With the success of the Harry Potter movies and books, you may have kids who want to have a Harry Potter themed party. I planned a HP party about five years ago for my youngest son, and I heard one of his friends say that it was the best party he’d gone to! Want to plan that awesome party, too? Here are some ideas that I used for the party.
Invitations. Print them out like a Hogwarts letter. “Dear So-and-so, We are pleased to invite you to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry to celebrate the birthday of (your child’s name). You may come dressed in school robes or Muggle attire.” You get the idea. Sign your name as “Professor,” or “Headmistress or Headmaster” and your last name. An added effect–place an owl sticker on the outside of the envelope.
Diagon Alley. Before the kids can go to Hogwarts, they will need their Wizard items. Wands, potion books, cauldrons, etc. Have a bag of plastic “galleons” to give the kids so they can “buy” their items. Have a table set up with these items on it. An easy way to make wands is to buy dowels from Lowe’s or Home Depot and paint them different colors. Print up some Potion Books for Potions class activity, making up your own potions. Cauldrons can be black plastic cups in which to mix their potions.
Platform 9 3/4. Attach to your porch, front doorway, or somewhere in your home corrugated stone-printed paper to simulate the wall where the wizards run through to get to the Hogwarts Express. Cut it so the kids can walk through it to get to the other side. You can get this at a party supply store, though at some places it may be seasonal (around Halloween).
Hogwarts Express. Have chairs set up to simulate a train. During this time you can have a trivia game so the kids can earn more galleons to spend at Hogsmead. Using the cards from Harry Potter Scene It works well for this.
Hogwarts. Sort into Houses for games. Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin.
Activities. Potions Class–have ingredients set out on a table that correspond to the potions books. Have them use the books to make a potion, and then have them taste it. You can give prizes for the best or worst tasting potion. Ingredients can include cupcake sprinkles, sugar, water, juice, lemons, spices, etc. Hogsmead–the students at Hogwarts are allowed a trip into Hogsmead once a semester. Have an area set up with tables to represent the different stores in Hogsmead. Have candy ready at the Candy Store, little puzzle items at the Joke Shop. You can buy Harry Potter related candy (and other items, if you have the money to spend) online at www.whimsicalley.com.
Games. Quidditch–before the party, hide the Golden Snitch (a gold ball) somewhere outside. Divide the kids into teams, each with one Seeker, two Beaters, three Chasers and a Keeper. Have another ball for the kids to throw at each other, similar to Dodge Ball, while the Seekers look for the Golden Snitch. The Beaters try to keep the ball from hitting the Seeker, and the Chasers try to grab the ball and throw it into the goal, which the Keeper tries to prevent from happening. The first team to find the Golden Snitch wins. If the kids are too young for this game, you can have a Horcrux Hunting game. Similar to a treasure hunt, hide seven items for each team and give them a list of simple clues. “Where would you go if you needed to rest?” Answer: the bed.
Food. Chocolate cupcakes turned upside down make great cauldron cakes. Frost the bottom and add silver edible ball sprinkles to look like bubbles. Butterbeer is the drink of young wizards. Take cream soda and heat it up in a saucepan. Add one tablespoon (or to taste) butterscotch ice cream topping and stir until dissolved, and add a teaspoon of butter and stir until melted. The butterscotch topping may separate and look like cake crumbs on the bottom of the cup, so shake or stir before serving, and warn the kids that will happen. It tastes great, however! If you are planning this party for adults, you can add butterscotch schnapps to the cream soda instead of ice cream topping.
There are many other ideas you can come up with if you’re familiar with the Harry Potter movies or books. Get creative and have fun! And watch out for He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named!