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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.

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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.