacing a double-digit percentage ahead of 2025.

May 11, 2026 News

Tonight is the Final Performance of Universal's Horror Make-Up Show After Nearly 36 Years: Wristband-Only Access at the Pantages Theater Before the "Reimagining"

After nearly 36 years of fake blood, audience volunteers, and reliable gross-out laughs, the original Horror Make-Up Show at Universal Studios Florida takes its final bow tonight. The Pantages Theater goes dark tomorrow (Tuesday May 12) for a "reimagining" that Universal says will return later this year. Access tonight is wristband-only, first-come-first-served, with no standby queue.