Harry Potter fans can get their fix of butterbeer and quidditch at Small Town Sweet Boutique’s third annual “A Night at Hogwarts” event. The festivities will take place Oct. 19 from 6-11 p.m. at the McCall’s Center Reception Hall.
According to store manager Danielle Brock, the event was inspired by her own love of Potter and desire to share it with others.
“Our goal really is to just have something unique to Hillsdale and the surrounding area because there aren’t a lot of these kinds of events around here,” Brock said. “It’s a special, once-a-year experience that people don’t have to travel to Orlando to enjoy.”
This year, “A Night at Hogwarts” will include several new additions.
“We’ve expanded to the other side of the event center,” Brock said. “We’ll have a large projector screen playing Harry Potter movies where guests can watch the films with other Potter fans and eat free popcorn. We’ll also have a Honeydukes candy bar and they can fill up their bags with treats. In addition, we’re adding a magical creatures activity based off of the new ‘Fantastic Beasts’ movie. There’ll be clues and riddles and people will have to guess what the creatures are.”
Brock said fans of all ages are welcome and dressing up as characters from the series is encouraged.
“We’ve had guests from 8 years old all the way to their 50s and 60s,” she said. “It really is a family and community affair.”
Amber Gibbs and her sons have participated in the event for the past two years.
“It is so nice to have an event like this in town,” Gibbs said in an email. “They pay so much attention to the details. I have encouraged family, friends and colleagues to go to the event, and they have all enjoyed themselves. Honestly, attendees don’t even have to know anything about Harry Potter to have a good time.”
Admission is $25 and includes all activities and the movie lounge, although there is an additional charge for the Honeyduke bar. Tickets are available for sale up until the start of the event.