Percy Jackson and the Olympians adapts the world of Rick Riordan’s popular book series of the same name for the small screen, and the cast and crew used many locations to capture the magic of this world. Season 1 of the Disney+ fantasy television show is based on the first book in the series — The Lightning Thief. Percy is thrust into the world of the Greek gods when he learns that he is the son of Poseidon. He goes to Camp Half-Blood, where he receives a quest that sends him and his friends around the United States, meaning that production utilized many locations for the show’s first eight episodes.
Of course, not all the filming locations for Percy Jackson and the Olympians are known, given that the series is produced by Disney, which often keeps projects under wraps. Principal photography began in June 2022 and concluded in February 2023, and production used the working title Mink Golden to prevent the public from flocking to filming spots. However, a handful of locations were leaked and can be spotted in the Disney+ show, and all of them are in Canada.
Hycroft Manor, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Yancy Academy
Some early scenes in Percy Jackson and the Olympians season 1, episode 1, take place at Yancy Academy — the private boarding school Percy and Grover attend in the Hudson Valley in New York. Yancy Academy is one of many schools that Percy has enrolled in throughout his entire life as a student, seeing as he was often kicked out of them (due to his status as a half-blood, even though he didn’t know it at the time). According to Atlas of Wonders, the production team of the Disney+ television show picked Hycroft Manor in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, to serve as the Yancy Academy set.
Construction on Hycroft Manor finished in 1911, and the University Women’s Club of Vancouver bought it in 1962. The mansion is currently used for various events, like weddings. The pilot episode didn’t spend much time at Hycroft Manor (aka Yancy Academy) since the most significant parts of Percy’s story before arriving at Camp Half-Blood occur at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City and the cabin in Montauk. However, it is one of the known filming locations in Percy Jackson and the Olympians season 1.
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Minaty Bay, British Columbia, Canada
Camp Half-Blood
Minaty Bay in British Columbia, Canada, was used as one of the most iconic (if not the most iconic) locations in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series — Camp Half-Blood in northeastern Long Island, New York. Percy finds himself at the Greek demigod training facility toward the end of episode 1 of the show, when he, his mother, and Grover are running from the Minotaur. The first handful of episodes mostly take place at Camp Half-Blood as Percy (and the audience) learn more about the Greek gods and his role as a powerful demigod.
The cast and crew of Percy Jackson and the Olympians captured most of the Camp Half-Blood scenes at Minaty Bay, a city on the shores of Howe Sound in British Columbia. It was the perfect spot for the series, given its access to the water and its forests. Minaty Bay easily doubles as Camp Half-Blood, located on the shores of Long Island in the book series. If (and when) Disney renews the fantasy show for more seasons, production will likely return to Minaty Bay to film more scenes at the Greek demigod training facility.
Aldergrove, Langley, British Columbia, Canada
Camp Half-Blood
Although Minaty Bay served as the primary location while production shot scenes for Percy Jackson and the Olympians season 1, they also utilized Aldergrove, a community in the Township of Langley within British Columbia, Canada. Atlas of Wonders reported that a handful of the Camp Half-Blood sets were located in Aldergrove, such as the cabins for the demigods and the archery range. The exact spot where the cast and crew filmed in Aldergrove is unknown because it happened on private property.
Westminster Pier Park, New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada
St. Louis
According to The Cinemaholic, the production of Percy Jackson and the Olympians season 1 was spotted in Westminster Pier Park in New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada. Westminster Pier Park is a boardwalk along the Fraser River, and unfortunately, the nature of the sequences captured there is unknown. The scenes on the boardwalk have not been featured in the first two episodes of the Disney+ series, but they are possibly part of the upcoming St. Louis segment. In The Lightning Thief, Percy, Annabeth, and Grover stop in St. Louis during their quest, and the Fraser River could double as the Mississippi River in the show. If that’s true, then viewers should look out for these scenes in episode 4.
Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
Museum of Natural History
Like the scenes at Westminster Pier Park, it’s unclear exactly what the cast and crew filmed at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada. However, thanks to a sign outside the set shared on X, we know it was set up as the “Museum of Natural History.” Fans of the book know that Percy, Annabeth, and Grover don’t visit the Museum of Natural History in New York City in The Lightning Thief. But this may also be the name of the underground museum the three characters have to walk through when making their way to the Arch in St. Louis. So, viewers should be on the lookout for Simon Fraser University in episode 4.
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Industrial Light & Magic Vancouver
Various Scenes
One of the last known principal photography locations for the Disney+ fantasy television series is Industrial Light & Magic Vancouver, a production studio in Vancouver, Canada. A significant number of the scenes in the show were captured on various sets in the studio space, such as the field trip at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Percy and Sally’s stay at the Montauk cabin. Percy Jackson and the Olympians was the first project in Canada to use the StageCraft LED space at ILM, which allowed the production team to forego green screens and create sets where the actors could directly work inside computer-generated scenes.
