Photo Credit: Gabe Yeh
On June 21, HBO Max and HOUSE OF THE DRAGON brought Westeros to The Rooftop at Pier 17 with a one-night-only “Dragon Solstice” premiere episode screening and celebration in New York City. Held on the summer solstice, the screening welcomed more than 1000 fans, creators, and tastemakers for an exclusive first look at Season 3. DJ sets from Mister Sunday and cast member DJ Harry Collett set the tone and powered the celebration late into the night before Collet ushered in the new season with a dramatic, sword-led cake cutting finale.
Coinciding with the New York screening event, HBO Max rolled out sweeping, high‑impact stunts across key international markets, designed to ignite the realm and announce the new season’s arrival:
- In London, Queen Rhaenyra’s dragon “Syrax” took to the skies bringing the power of House Targaryen to life.
- In Berlin, a massive dragon pyre was ignited in Tempelhof’s central square.
- In Barcelona, a dragon awakened within Gaudi’s Casa Batlló through fire and glass, with custom stained-glass windows created alongside the Sagrada Familia’s master glassmaker.
- In Sydney, an immersive underground tunnel takeover invited fans to discover if they had the blood of the dragon through sensory-driven experiences.
- In Manila, a large-scale vigil pop-up in a high-visibility location paid tribute to the fallen, with Balerion’s skull surrounded by thousands of candles.
- In addition to the “Dragon Solstice” events in New York, the streamer welcomed fans aboard VIP Targaryen Sails at Pier 17, hosted by iconic NYC drag queen Baby Love in Rhaenyra Targaryen drag. Earlier in the day, HBO Max brought the Iron Throne to Madison Square Garden, where cast member Harry Collett joined New York Knicks players, including Karl-Anthony Towns, in taking their turn on the most coveted seat in the Seven Kingdoms.
In the lead-up to the season 3 debut, HBO Max built anticipation with early fan screenings and activations, including a June 16 creator screening at Snapchat’s Santa Monica headquarters plus a standout Snapchat collaboration that launched in Times Square on June 18, offering fans a custom, series-inspired augmented reality experience that saw themselves on billboards in the heart of the city. During a June 18th advance screening at Regal Times Square in New York, fans were surprised by cast member appearances from Matt Smith and Olivia Cooke.
High-profile digital partnerships further amplified the campaign across platforms, including Uber Advertising’s first-ever entertainment collaboration introducing a dragon as the in-app vehicle icon through June 28, while Twitch bent the knee with a full-platform takeover on June 17th, inviting global streamers to “Claim the Throne” with surprise participation from cast member Abubakar Salim. Calm’s newly launched Sleep Stories and meditations, voiced by Season 3 cast members, are now available with additional moments and collaborations to come throughout the season.
“House of the Dragon has always been powered by one of the most passionate fandoms in entertainment, and our Season 3 campaign was built to meet that passion at global scale,” said Mark Doumet, Vice President, Originals Marketing, HBO and HBO Max. “From pyro explosions to cast-led meditations, solstice celebrations to dragon vigils, and Pride sails to Targaryen ride sharing – we created new ways for fans to step ever deeper into Westeros.”
Timed to the season 3 debut on June 21, HBO Max subscribers are now able to experience the return of HOUSE OF THE DRAGON through an in‑app takeover featuring refreshed, series‑themed artwork including custom Top 10 rail artwork and updated HBO Max logo, alongside custom designs and a curated rail highlighting the biggest battles from Westeros and beyond on HBO Max.
Season three of the HBO® Original drama series HOUSE OF THE DRAGON debuted SUNDAY, JUNE 21 at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT on HBO and is available to stream on HBO Max. The eight-episode season will air new episodes weekly, leading up to the season finale on August 9.
For more information about HOUSE OF THE DRAGON and to stay up to date, follow on social @HouseoftheDragon, @GameofThrones, @HBO and @HBOMax.
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