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Rather than watching re-runs of your favourite TV show from the sofa this winter, what if you could step onto the set instead?
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This is exactly what Gilmore Girls fans could do thanks to a new “holiday” experience launched by Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood. Taking place from 12 December 2026 to 3 January 2027 (with the exception of 25 December) fans can swap the living room for the seasonal holiday event.
The new attraction weaves visitors through familiar locations from the show’s fictional Connecticut town of Stars Hollow, transforming Warner Bros.’ Burbank studio into “the most expansive and immersive Gilmore Girls holiday fan experience ever created”.
Visitors will be able to stroll through Lorelai Gilmore’s house and Luke’s Diner, the haunt of the protagonist’s on-again, off-again love interest – Luke Danes. Other recognisable settings will include The Dragonfly Inn as well as Miss Patty’s School of Ballet.
Iconic storefronts from the show will also house gift shops with collector items, while fan-favourite foods on offer will include Luke’s cold brew, Jojo’s burgers, Caesar’s chilaquiles nachos and Gazebo pretzel.
Centred on the lives of Lorelai and her daughter Rory, Gilmore Girls first aired in 2000, with the series now featuring on The New York Times list of The 100 Best TV Shows of the 21st Century.
Where else can you set-jet to?
Warner Bros.’ decision to expand on its previous Gilmore Girls-themed holidays taps into the growing set-jetting trend. The phrase was coined to describe holiday itineraries based on the shooting locations of films or TV series – turning on-screen scenes into real life experiences.
Closer to home, Europe’s cinematic coastlines and iconic locations have long served as the backdrop for major film and TV productions. Dubrovnik, for instance, became a major draw for Game of Thrones fans after the Croatian city doubled as King’s Landing.
In Lavenham, England, guests can check into Harry Potter’s “childhood home”. Listed on Airbnb, the 15th-century Vere House featured in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part One and is replete with four en-suite bedrooms, a private guest sitting room with log fire and courtyard garden.
One of the biggest movie releases this year was Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey. For travellers keen to plan their own odyssey, the film’s locations ranged from Sardinia and the Strait of Messina in Italy, Ithaca in Greece, Troy in Türkiye as well as Gozo in Malta.
Madrid also has a long history of being a sought-after location for productions. The Spanish capital’s portfolio includes scenes in the popular Netflix series La Casa de Papel (Money Heist), The Cold Light of Day, and Terminator: Dark Fate.
Woody Allen’s “WASP 26” – an acronym for ‘Woody Allen Summer Project’ – is also in the works to be shot in and around Madrid and is earmarked to be completed by the end of 2027. In 2025, as part of efforts to promote local tourism, the Madrid Regional Government pledged to invest three payments totalling €1.5 million into Allen’s upcoming picture.
Beyond Europe, Netflix’s adaptation of John Steinbeck’s “East of Eden” was filmed entirely in New Zealand, despite being set in US destinations, like California’s Salinas Valley, alongside San Francisco, Connecticut, and Washington.
Harbour Street in Oamaru, a town on New Zealand’s South Island, was an ideal choice for the period production thanks to its preserved limestone buildings. Dunedin also features in the series, including its Queen’s Garden and Railway Station.
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