How To: Throw A Harry Potter Party
Luna Lovegood and Hermione Granger
A few weeks ago I threw a very random, no rhyme-or-reason, Harry Potter party! And it was epic, and SO FUN to host! I had never hosted or thrown my own party before, but I have always known deep down, I would be really good at it… I love a theme, I love creativity, and I love attention to detail. So my first party-throwing experience (as random as it was), needed to be perfection! And if you don’t mind my saying so…. it was. (;
So without farther ado, here is how to can throw your very own Harry Potter themed party!
INVITATIONS
The experience starts with the invitations…
First, I created the invitations which I have attached below, using fun Harry Potter lingo! I then printed and cut to shape. I included a Platform 9 & 3/4 train ticket or two in each envelope, along with an additional “normal language” explanation for those that might not fully understand the inital invite lol… Additionally, I included a map for parking which I labeled as the Marauder's Map! And of course, my perfectionist, just-a-little-bit-extra self… coffee-stained each envelope individually. To top it off, I ordered some “wax sealed” stickers to close each envelope!
If you REALLY want to go above and beyond, I did see one idea on Pinterest to leave on a doorstep with a white balloon owl attached, as if it was being delivered by owl!
ACTIVITIES
I had a few activities planned out for the party’s duration! My plan was to have 3 organized participation activities, which were the Potion’s class followed by the Horcrux Hunt and the House cup competition. As well as a few other play-if-you-want options, such as mystery liquid and object games, Dobby Sock Toss, and Pin-the-Scar on Harry. And lastly, I printed out puzzles, mazes, and riddles I found online to leave on tables in case people just wanted to sit and hang out!
So here is a breakdown of game explanations and attached links to resources!
Potion’s Class
This was a cocktail mixing activity that was inspired by my experience at The Cauldron NYC. I picked 5 different cocktails with creative, interactive cocktail assembling qualities. I created a powerpoint and guided “the class” on cocktail mixing. In order to acheive this “classroom” experience, I created partner stations where I included every cocktail ingredient in individual bottles along with the tools to complete certain recipes. Below I will include images of the table setting, the cocktail recipes, and the official “Class Powerpoint” I used to conduct class (:
Place Settings
Mortar and Pestle - makes for a fun, interactive experience grinding herbs and spices!
Pipettes - makes for a fun alternative to mixing other than just pouring and stirring. Gives it a more “laboratory” feeling!
Cocktail glasses for each drink - new glass per drink!
Tea Bag - optional; one cocktail requiring ingredient grinding was the process of making tea, so I provided take home tea bags so that they may use to make Chai at home later! As the actual recipe required Chai concentrate and we were not about to embark on that journey, lol. So it was more just for fun, and then I provided the concentrate myself!
Ingredient-holding “potion” bottles - I poured the called-for ingredient amount so that there would be no measuring involved for participants and was done pre-party.
Ingredient-holding dropper bottles - another alternative to just pouring. I wanted to mix up the interactive experience and used eye-droppers for some of the smaller portioned ingredients like the orange bitters and grenadine.
Mini spoons- for powder ingredients and stirring.
Presentation
Find Powerpoint I Airplayed to the TV’s here! This includes the cocktails and their recipes!
Each cocktail was chosen for a different element. One chosen for color changing properties, one for grinding spices, one to light on fire, one looking like ectoplasm, and one using dry ice!
Horcrux Hunt
While the majority of the party I kept contained in one room, I opened up the rest of the house for the Horcrux Hunt! I strategically hid the items in the places Horcruxes were found and/or destroyed, as well as the items capable of destroying them. I let the guests know in advance they should brush up on this part of their Harry Potter trivia prior to attendance. The hunt included finding and photographing all of the horcruxes, and at least one of the horcrux destroyers. Because finding the horcruxes is no good without being able to destroy them, ya know?? To make it very clear to people which objects were Horcruxes, I attached a tag to each item. That way no one mistook another random book as the Diary for example, they needed to find THE Diary. Additionally, for the items I hid in the dark I attached an additional glowstick so that people would not be running around in the backyard all night looking for a tiny object in the dark. Finally, to keep people out of certain rooms and narrow down the search possibilities, I used “Do Not Enter” signs and clarified these rooms were not a part of the hunt. It was fun coming up with clever reasons students shouldn’t enter, and I included images of the signs I used below! Below is a breakdown the items I used and where I hid them!
Tom Riddle’s Dairy - I used one of my own rustic looking journals and hid it in “The Chamber of Secrets.” I made the wine cellar/basement the Chamber of Secrets, and put a sign at the top of the staircase labeling it as such!
Marvolo Gaunt’s Ring - I used my Grandmother’s old High School class ring, for its antique look! I hid this in “Dumbledore’s Office.” I made the upstairs library Dumbledore’s office which I also posted a sign for!
