Last year, I threw the first of my literary-themed parties AND IT WAS A TOTAL BLAST! I was probably (definitely) the one most impressed with everything I put together. I’d spent months planning and I just couldn’t believe how well everything came together! I want to share photos from the event with you along with some details.
If you’re hoping to throw your very own Harry Potter party, feel free to use this post as inspiration! Over the next couple of months I’ll periodically be providing more specific details including a full menu, prop ideas, recipes and DIY projects. Stay tuned!
The idea for this party first came to me when I was feeling nostalgic for the Harry Potter book series. I have always really enjoyed themed parties so it didn’t take long to put the two together. I had so many ideas that it quickly became clear this was going to have to become an all-day event. I wanted to pack in viewings of a couple of the films and had dreams of transforming rooms into various locations in Harry’s wizarding world. Not to mention all the different foods I wanted to make and serve! I wanted to create an amazing, immersive experience for my guests (and myself!) and so I got right to work planning. It took months to plan, research, craft, shop and decorate for this party. But my goodness was it worth the effort!
First, I wanted my guests to receive their Hogwarts letters instead of invitations. I provided a course schedule along with the letter so that my “students” would have some idea of what they were getting into. And of course they were encouraged to dress up.
When guests arrived, I wanted them to imagine they were arriving at King’s Cross to board the Hogwarts Express. We had some sandwiches packed up by Mrs. Weasley (including Ron’s “favorite” corned beef!) and some other treats from the trolley (like chocolate frogs!), while watching Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.
Now normally, students would arrive at Hogwarts at night and enjoy the welcome feast. I wanted to wait until evening for that and had a few other fun experiences to pack into the day first. If you wanted to do a shorter experience for your own party, I’d say you could just do the feast right away. But instead I chose to jump right into a couple of classes. So we had Divination, a tea leaf reading and more snacks once we “arrived” at Hogwarts.
Our next class was History of Magic, which found us back in the common room to watch or, er, study another film.
A quick trip to Hogsmeade brought us to the Three Broomsticks Inn where we shared some of Rosmerta’s butterbeer by the fireplace.
Finally, it was time for the Hogwarts welcome feast in the Great Hall. And feast we did!
I hope you enjoyed this look at my Harry Potter party! As I mentioned, there will be more details, recipes and craft ideas coming soon!
Have you done a Harry Potter party before? What would you be most excited to experience at your own party?
