Seeing Harry Potter and the Cursed Child on Broadway with Kids: What to Know Before You Go
I took my daughter to New York City for her 13th birthday trip, and one of the top things she wanted to do on this trip was to see a Broadway show.
We had trouble deciding between Six, Hamilton, and Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, but we ultimately ended up going with Cursed Child since it fit best in our budget and schedule.
We saw a Sunday matinee since we were in NYC from a Sunday morning through Tuesday evening. Many Broadway shows do not run on a Monday, so keep that in mind when planning out your trip.
My daughter has always been a Harry Potter fan, so choosing this play felt like the perfect fit. In fact, I took her to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando for her 9th birthday trip, and we did a Harry Potter themed Scotland trip for her 11th birthday! We loved being able to add a Harry Potter element to her NYC birthday trip.
I’ve been a huge Harry Potter fan since I was a kid, too, and I read the Cursed Child screenplay a few years ago. At the time I remember not loving it, but I had also heard that seeing the play performed live was a completely different experience, so I was more than willing to give it a chance.
I was so pleasantly surprised by this performance! The actors truly brought the script to life and added so much warmth, heart, and humor. Not to mention the special effects for the spells were incredible! Harry Potter and the Cursed Child on Broadway ended up being the unanimous favorite activity of our trip to NYC.
If you’re considering seeing Harry Potter and the Cursed Child on Broadway with kids, here are a few things I wish I’d known before we went.
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What Is Harry Potter and the Cursed Child About?
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is a story that takes place 19 years after the events that take place in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. It focused on Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Draco Malfoy’s children as they head off to Hogwarts and have adventures of their own.
How Long Is Harry Potter and the Cursed Child on Broadway?
The show is about 3 hours long, including a 15-minute intermission. While the play is long, we found it to be very enjoyable and engaging!
We saw a Sunday afternoon matinee, so the play itself started at 3:00 p.m. and ended around 6:00 p.m. we were walking out of the theater by 6:10 p.m. even after buying merchandise after the show.
Mom Tip: Because the play is so long with such a short intermission, be sure to use the restroom before the show starts. The lines were very long during the intermission, so we were glad we went ahead of time!
What Age Is Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Best For?
I think Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is best for kids ages 10 and up, especially if they’re already Harry Potter fans. The show’s official recommendation is ages 8 and up, which I think would be just fine for most families. Children under 5 are not permitted in the theater.
The show is about three hours long and has some darker themes and intense moments, so younger kids may find it long or a little scary. My 11- and 13-year-olds were a great age for it and absolutely loved it.
I think you could go slightly younger if your kids are already Harry Potter fans, can sit for long periods of time, and aren’t too sensitive for scarier scenes.
IMPORTANT: There Are Harry Potter Spoilers
Do you and your kids need to read the Harry Potter series before you see the show? You don’t have to, but you should know that there are spoilers, particularly for book 4: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.
I think if kids haven’t read at least past book 4 or haven’t seen the movies, you should encourage them to do that before you see the show, unless you don’t care about spoilers.
My 11-year-old son who was along with us on the trip was right in the middle of book 4 when we attended Cursed Child, and unfortunately found out some big plot points and even the ending of the book. I had read the screenplay years before, but had completely forgotten what the plot was, and I didn’t really think to check ahead of time. Whoops! Major mom fail.
Arrive at the Theater Early
I would recommend arriving at the theater about an hour before the show starts so you can take advantage of the photo ops, use the restroom, check out the merchandise, find your seat, and order snacks!
We loved all of the details inside the theater that made the Harry Potter and the Cursed Child show feel special, like the red telephone booth, photo props with the Hogwarts House symbols on them, and even the ceiling of the lobby!
We took our time checking all of the experiences and photo ops out before checking the menu and choosing a few snacks (more on that in a moment).
Finally, we hit the restroom before finding our seats, and I’m so glad we did! Like I mentioned, the line for the bathroom was super long during intermission, so we had to wait until after the show was over.
Snacks at Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
There are so many great Harry Potter themed concessions available! We picked out some popcorn, a chocolate frog, and some themed drinks, including a butterbeer!
After we had already purchased our snacks, we found out that we could order snacks directly to our seat using a QR code before the show, and they even incentivized it by including a free Chocolate Frog with each order placed using the QR code.
Mom Tip: Bring a Sweater
We attended Harry Potter and the Cursed Child during summer, and I wish we had each brought our own sweater because the theater was freezing.
I bought a long sleeved shirt with me, but my daughter was really cold in a tank top, so I let her use my sweater.
If your’e visiting in winter this shouldn’t be a problem, but just a heads up for people who get cold easily like me!
How Much Did Our Broadway Tickets Cost?
One of the main reasons we were able to make this Broadway show work was by using a perk through my Chase Sapphire Reserve credit card.
The CSR comes with 2 $150 StubHub credits each year, one to use during the first 6 months of the year, and one to use in July through December.
All you need to do is purchase your tickets through StubHub and pay with your Chase Sapphire Reserve, and the $150 credit will automatically be credited back to you.
Here’s how that broke down for us:
I purchased 3 tickets through StubHub: $284 total
We received the Chase Sapphire Reserve StubHub credit: -$150
Final out-of-pocket cost: $134 for three people
Of course ticket prices vary dramatically depending on the performance, date, seat location, and where you buy them.
If you travel a lot, the Chase Sapphire Reserve might be a really great credit card for you! The sign up bonus is excellent, and there are so many travel perks like a $300 travel credit, the StubHub Credit, lounge access, and more.
Earn 100,000 bonus points with Sapphire Reserve® or 75,000 bonus points with Sapphire Preferred®: https://www.referyourchasecard.com/19y/GSKJTSK8V3
Was Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Worth It?
Yes! Harry Potter and the Cursed Child was SO worth it to me as a Harry Potter fan!
I was skeptical going in because I didn’t love the screenplay, but seeing the play performed live with special effects was a completely different experience.
And I have to give the actors their flowers because they brought the characters and the story to life. I didn’t remember the screen playing being that funny, but the way the actors delivered their lines brought some real “laugh out loud” moments. There were moments I was even tearing up!
The special effects were also crazy. We loved seeing the spells performed onstage!
Most importantly, though, my kids loved it. I’m so thankful we got to share this experience together, and it was the perfect “big experience” for my daughter’s birthday trip to NYC.
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Emily Krause is a Florida-based travel blogger who writes about exploring the world with kids. On A Mom Explores you’ll find best family travel destinations, Disney World tips, and how to make travel with babies and toddlers a little easier.
Emily believes that exploring starts in our own backyards, and adventure can happen anywhere with the right mindset.