Helga Hufflepuff’s Cup - I used a an antique punch goblet my mom received from her grandmother! I had a Gringott’s bank setup I used as our point keeping system and “hid” the cup here!
Salazar Slytherin’s Locket - I used a locket of my own that wasnt exactly antique or antique-looking lol. But it did happen to have a green stone so its as close as I could get. The label made it obvious what it was anyhow… I hid this in one of the bathrooms on top of the toilet tank where I posted a “this way to the Ministry of Magic” sign.
Rowena Ravenclaw’s Lost Diadem - I used a little tiara I wore in my cousin’s wedding when I was like 10 lol. I hid this in a supply closet which isn’t all that aesthetic, but a messy supply closet seemed in close relation to “The Room of Requirement.” Another sign I had posted on the door! And since this was a tiny, dark closet in which it was tricky to locate the light switch, I used a glowstick to help participants find this item!
Nagini - I used a plastic snake and hid it on the staircase.
Harry Potter - Since I obviously wasn’t going to hide a whole-ass-boy-who-lived, I opted for just a pair of glasses and hid them in “The Forbidden Forrest,” aka the backyard. Another object I hid with a glowstick!
Sword of Godric Gryffandor - I used a really cool knife (or letter opener? I’m not sure, I found it on Amazon lol). I hid this in “The Frozen Lake” aka the bottom of a fountain that also happened to also have a giant Lion’s head on it, so it made for the perfect hiding spot!
Basilisk Fang - I sculpted this baby from tin foil and clay. I hid it in another location in “The Chamber of Secrets” aka the cellar.
BONUS!
You can do the same idea with the Deathly Hallows!
Horcruxes
Tom Riddle’s Diary
Salazar Slytherin’s Locket
Marvel Gaunt’s Ring
Room Identifiers and Do Not Enter signs!
House Cup Competition
Upon arrival, everyone was randomly sorted in one of the 4 houses. Throughout the night, certain activities or actions either won you points, or lost you points! I used Gringott’s Bank as the point keeping system, and gold coins as the “points.” By the end of the night, the team that won the most points, won the house cup! This was a fun way to get people to participate in activites, but also a cool and clever way to lay down some house rules and reminders! Below are the criteria I used!
Quidditch Pong
If you are familiar with Beer Pong, this one’s a little self explanatory! I set up a folding table and used an old Pool Table felt as a table cloth to mimic the “field.” I completed a normal beer pong setup, and happened to have red and green solo cups on hand to make it a game of Gryffandor vs. Slytherin! To finish it off, I created the three rings and placed in the center of the table. I made the rings using wine bottles filled with sand, chopsticks, and embroidery rings— all spray-painted gold!
I did not include rules to this game and allowed the guests to play how they pleased! Some played by trying to get the balls throught the rings and made it a double point system, while others just played the regular way allowing the rings to just be an additional obstacle challenge! This is something that exists on the internet though, so if you wanted I’m sure you could find official rules and guidelines online.
Mystery Potions
So fun, this game was filled with a bunch of “mystery potions” you were meant to guess using taste and smell! Come up with your own, or use the following substances I used to make my party guests gag lol: Vinegar, Soy Sauce, Tequila, Orange Juice, Hot Sauce, Pickle Juice, Mashed Bananas, Country Time Lemonade Powder, Dr. Pepper, Maple Syrup, Cranberry Juice
Mystery Feel Box
Similar to the potion guessing game, this was a mystery game you were meant to guess only using touch and feel! This one I made my mom assemble though because I really wanted to participate! This idea came from the Jimmy Fallon segment im sure you may have seen clips of! And while we couldn’t do anything crazy or disgusting like live snakes or larvae (ew!!), it was a lot of fun being grossed out at what we might be touching haha! Even more fun watching others participate, and being super dramatic observers trying to freak the player out even more! Again, you can come up with your own, or use the below substances my mom used to make my party guests gag lol…
Leftover spaghetti from dinner
Plato
Cookie dough
Oh my gosh I’m drawing a blank, I can’t think of a single other item she used, but you can google for more ideas!
While I forgot to take pictures of my own Mystery feel box, I have attached the concept here…
We used an amazon box and cut two hand holes out of the sides for the person to reach through.
We wrapped the outside with gold wrapping paper just for aesthetic purposes.
The way our box was constructed allowed for 2 players at once.
Every item was placed inside at once, so we just felt around for different bowls, occasionally startling the other player by knocking hands, which added to the fun having surprise movement lol!
Dobby Sock Toss
Another item I failed to take photos of… but picture homemade cornhole, because that is what this was!
I took an old cardboard box and cut a single hole in it.
Again, I wrapped the box in wrapping paper, purely for aesthetic purposes as even with the little details, I wanted to keep the attendees immersed in the experience! And something about “Amazon Prime” does not scream Hogwarts.
