We have a new website URL! Now that we’ve changed our name, we need a new website address and we have one. Our new magical portal can be found at SPEWWpdx.org. For now, you can use both. We will continue to use both URLs for the time being, as SPEWWpdx will apparate you to the old HPA site until we completely switch over by the end of the year, so make sure you update your info.
Posted in Uncategorized
Do you like superheroes and baseball and fun? If you do, come see us at PickleCon, a collab between Rose City Comic Con and the Portland Pickles, on Tuesday July 22nd. The Portland Pickles will be facing off against the Springfield Drifters. Folx are welcome to come in cosplay of their choosing and every ticket you purchase through our link helps support us (plus you get $2 off with code PDX).
Before the game, the witches of SPEWW will be among some other great organizations talking to fans about our Society, our upcoming events, how they can get involved, and also doing crafts with your little wizards. So, bring them out, stop by and create a Bowtruckle friend or craft your own broomstick, and have a fun time while helping some great organizations. Don’t forget to say hello to Dillon!
When: Tuesday, July 22, 2025 – game starts at 7pm
Where: PickleCon – Walker Stadium, 4727 SE 92nd Ave, Portland, OR
If there’s more info to come, we will be posting on both our Facebook event and on Discord.
Posted in Uncategorized
We’re having another meet and greet for you lovely magical creatures who are interested in volunteering with SPEWW. This time, we’ll be meeting at the new board game cafe, Capes & Crepes. A few of us already scoped it out and dropped some Galleons on new games. We’d love to have you join us to learn more about upcoming events and how you can help us out. We have a ton of fun, even while we’re working hard behind the scenes to make each event the best it can be.
Capes and Crepes has a cafe with boba and sweet and savory crepes, tons of board games that you can try before you buy, an attached free parking garage, and it’s right on the bus line. Also, they have “Butterbeer” in the fridge, so you can get your fix without having to go all the way to the Three Broomsticks!.
If you can’t make this one, but you still want to volunteer, please fill out our volunteer form, so we can learn more about you and get you on our list. We are accommodating to most needs, so whether you need a chair to sit in for an entire event, you want to work with a buddy, or you can only come help for an hour, we would love to have you join us. Come say hi, leave us your contact info, grab a drink, and jump in a game. We’re here to make magic and we can’t do it without help.
When: 5pm-7pm – June 28, 2025
Where: the tournament room of Capes & Crepes Board Game Cafe – 4990 SE Division St, Portland, OR 97206
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It’s here! We’re mostly keeping the same schedule as we had last year, so this may not be new to some of you, but we will be including a few more things:
Friday, July 25
Great Hall : open 5-9pm
Pixie Hunt
Photo booth
Movie Trivia: 7:30pm
Diagon Alley, Knockturn & Hogsmeade: open 5-9pm
Saturday, July 26
Great Hall: open 11am-9pm
Pixie Hunt
Photo booth
Costume contests (kids & adults): 2pm
Book Trivia: 6pm
Wizard Bingo: 7:30pm
Diagon Alley, Knockturn & Hogsmeade: open 11am-7pm
Sunday, July 27
Great Hall: open 11am-7pm
Pixie Hunt
Photo booth
Magic Mash-up Costume contest (kids & adults): 2pm **mash Harry Potter and another magical fandom you love (i.e. Supernatural, LOTR, Percy Jackson, Sabrina)**
Way of the Wand workshop: 5pm
Diagon Alley, Knockturn & Hogsmeade: open 11am-6pm
If you haven’t been to an event where we have done the Way of the Wand workshop, this is your chance! We run this mostly for the littles, so they can get their wiggles out and do something with other kids. Our professors will be there to guide them through several movements to teach them proper wand technique and stance, so they have practice when they get their real wands. Practice wands are provided on loan, so we don’t have any underage magic happening among all the Muggles. If you’re an adult, that would like to perfect your wand movements, you’re welcome to join with your own wand as well.
We’re still working out the details of House meet-ups, so we’ll be announcing those times before Wizarding Weekend.
Posted in Uncategorized
UPDATED LIST as of 6/19
Great news! This year for Wizarding Weekend, our charity partner will be Rose Haven, a day shelter and community center for women, children, and gender non-conforming folx experiencing houselessness. They help by giving them a safe place to shower and create community, have a meal, get much needed clothing in order to find employment, give them a mailing address, and help with other social services.
We’ve worked with Rose Haven before and feel like they do very important work. We were lucky enough to take a tour and meet some of the lovely women who work there and learn about everything they do. You can donate all year to them. They have a list of items they need most that they update regularly on their website.
