FLORENCE-The witches and wizards at Florence-Lauderdale Public Library are preparing for the library’s 8th annual celebration of Harry Potter’s Birthday. This year’s event will be on Friday, July 12, from 2-7 pm and will have magical fun for all ages, including crafts, trivia, costumes, games, a scavenger hunt, and a meetup for the new mobile game Harry Potter: Wizards Unite
. Everyone who attends can also earn a free butterbeer and magical treat (while supplies last) by having a special stamp card filled out for participating in different activities throughout the day.
“This year’s Harry Potter’s Birthday celebration is the concluding event for our Summer Reading Program,” says Jennifer Butler Keeton, the library’s Marketing Director and the coordinator for the annual event. “There’s no better way to cap off Summer Reading than with this celebration that embodies the enduring power that great stories can have in our lives.”
The festivities will start at 2 pm, with craft stations for making wands, creating self-inking quills, and decorating dragon eggs. There will also be facepainting, where kids and adults alike can choose between lightning scars, golden snitches, and other iconic images from J.K. Rowling’s beloved series.
Throughout the afternoon there will be Harry Potter
-themed games such as charades and pictionary, costume and trivia contests, and opportunities to get some magical photos. The library will not only have a physical photo booth or two, but also a green-screen photo booth, where you will get to try on Harry’s invisibility cloak. The community is also invited to contribute to a collaborative art project, intended to celebrate the books and allow participants to share what Harry Potter
means to them.
Although the library closes for regular services on Fridays at 5 pm, the magical celebration will continue after hours with even more activities such as a Horcrux Scavenger Hunt and meetups for players of Harry Potter: Wizards Unite
.
While everyone is searching the library for Horcruxes and Confoundables, there will also be a Harry Potter Open Mic. Fans are invited to read excerpts from the books or act out favorite scenes with friends. Meanwhile, on the library’s front lawn, there will be Quidditch Tryout activities, which will give prospective Hogwarts students a chance to attempt different positions of the sport.
“Harry Potter’s Birthday is my favorite library event of the year,” said Keeton, “because you get to see all ages come together to celebrate what these books mean to them. It’s really a one-day festival where folks get to escape for the day and spend some time in the world of Harry Potter.”
Below is the activity schedule for Harry Potter’s Birthday:
Friday, July 12, 2-7 pm at Florence-Lauderdale Public Library
All Day (2-7pm): Photo Booth Game Room Collaborative Art Movies Butterbeer and treats (while supplies last; earned by participating in activities)
2-4 pm: Crafts (wands, quills, and dragon eggs; while supplies last) Face Painting
2:30 pm: Costume Contest
3:30 pm: Trivia Contest
3-6 pm: Green Screen Photo Booth
4-7 pm: Quidditch Tryouts (Chaser, Keeper, Beater, and Seeker)
5-7 pm: Horcrux Scavenger Hunt Harry Potter Open Mic Wizards United Meetup
For more information and any schedule updates, visit www.flpl.org/potter
