The Small Town That Turns Into A Harry Potter Themed Wonderland – 2018 Style!

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Attention all witches and wizards, and even you muggles and squibs! Did you know there’s a weekend long HARRY POTTER THEMED PARTY in the Mid-Atlantic Region of the United States this autumn? Everyone’s invited! And, get this…it’s FREE! Well, maybe not 100% free…you may need to shell out a few Knuts, Sickles and Galleons for stuff here or there. But it’s free to walk around and see the sights and a little money here and there to buy some ice cream at Florean Fortescue’s or to buy a House Sword is a small price to pay for an event like this!

Here’s more info…
The Queen City Potter Party started in July 2016 in Staunton, Virginia and was so popular that, with a quick magical name change to Queen City Mischief & Magic, they did it again in 2017. The wizards and witches of Staunton VA are in the middle of conjuring up some wonderful spells for this year and the event will happen again September 28-30, 2018, with the promise that it will be even bigger and better than ever!

“Wizards and muggles from near and far descend upon Staunton, Virginia for the annual Queen City Mischief & Magic. With a touch of wizardry, the historic downtown is transformed into a magical village, offering themed shopping, dining and hands-on activities for all ages.

Experiment with potions. Enjoy delicious wizard fare and libations. Try your hand at wild beast taming or wizard dueling.

Visitors are greeted by Norberta the Dragon, where selfies and costumes are encouraged. Unlock the secrets of Staunton’s bewitching historic downtown using our Mischief Map. Use Traipse, the free app, to explore our walkable downtown while solving puzzles designed to tickle every wizard’s brain… and maybe find a few treasures along the way.”

if they follow previous years, the celebration will include a Quiddich game & photo ops and although you can attend wearing anything you’d like, they strongly encourage cosplay (dressing up like your favorite HP character).

The storefronts in the historic Downtown District will become the buildings of the Wizarding Universe. This year’s storefronts and locations include:

Photo via Kate Simon Lifestyle Photography

• Themed after The Room of Requirement, the Visitor’s Center was where you could get your Mischief Map, sign in, and earn points for your house in the house cup competition.
• Artful Gifts was themed like Hagrid’s Hut. A labrynth of fun wound around the stone walls of the hut. Find the beautiful felted dragon at the midway spot, pull a dragon toothed rune and have a professor interpret it for you. Have your tarot read by appointment and get your own Staunton themed tarot deck to take home. Daily raffles…your entry ticket is your raffle ticket!
• The Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library was temporarily themed to be Mayfoy Manor: Help! The lord of the manor needed to collect all of his Dark Artifacts to hide before the Ministry raided his house again! Enjoy various scavenger hunt levels for every age of wizards and witches!
• Themed to be like Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes, Pufferbellies was where you could shop for marvels of modern magic + muggle pranks galore! Wands, souvenirs, bath bombs and lots more. Fun activities for kids all weekend long.

Queen City Mischief & Magic is a homegrown fan event to celebrate and grow appreciation for the Harry Potter books and film series….and it looks bewitchingly ADORABLE! Of course, Warner Bros. Entertainment and J.K. Rowling are not responsible for or affiliated with this event.

Want more information? Queen City Mischief & Magic has a website presence and can be found on Facebook. It sounds like a whole lot of magical fun – let us know if you go!

*Feature photo via Kate Simon Lifestyle Photography

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