Ultimate Harry Potter Birthday Party

I am a huge Harry Potter fan and couldn't wait to read the books as each one came out. So I had a lot of fun doing a Harry Potter party for my son Thomas's 9th birthday.
Each guest was delighted to receive an authentic looking Hogwarts acceptance invitation letter complete with Hogwarts Express ticket. I had so many compliments from parents who loved the invites that I decided to start selling them on Etsy.com available at https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/Just4FunSupplies?ref=hdr_shop_menu. if you don't have the time or the inclination to make your own. As guests arrived, they were greeted with 'Hedwig's Theme' playing in the background. After walking through the platform 9 3/4's curtain they were asked to delve into the sorting hat to retrieve a Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff badge to sort them into their houses. We decided Gryffindor and Slytherin might be too contentious. Decorations included flying owls delivering the mail (https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/Just4FunSupplies?ref=hdr_shop_menu), house banners, large character posters, stone walls, portraits, potion bottles and floating candles. We then had a Science entertainer from Science Boffins who based the science experiments around the Harry Potter theme such as a bubbling, foaming, smoking and evil smelling potions and a plasma ball that made a very convincing crystal ball. After food and refreshments we had a Harry Potter quiz followed by games including a house tug o war competition. Continuing with the Science theme, we thought it would be a good idea for the children to each do their own lemonade geyser experiment. But instead of staying back as instructed all the kids rushed forward each time the lemonade shot up into the air. They also picked up the bottles and sprayed each other in a massive lemonade fight. The kids had a BLAST although I was rather sheepish when parents arrived to collect their damp and sticky children and offered them plastic bags to sit on in the car for their journey home. Thank goodness it was lemonade and not coke! Every child was thrilled to take home a Hogwarts Diploma (available at https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/Just4FunSupplies?ref=hdr_shop_menu.) together with a Harry Potter party bag and to be told that they were now fully qualified wizards.

• What People Ate

  Pizza, crudites, crisps.

• What People Drank

  Far too much lemonade.

• Desserts

  Chocolate fingers, grapes and chocolate cake.

• Party Favors

  Please see photo.

• Activities / Games

  Science based party including potions, dry ice, electricity and making ice cream with dry ice. Later there was a Harry Potter Quiz, Tug o War & Soccer.

• Boffin Rebecca

  Entertainment

  Boffin Rebecca from Science Boffins coped very well with a large group of over excited 9 year old boys and kept them entertained for a whole hour and a half. I take my witch's hat off to her! Pure magic!

• Gregg

  Husband

  Gregg was a good sport and dressed up as a Slytherin school master. He did an excellent job organising the tug o war and football/soccer in the garden and generally got into the spirit of things.