We’ll be collecting school supplies for the children. What we know they need so far:
As always, with each donation, you’ll receive House Points and they will be added to points given for our Pixie Hunt and other activities. The winning House will be announced at the end of Sunday and we will post it on our socials.
Posted in Events
Tagged charity, harry potter birthday, school supply drive, wizarding weekend
UPDATED WITH WEEKEND SCHEDULE AND CHARITY PARTNER
Mark your calendars, because Wizarding Weekend at McMenamin’s Kennedy School is coming this Summer. It’s three days of magic, Friday July 25-Sunday July 27. While we don’t have a schedule yet, here are some things you can look forward to:
Trivia – We run two different trivia sessions. Friday will feature Harry Potter movie trivia and Saturday will feature book trivia.
Costume contests – Saturday and Sunday will have costume contests for both children and adults. The top 3 winners will walk away with awesome prizes.
This year we are trying something new: Saturday will be our normal Harry Potter costume contests and Sunday we are doing Magic Mashup. Combine Harry Potter with another one of your favorite magical fandoms (i.e. Lord of the Rings, Percy Jackson, Supernatural, etc.). Get creative!
Magical shops – Because we don’t give any money back to the author, as we don’t agree with her views, we bring in local vendors to sell their wizardy wares! There will be three different rooms to browse – Hogsmeade, Diagon Alley, and Knockturn Alley – with everything from wands to sweets to magical creatures. Vendors have sold out in the past, so make sure to plan accordingly. This is a great opportunity to pick up something special for yourself, or get a head start on holiday shopping and any upcoming birthdays on your list.
Photobooth – Get a shot of you and your friends/family in your best wizard attire (costumes not required, but highly encouraged) in front of our spellbinding backdrop. Props will be provided, if you want to use them.
Pixie scavenger hunt – Test your luck as a magizoologist or just a nature-lover, by scouring the halls of Kennedy School for escaped pixies! Digitally capture them on your muggle device and, after you’ve found each different type of pixie, share their portraits with a member SPEWW to win HOUSE POINTS!
Special Food & Drink – The House Elves of Kennedy School work hard to create a fun menu for the weekend. You can get their regular menu, too, but all bars and restaurants will serve a handful of Potter-inspired foods and drinks, including Butterbeer!
Movies – Each year, Kennedy School runs the Harry Potter movies all weekend long. Look for a schedule on those coming soon for ticket purchases. If you want to spend your whole weekend watching all the movies, you will have a choice of purchasing a Prefect Pass. (We did discuss running different fantastical movies this year, but it was ultimately decided that people look forward to the Harry Potter movies + it enables Kennedy School to give more money to charity.)
Games, House meet-ups, and charitable donations – Every Wizarding Weekend is a chance for us to give back to our amazing community in several ways. One is throwing this event with the help of Kennedy School to give everyone something free and fun to do during the summer. Another is by collecting school supplies (we also take money) for another local nonprofit to help kids in need. This year, we will be collecting for RoseHaven. Harry had a whole vault of gold left to him, but most kids aren’t that lucky. We want them to have the best school year possible.
We will be adding some to-be-determined games into the weekend and also set up some times for House meet-ups where you can find other wizards and witches to connect with.
Our schedule is set with some new things, so if you have questions, you can see the full post.
Friday, July 25
Great Hall : open 5-9pm
Pixie Hunt
Photo booth
Movie Trivia: 7:30pm
Diagon Alley, Knockturn & Hogsmeade: open 5-9pm
Saturday, July 26
Great Hall: open 11am-9pm
Pixie Hunt
Photo booth
Costume contests (kids & adults): 2pm
Book Trivia: 6pm
Wizard Bingo: 7:30pm
Diagon Alley, Knockturn & Hogsmeade: open 11am-7pm
Sunday, July 27
Great Hall: open 11am-7pm
Pixie Hunt
Photo booth
Magic Mash-up Costume contest (kids & adults): 2pm **mash Harry Potter and another magical fandom you love (i.e. Supernatural, LOTR, Percy Jackson, Sabrina)**
Way of the Wand workshop: 5pm
Diagon Alley, Knockturn & Hogsmeade: open 11am-6pm
Wizarding Weekend is all-ages and free to attend. There is plenty of free parking in the Kennedy School lot and the surrounding neighborhood, if you need to bring your own muggle transport. It’s also right on the bus line. Unfortunately, there is no Floo Network hooked up, due to the Statute of Secrecy, so please plan ahead for travel time.
Fan Expo
January 16-18, 2026
Westside Comic Con
May 23-24, 2026
Wizarding Weekend
July 24-26, 2026
Rose City Comic Con
September 11-13, 2026
Geek The Halls
TBA
Yule Ball
December 12, 2026
Welcome to SPEWW PDX 