You’ve been asking for new SPEWW shirts and we finally delivered for you. We just started a new Bonfire campaign that ends early February (you will still be able to order after that date, but it may take longer to ship).
We have 4 different styles right now, with more to come. Choose from Ask Me About SPEWW, our new logo, and dual sides with either on the front and the other on the back. Most styles come in all four House colors, so you can rep your house and tell everyone about the good SPEWW does while you’re at it. We have everything from t-shirts and hoodies to cropped shirts and kids tees, in all the sizes, so everyone can get something they want.
We’ll be releasing new wizarding designs in the future, with the possibility of limited runs of certain designs, like one for Wizarding Weekend. We hope you love them as much as we do and we’re always open to suggestions as well, because we want you to wear fun things you enjoy. Buy your shirts in our Bonfire shop and look out for posts about new designs (or Bonfire will email you when they are available).
Sorry everyone! SPEWW has had an infestation of pesky Pixies who have rearranged all of our schedules and now we need to sort those out and reschedule our book event for this week. We’ll keep you updated as soon as we know when and where it will take place.
Yule Ball tickets have gone on sale and we have a theme this year! Yes, yule is its own theme, but this year we’ll be adding dragons! Since we have our virtual Triwizard Tournament leading up to the Ball, we wanted to also bring that to our decor. That means if you are buying a Champion’s Feast ticket, you can choose a specific dragon-named table to sit at.
Unlike the dragons in the Tournament, our dragons will be free-range, much smaller, and won’t set you on fire.
Again, tickets for Yule Ball are $45 for Generally Magical tickets & $105 for Champion’s Feast tickets (this includes a buffet dinner + swag) and can be purchased here.
This event is 21 and over, an excuse to dress up in your wizarding best (or Muggle best), drink some adult Butterbeer (or other themed beverages), and dance with your fellow nerds. Come stag, bring your significant other, or come in a group. Everyone is welcome and people make new friends every year. It takes place at the Portland Airport Sheraton and will have some fantastic raffle prizes as well.
We also always look for volunteers for this event. If you volunteer, you get free general entry to the Ball. We need help setting up, tearing down, running the raffle table, and checking people in. Last year, we were blessed with so many great volunteers who worked their magic to set up so much more quickly than we have set up in the past. We would love to have you for 2025. You can sign up to be a volunteer on this form if you haven’t volunteered with us before. If you have, we’ll be sending out emails mid- to late-October.
Stay tuned for our menu. In the meantime, here’s alink for special room discount if you’d like to stay at the Sheraton. We can’t wait to see you at the Ball!
We are working hard behind the scenes to finish out 2025 strong and make all of our events amazing. Even though we’re in the midst of Rose City Comic Con planning right now, we’ve had a meeting to talk about Yule Ball tickets and they will be on sale the day after RCCC. Mark your calendar or set your wand alarm for Monday, September 8, 2025.
We are apparating into the Mt. Hood Ballroom at the Airport Sheraton on Saturday, December 13 to bring you dancing, revelry, delicious food, Butterbeer, and Yule magic. While we don’t have all the info yet, we know where, when, how much, and most of the other details.
Age restriction is 21, as this is a more grown-up event with alcohol.
Generally Magical tickets are $45.
Champion’s Feast tickets are $105.
Yes, there will be a special room rate for those wanting to stay after the dance. Yes, there will be raffle prizes. (We have some amazing ones already!) Yes, we will try to get more non-alcoholic options available for non-feast wizards. Yes, we will have a DJ. Yes, we ill have a photo booth. Yes, we will have a photographer. (We have secured Daniela of No Rules Photography who captured the magic of 2023’s Yule Ball.) Yes, there will be free parking. Yes, there will be a Triwizard Tournament leading up to the Ball. Yes, there will be swag. Yes, we will announce our charity partner soon.
Want to win a pair of Generally Magical tickets before they’re even on sale?!
We’re giving away a pair at Rose City Comic Con! Spend $15 at our RCCC booth or correctly answer all 3 of the day’s trivia questions for an entry. Get the WIZard bonus question of the day correct for an extra entry. This gives you the opportunity to get up to 3 entries per day!
More details to come, but if you want to come to Yule Ball for free (generally magical) without winning tickets, we always need volunteers to help set up, during the ball at check-in & at the raffle table, and after for tear down. We had a fantastic group of volunteers last year and we, honestly, couldn’t have done it without them. Be a magical volunteer! (If you’re currently a volunteer, we’ll send out emails about availability in mid- to late-October.)
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.
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
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.
Look at these silly spellcasters!
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
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.
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.
We had a great meet and greet last weekend with some current and future volunteers. We set up in the private gaming room at Battle Grounds Gaming Cafe and it was a perfect space for this first drop-in. Not only did we have a cozy room, but Battle Grounds also has a full cafe with coffee and tea drinks, beer, pastries, and more.
Some questions we were asked:
What sort of time commitment is volunteering? Honestly, we’re happy with whatever time you can give us. Though we like o have people in blocks of 3-4 hours, if you can’t spare that much, that’s cool. We always need someone to fill in somewhere, whether it’s selling merch at our booth at Rose City Comic Con or taking over the table in the Great Hall so someone can go grab food during Wizarding Weekend.
Do you plan events for people? No, we plan our own events for charity. We are a non-profit that helps other non-profits through events that are fun for the public. What’s the point? To create more community within our fandom, encourage people to give back while doing things they love, and to bring awareness to organizations that do good.
What about the author? She doesn’t own the fandom and she’s not the first author to be problematic. She just happens to be the loudest and also still living. We don’t give her any money and we don’t agree with her views, but we love the Harry Potter fandom and we know that there are many others that do, too. The stories got people through some of their hardest times in life and if they still love that fandom, like we do, they should have a safe space to nerd out with others and still enjoy it in a way that works for them.
If you’d like to meet us in the future to learn more about volunteering with our org, we’ll be holding another drop-in on June 28th. Watch our socials and this blog for more info on time and place.
Welcome to SPEWW PDX 