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Harry Potter Birthday Party Planning Ideas

We love Harry Potter in our house! And since I’m still waiting for my own Hogwarts letter, I like to live vicariously through my children. So when my daughter told me recently that she wanted a Harry Potter birthday party, I could barely contain my excitement. Fortunately, I’m married to someone who loves the books as much as I do and just so happens to be super creative. Together, we threw her an epic Harry Potter Birthday Party!

Now, we’re still in the midst of a pandemic so I knew we couldn’t invite the whole school but she was able to choose a few friends to join us. The small group of kids allowed us to splurge a little extra, especially on party favors like owls, quills, & wands. Since we had to forego birthday parties last spring, we were ready to go all-in on this one.

I can plan a party like nobody’s business. I love planning, making lists, figuring out where to find little details, and bringing it altogether for a fun event. My husband has incredible creative talent and likes to say, “What else am I gonna do with an art degree!?” when people drop their jaws at the cakes he decorates.

In the past, I’ve planned parties for weeks and sometimes months. This one came together in a week! Join me as I walk you through our own little Hogwarts and Diagon Alley.

Diagon Alley Birthday Party Stations

When the kids arrived, their first stop was Gringotts Bank, of course! No creepy goblins here, though, as we distributed these shiny bags that contained their galleons as well as a mysterious old fashioned key with a number attached.

Gringotts Bank: ‘The safest place in the world fer anything yeh want ter keep safe – ‘cept maybe Hogwarts,’ as Hagrid says.

The next stop was Ollivander’s Wand Shop, where they used one of their galleons to pay for a wand. Each kiddo lined up to receive their wand from Mr. Ollivander, who reminded them all that “the wand chooses the wizard.” But really, we just let them pick one!

“The wand chooses the wizard.” – Mr. Ollivander

After the kiddos got their wands, it was time to head off to The Owlrey to get their owls in exchange for another precious galleon — PLUS, the numbered key they found in their money bag. Each number corresponded to an owl and the girls were so excited to get their very own Hedwig.

They bought quills for a galleon at The Quill Shop, which we made by attaching plain old pen to a craft-store feather using gold washi tape!

After their visit to the shops of Diagon Alley, the kids wanted to spend the rest of their galleons at Honeydukes Sweet Shop in Hogsmeade. Someone might have gone just a little overboard with the amount of candy we had on hand! This was definitely one of their favorite activities as they lined up to pay for the candy they wanted.

We then played Pin the Scar on Harry (drawn by my husband — did I mention he’s talented?), had a feast of fruit cups, Butterbeer, cake & ice cream in The Great Hall with floating candles and of course Harry Potter music playing in the background throughout. The festivities may have been a lot of work but I don’t know who had more fun — the kids or the parents!

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