I laid a bunch of socks out, and, “let the games begin!”
PS this is actually a really hard game lol…. something about the unweighted socks, or perhaps too small of a hole, but no one got a single sock in all night lol, so be aware of that when building your own if you choose!
Pin the Scar on Harry
Exactly as it sounds, this game required you to Pin the Scar on Harry! Simple to execute, I used a simple silhouette Harry shape like the one I have attached here, and printed a bunch of lightning bolt scars for people to place while blindfolded!
Photo Booth
By far the easiest activity to execute, as all I did was buy this cutout on Amazon and lay it by a white wall along with some old, “Diagon Alley” looking crates lol.
The house itself was a very Harry Potter aesthetic, so I didn’t feel the need to go too elaborate with it.
However if you do want to make it a little more elaborate, you could include photbooth props, cutouts, and fun backdrops! All can be found on Amazon!
By the way, this here is my mom’s super awesome, super fun, and super dedicated Harry Potter friend lol!!! Uh, I mean Belatrix Lestrange (;
Table Games
And last but not least, I put out a bunch of copies of different “paper” games if you will. This included things like mazes, wordsearch, word scramble, match the spell, potion riddle from the first Harry Potter book, and more! Below are a few of these examples!
DECORATION
The experience started at the front door! I wanted the experience to be as immersive as possible, without being too cheesy! So I added fun little details that the Harry Potter connoisseur would appreciate, but also as a tactic to hide non-Hogwarts looking items…
Platform 9 & 3/4
Upon entry, guests stepped through the wall to Platform 9 and 3/4! For this I painted an old twin size sheet to look like a brick wall using paint in rusty red, and a sponge cut to brick size! I then cut a slit through the center, and hung with a curtain rod and rings! Additionally, I got the Platform 9 and 3/4 “night light” because honestly I kind of just wanted it as a night light for myself lmao…
Sorting Hat
Next, the guests came into the house and were greeted by the famous sorting hat! Another Amazon purchase, I placed the hat on a stool, and hid an assortment of color coordinated Hogwarts House “shots.” Basically, the guests would reach under the hat, and without looking, pull a food-colored tequila shot that sorted them into their house for the night: Gryffandor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw. It was a really fun activity that also got people to start off the night a little tipsy (;
Underneath the hat, I had the Hogwarts House Cup competition rules posted!
Harry’s Acceptance Letters
Another fun entryway decor feature was the fireplace, with Harry’s dozens of Hogwarts Acceptance letters “flying” through! This was executed using fishing line! We decorated 2 fireplaces this way, but another idea could be to put a fire and/or charcoal Sirius Black in the fireplace! But the letters just turned out so good we decided to do it twice (:
Hogwarts Hall Portraits
An entryway/hallway decoration detail involved replacing all family photos with those found in Hogwarts halls! Remember the moving staircase walls? Again, I wanted to make the experience is immersive as possible; and something about old, cheesy, matching-outfit-family-photos just didn’t read Hogwarts halls for some reason? lol. So little details like this were fun for the Harry Potter fanatics who recognized their favorite portraits! This included the Fat Lady, Dumbledore’s sister, Rowena Ravenclaw, and more!
“Just Follow the Spiders”
Another fun hallway feature was the trails of spiders I laid out leading to each of the guest bathrooms! If you recall, in the 2nd Harry Potter, the spiders walked in a line and away from the bathrooms and plumbing pipes(; So, I bought a pack of 500 spiders on amazon, and used “glue dots” to stick the spiders in place. This was a HUGE hit among guests, and also a helpful guide for those that didn’t know where the bathrooms were lol…
Bathrooms
Speaking of bathrooms, who can forget our favorite bathroom haunt Miss Miserable, Moping, Moaning Myrtle! In each bathroom I included a a cutout of Moaning Myrtle, and written in red dry erase marker “The Chamber of secrets has been opened. Enemies of the heir beware….”
Additionally, flushing yourself down a toilet is also and alternative commute to the Ministry of Magic (;
Ollivander’s Wand Shop
Heading into the main party room, I had guests choose their wands, or rather let their wands choose them, at Ollivander’s Wand shop! Another setup I failed to photograph, ugh! But I attached an image with a similar setup! I bought those carboard necklace boxes and wands in bulk off Amazon, so that every guest got a wand! It was a huge hit!
Professor Umbridge Proclamations
And of course who could forget Hogwart’s most detested interim Professor Dolores Umbridge and her Proclamations… I created these frames using old cardboard boxes, which made a huge difference rather than simply taping the printout straight to the wall! It took a while longer, but was definitely worth it! Also I can’t help but share this amazing youtube tutorial I found in the process. It’s WAY more advanced and time consuming so I obviously didn’t do this, but it was way too cool not to share…
Floating Candles
Who can forget the iconic Great Hall floating candles! These were yet another purchase from Amazon, and were a neat little 20-pack light up set that turned on with a remote control wand!
