If you’ve seen any of our other party posts, you may have noticed we’re quite the fans of Harry Potter & the Wizard World! So, when the holidays rolled around this year, we thought it was time for a Christmas at Hogwarts party! Filled with magic and joy, this one was certainly an amazing way to celebrate the holidays. Read on to check out our ideas!
DECORATIONS
We have amassed quite a few Harry Potter items throughout the years, so they were definitely in full display for this party. We also picked up some extra candy and items from various places (Butterbeer Jelly Beans, Butterbeer Chewy Candy, Bertie Bott’s Every Flavour Beans, Chocolate Frogs, We also added a small tree with Harry Potter ornaments (Hallmark Christmas Ornaments) as well as Harry Potter lego scenes!
THE PHOTO AREA
Photo backdrops are a great way of setting a theme and double as a nice and easy activity! Pick a backdrop that functions as decorative, add a few props to the scene and you’ve got a great place to hang out!
This was the first year we decided to pick up a Platform 9¾ poster so that everyone could run through it! Caution: This party add-on is sooo fun that you will definitely have a line with kids wanting to re-run through the “platform” as well as parents wanting to catch the perfect shot 🙂 If you do purchase this one, I’d suggest getting two since the other side is plain white.
We also had a Have You Seen This Wizard Photo Booth Prop that was equally enjoyable! (Note: in your invite, encourage guests to come dressed up as their favorite wizards!)
Note, you don’t have to go all out with a photo backdrop stand either. Grab a few pieces of tape and an empty wall & you’re all set!
THE TABLE
With just a few items, you can create table(s) worthy of the Great Hall itself! We started off with a black table cover. Then we (separately) folded a red, green, yellow, and blue table cover as a runner for each house. For each table setting, we had 7″ Harry Potter Party Hedwig Plates, Party Platform 9 3/4 Disposable Paper Cups, Houses of Hogwarts Luncheon Napkins, and Beverage Napkins. Alternatively, you could use some solid colored plates with napkins or vice versa to break up the cost. We filled up a small cauldron with Harry Potter Hershey Kisses. In the center, we had a slightly larger cauldron.
PARTY FOOD
No party is complete without some party food! You can always serve some typical (or fancier) party food, but you can also keep in theme with a few clever labels or snacks 🙂
For this party, we opted to set up some food cards with quotes from the books. It’s a nice nod to the books 🙂
- Side
- Mac and cheese
- Green Beans
- Rolls
- Mashed potatoes
- Roast potatoes
- Sausage
- Buttered peas
- Glazed carrots
- Gravy
- Main
- Sandwiches
- Chicken & Ham Pie
- Roast chicken
- Broiled drumsticks
- Chicken legs
- Lamb Chops
- Lobster
- Classic roast turkey
- Drinks
- Hot Chocolate
- Whiskey
- Gillywater
- Tea
- Dessert
- Fudge
- Nutty chocolate covered toffee
- Apple tart
- Cinnamon pull apart rolls
- Apple pie
- Treacle tart
- Chocolate eclairs
- Chocolate gateau
- Marshmallows
- Chocolate
ACTIVITY TABLE(S)
We typically set up an activity table for kids to keep entertained while everyone arrives AND after all the games are done. These activities are simple and easy and typically don’t require too much supervision.
- Wizard Chess: We set up the chess board from the Harry Potter Trunk of Games Box. It was definitely hit (though may take a second to remember which piece is which :))
- 250 Piece Puzzle: We set up a 250 Piece Puzzle for all the guests to put a few pieces together.
GAMES
What’s a party without some fun and memorable games??? Kids will definitely have fun just running around and coming up with their own games, BUT adding in a few themed games will definitely be a hit with your guests! Here were a few of ours.
- Wand Shop: Our friends generously contributed to the party by making some really awesome wands (wooden dowels, clay, hot glue, and paint). Then they set up a remote controlled candle so that kids could ‘test’ out their wands & see which wand picked them 🙂
- Sorting: Using a sorting hat, we ‘sorted’ everyone into their houses (Note: we did ask prior to the party which house everyone was in / wanted to be in, so that we could set up everything). Once everyone was sorted, we gave them their goodie bags / “Welcome to Your House” packets, which had some mini cauldrons that we used for potions class, journals, and some house-specific items 🙂
- Potion Class: using some ingredients in their “Welcome to Your House” bags, we created some simple potions (baking soda/vinegar solutions, pop rocks & sprite, ..)
- Scavenger Hunts. We created some simple “search and find” paper Scavenger Hunts. One version is a simple look and find and the other one was a bit more complex, involving a second riddle to find the final prize 😉
GIVEAWAYS AND GOODIE BAGS
What’s a party without a few giveaways 🙂 Their “Welcome to Your House” bag contained quite a bit of items for them to take home, but we also gave them their mini cauldrons and some extra Harry Potter chocolates 🙂
THANK YOU!!!
Thank you so much for checking out our Harry Potter, Christmas at Hogwarts party. We hope this has helped with your party planning and maybe even inspired more ideas!
If you’re looking for more Harry Potter, feel free to check out our other posts here and follow us on Pinterest.
Happy Party Planning!
MORE MAGICAL FUN:
A Harry Potter Party – Hunt for Horcruxes
A Harry Potter Party – Day in the Life of a Hogwarts Student
An Intro to the Wizarding World
An Unforgettable Magician’s Party
