Filming for Game of Thrones is over, and so commences our wait until next year’s season 8 premiere. Though GoT armorer and weapons specialist Natalia Lee told Metro this spring “anyone and everyone can die” in this final chapter, fans will be able to walk among the dragons (so to speak) thereafter — Game of Thrones tours are coming in 2019.
HBO has announced that several GoT filming locations in Northern Ireland are being converted into tourist sites with the help of Tourism NI.
Sometime next year, fans will have the opportunity to tour official “Game of Thrones Legacy attractions,” which may include the sets of Winterfell, Castle Black and Kings Landing, according to Variety.
There will also be a formal studio tour of Linen Mill Studios, where production takes place.
A statement on the Linen Mills Studios website states, “We can confirm we have begun preliminary discussions on the forthcoming Game of Thrones Legacy project in Northern Ireland.”
So, no matter how you’re prepared to grieve the world of Westeros (GoT tattoo anyone?) these Game of Thrones tours may make the impending bloodshed a little less devastating.
Game of Thrones tours: Sign us up
Information about these upcoming Game of Thrones tours is limited, but HBO says they will be “on a scale and scope bigger than anything the public has ever seen.”
As a Tourism NI news release states, this is the first opportunity for the “public to set foot inside some of the most iconic locations from the series and behind the camera lens to see how the world’s biggest TV show was made.”
The “legacy” attractions will have exhibits of GoT costumes, props, weapons and more. HBO also plans to make interactive features.
“HBO is thrilled to celebrate the work of the Game of Thrones creative team and crew by preserving these locations and inviting fans to visit Northern Ireland and explore Westeros in person,” Jeff Peters, HBO’s VP of licensing and retail, said in a statement.
“The opportunity to celebrate Northern Ireland’s pivotal role in the life and legacy of the show and share its culture, beauty and warmth is also a huge inspiration behind these Legacy projects,” he continued.
The #GameofThrones Legacy project is coming.
“#GoT’ Filming Locations in Northern Ireland to Open as Tourist Attractions” (via @Variety): https://t.co/uEAVe4I6AF pic.twitter.com/lQOHrWg3Hp— Game Of Thrones (@GameOfThrones) September 24, 2018
John McGrillen, CEO of Tourism NI, said these Game of Thrones tours will be a “game-changer for Northern Ireland on the global tourism level.”
An HBO spokesperson told Metro they don’t any additional information (like pricing) at this time.
Regardless of the cost, it’ll be worth it. Westeros — Jon Snow and all — is worth it.
