If you love Harry Potter or just want an excuse to throw a party, look no further! From Harry Potter inspired recipes, to fun activities for the family, to background music and more, our list will help you throw an epic birthday bash for Harry this month.
Decorations and Music-Any good party must first set the mood! Setting the stage for your party doesn't have to be time consuming or expensive. Try playing a soundtrack from one of the Harry Potter movies in the background. Blow up white balloons (or get them at your local grocery store blown up with helium) and draw an owl on the front of each balloon. A quick search on google will give you some simple drawings to follow. Do you have any potted plants at home, real or fake? Add a sign to the front of the pot that says "Danger! Adult Mandrakes! Handle with Caution!" A few sheets of felt can be purchased at any craft store for a couple of dollars and can be made into simple house pendants in the different Hogwart class colors. If your kids have any stuffed animals that have ties to Harry Potter, display them throughout the party space--owls, lions, and snakes are just a few examples. Finally, real or battery operated candles are always a great choice for a fun, inexpensive decoration.
Crafts- The number one craft in this witch's opinion is wands! You can do so many different kinds of wands in varying degrees of difficulty and price. You can go completely free (but less craft-like) and have everyone find their own stick wand out in your yard. If you want to make it an actual craft, you can wrap colorful yarn around each stick wand or paint it or glitter it. You could also buy inexpensive dowels and carve, stain or paint them. Hot glue can be used on either a stick or a dowel to create a patterned look and then paint applied over the top when it dries. For other fun craft ideas, check out The Unofficial Guide to Crafting the World of Harry Potter!
Decorations and Music-Any good party must first set the mood! Setting the stage for your party doesn't have to be time consuming or expensive. Try playing a soundtrack from one of the Harry Potter movies in the background. Blow up white balloons (or get them at your local grocery store blown up with helium) and draw an owl on the front of each balloon. A quick search on google will give you some simple drawings to follow. Do you have any potted plants at home, real or fake? Add a sign to the front of the pot that says "Danger! Adult Mandrakes! Handle with Caution!" A few sheets of felt can be purchased at any craft store for a couple of dollars and can be made into simple house pendants in the different Hogwart class colors. If your kids have any stuffed animals that have ties to Harry Potter, display them throughout the party space--owls, lions, and snakes are just a few examples. Finally, real or battery operated candles are always a great choice for a fun, inexpensive decoration.
Composed by John William
Silva Screen Records, 2006.
Activities- This witch has thrown a Harry Potter party or two. The most recent party had every witch and wizard answering in unison that their favorite activity was wizard dueling! This is a great option for a low cost party because it requires zero prep or purchases. Wizard duels are done similarly to muggle rock, paper, scissors. Before beginning, choose three spells and decide which spell beats which spell. For example, protego beats stupefy, stupefy beats reducto and reducto beats protego. Any three spells will do, but depending on the ages of the duelers, you may want to choose spells with easier names--in the heat of battle, tricky spells can be hard to remember! Two opponents face each other in a dueling stance (don't get too close or someone might get accidentally poked in the eye!) and on the count of three yell out a spell. You can have each hold a wand to help "throw" the spell at their opponent. It also helps to have someone on the sidelines with a written list of the spells that can act as a referee. For more wizard activities, check out The Book of Wizard Magic and The Book of Wizard Parties!
Activities- This witch has thrown a Harry Potter party or two. The most recent party had every witch and wizard answering in unison that their favorite activity was wizard dueling! This is a great option for a low cost party because it requires zero prep or purchases. Wizard duels are done similarly to muggle rock, paper, scissors. Before beginning, choose three spells and decide which spell beats which spell. For example, protego beats stupefy, stupefy beats reducto and reducto beats protego. Any three spells will do, but depending on the ages of the duelers, you may want to choose spells with easier names--in the heat of battle, tricky spells can be hard to remember! Two opponents face each other in a dueling stance (don't get too close or someone might get accidentally poked in the eye!) and on the count of three yell out a spell. You can have each hold a wand to help "throw" the spell at their opponent. It also helps to have someone on the sidelines with a written list of the spells that can act as a referee. For more wizard activities, check out The Book of Wizard Magic and The Book of Wizard Parties!
Written by Janice Eaton Kilby
Sterling Children's Books, 2019. Informational.
Written by Janice Eaton Kilby
Illustrated by Marla Baggetta
Lark Books, 2019. Informational.
Crafts- The number one craft in this witch's opinion is wands! You can do so many different kinds of wands in varying degrees of difficulty and price. You can go completely free (but less craft-like) and have everyone find their own stick wand out in your yard. If you want to make it an actual craft, you can wrap colorful yarn around each stick wand or paint it or glitter it. You could also buy inexpensive dowels and carve, stain or paint them. Hot glue can be used on either a stick or a dowel to create a patterned look and then paint applied over the top when it dries. For other fun craft ideas, check out The Unofficial Guide to Crafting the World of Harry Potter!
Written by Jamie Harrington
Adams Media, 2016. Informational.
Food-The food is always my favorite part of any party, but it can be time consuming to make and pricey! An idea that won't break the time or money bank is to make or buy whatever is your specialty but give it a fun Harry Potter theme name. Some examples might be Snape's Spaghetti, Potter's Pepperoni Pizza, Wingardium Wings...really, a little alliteration and some imagination and you can make any food Potter party ready! Another idea that is always a huge hit is to give everyone their own little bag and let them go "shopping" at Honeydukes. Make a cute sign with the price of each candy in knuts, and sickles for an additional nod to the books. The classic drink option is obviously butter beer! For more delicious themed options, check out The Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook.
Written by Dinah Bulchoz
Adams Media, 2010. Informational.
Favors-If you've done any of the above ideas, you are set for favors! Send guests home with balloon owls, Honeydukes' candy, and any craft projects!
We hope you have a magical time celebrating Harry Potter's birthday!
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