Hogwarts Flags and Club Fliers
Ultimately, I think this is the decoration that brought the whole room together and the Hogwart's atmosphere to life! The flags, you guessed it, Amazon… The fliers were both created by me and also printouts I found on the internet!
And for the eagle-eyed Potterheads, a few insane details were added here… You’ll notice that not a single Slytherin poster is overlapped by another poster! Because real Potter fans would know that Slytherin energy would definitely be to tack their posters right on top of those Gryffandor tryouts or Chess Club fliers…
Additionally, if you took the time to call the number on Hermione’s tutoring tear-off flier, you would find you are calling a Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry line!
Honeyduke’s Candy Shop
The sweetest little shop in Hogsmeade, I created this little candy/desserts shop on a bookshelf in the designated party room! My mom pulled through with the random cookie and candy Christmas decorations that helped the shop come to life! Of course the candies and desserts on the tabletop are real, but it was fun to creat a candy shop aesthetic in the bookshelves above. In addition to the Christmas decor, I used internet printouts of Bertie Bott’s Beans and Chocolate Forg containers, some candy labels, and candy boxes!
It was so fun getting creative with the candies! I have indcuded the images and candy labels below so you have an idea of what was provided, but some of the biggest hits, were the Madrake Root Pudding Cups, Chocolate Frogs, Golden Snitches, and (while not pictured) the Static Cling stickers!
Food & Drinks
But of course before dessert there is dinner! I went with some Italian classics for dinner which I have listed below. We had so much yummy food across dinner and snacks, and it was so fun coming up with clever food labels!
Dinner: Spaghetti, Meatballs, Garlic Breadsticks, Stew, Pigs in a Blanket, Caesar Salad, Deviled Eggs, and Pasta Salad
Snack Table: Fruit, Veggies, Meats and Cheeses, Crackers, Pita and Hummus, Chips, and Guacamole
Drinks: Premixed Margaritas, Premixed Sangria, Modelo, and Cucumber Water
Also this clever frames sign I had by the beverages….
Gringott’s Bank
As mentioned previously, I used the Gringotts bank as a point tracker and “hid” a horcrux here! I used these coins for my point-tracker system!
Additional Filler Decoration
And finally, a few filler decor items included…
Professor Lockhart’s Pixie Cage. I used a decorative bird cage that my mom just happened to have 2 of?? And some Pixie cutouts I hung with string and tape!
An Owlery positioned next to antique trunks and luggage with the Hogwarts School Supply Shopping list for that Diagon Alley shopping experience! Yet another birdcage my mother happened to have on hand, along with some owl Christmas ornaments (shoutout to my mom for having the most random, but perfect decor for this party lol?).
And Some Lumos and Nox spells on the light switches!
Not pictured: Directional Signs , Flying Keys
Another effort on my part to not disrupt the immersive experience— I covered some art with Wanted Wizard posters to imitate a bulletin board! Again with my mom’s super awesome friend, sorry I mean Belatrix…
And who could forget the dogs! They had to be in costume as well! Meet Dobby the Elf, and Fluffy the three-headed dog! Neither of these lasted long, but honestly…. still worth it.
Luna Lovegood Costume
My costume was the adorable, lovable, looney Luna Lovegood.
I opted for her in school uniform and attached reference shots below… I wore my favorite white button down, a Ravenclaw colors sweater vest and tie, a Luna Costume Kit complete with SpectreSpecs, Quibbler crossbody, and Turnip earrings, and Luna’s wand. I paired with an old skirt from & other Stories, classic black tights, and of course my favorite shoes of all time— my platform Uggs. I completely forgot to add, but my intention was also to wear a pair of tied converse around my neck, like the ones she found hanging in Hogwarts at the end of Order of the Phoenix. And lastly, I ordered an obscenely long curled ponytail extension as Luna’s hair is 12 miles long… it was perfect, except the color was SO off from my natural hair that I didn’t end up wearing :/
Below are all of the Printouts I used for the night!
Includes: House Cup rules, Food and drink labels, Horcrux Hunt checklist and labels, Do Not Enter signage, Room Signage, House Crest Labels, Bevies Sign, Potion Guessing Game rules and labels, Light Switch Labels, Table Games, This way to Ministry Printout.
Includes: Hogwarts Club Fliers, Platfrom 9 & 3/4 Signage, Honeydukes Signage, Moaning Myrtle Printouts, This Way to Ministry Signage, Gringotts Goblin, Gringotts Signage, Ollivander’s Signage, Hogwarts School Supplies Shopping List, Cornish Pixies Cutouts
Includes: Invite, Train Ticket, Marauders Map Logo, and invite description.
