B.C. town apologizes for controversial Harry Potter Halloween display

A Harry Potter Halloween display in Gibsons, B.C., recently stirred up controversy for the seaside community, and now the Town is apologizing for it.

The Sunshine Coast destination posted photos in late October of the Harry Potter and Hogwarts-inspired display in Pioneer Park.

“Take a stroll through the park and enjoy the spooky sights,” wrote the Town of Gibsons on social media. “Thanks to the Parks Department for transforming the space into something magical!”

However, in recent years, the series’ author J.K. Rowling has come under fire for her comments about her trans-exclusionary views and controversies surrounding transgender rights.

Nearly 200 comments flooded the post with divided opinions over the Harry Potter display.

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“This is incredibly tone deaf for Gibsons’ trans and gender diverse residents and visitors,” said one person.

“So I guess the rainbow crosswalk and pride flags in June are just lip service?” asked another.

Other online commenters praised the town’s Halloween decorations.

“The Town of Gibson has nothing to apologize for,” said one person. “Congratulations on having an entirely appropriate Halloween display featuring a series that has enchanted young and old.”

A week after its initial post, the Town issued an official apology for its Halloween display, acknowledging that it had raised concerns among some community members.

“We understand that the Harry Potter series has become a difficult subject for many, particularly transgender people, because of the public statements and actions of its author.

“While the display was intended as a fun Halloween theme, we recognize that it carries different meanings for different people. We apologize to those who felt hurt as a result.”

The apology also sparked discussion online, with some thanking the Town for its apology while others stated that there was nothing to apologize for.

Gibsons’ Harry Potter Halloween display controversy comes about a year after an official Harry Potter Forbidden Forest experience in Vancouver’s Stanley Park caused similar debate.

A motion by commissioner Tom Digby urged the Vancouver Park Board to officially apologize for hosting Harry Potter: A Forbidden Forest Experience, and was passed by unanimous vote last October.

There had been considerable outcry surrounding the associations between the Harry Potter event and the author behind the franchise, which Digby acknowledged.

“Deep concerns about the event have arisen because the original author of Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling, has, since at least 2018, used her platform and the wealth gained from the Harry Potter franchise to fund and amplify anti-transgender political campaigns, and her actions have caused harm to trans communities worldwide, including here in Vancouver,” wrote Digby in the motion.

“The potential negative effects on an important part of our community by the decision to host the Harry Potter event in Stanley Park opening in November 2025 has called into question the reputation of the Park Board regarding, specifically, its commitment to the TGD2S community, and more generally, whether it intends to profit from events which are associated with the targeting of any of our diverse equity seeking groups in Vancouver.”

Rowling responded to the Vancouver Park Board’s apology to the community, mocking Digby and the Park Board’s disavowal of her by stating that she didn’t even know she had been “avowed.”