June 02, 2016
Bastiaan Slabbers/For PhillyVoice
Two attendees at the 2016 Chestnut Hill Harry Potter festival are seen here dressed as the main character from the books and movies. Chestnut Hill's 2018 Harry Potter Festival will not take place under the same name, as Warner Bros. – which owns the rights to the franchise based on the series of children's books written by J.K. Rowling – is prohibiting the use of any names or imagery associated with Harry Potter at the annual Philadelphia event and other events in the U.S.
July 31 is an important date for Harry Potter fans. For starters, it's both J.K. Rowling and The Boy Who Lived's birthday, but this year it also marks the official release of the script for "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child."
The new play is set 19 years after the ending of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," focusing on Harry's son Albus Severus Potter. To put it lightly, it's kind of a big deal.
As a countdown to the script release, Mt. Airy's Big Blue Marble Bookstore will host eight Saturdays of Harry Potter activities beginning June 18.
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Over the course of eight Saturdays, all eight Harry Potter movies will be shown with different crafts and activities accompanying each screening. The last date, July 30, will feature the biggest celebration. As the hours tick down to the script release, local author Lorrie Kim will debut her character study of Severus Snape.
6 p.m. - Make a wand and decorate Harry Potter-style glasses.
7 p.m. - "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone"
6 p.m.- Join a "Dobby Sock Contest." Come dressed in Dobby-style socks and pose in the Harry Potter photo booth.
7 p.m. - "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets"
6 p.m. - Dress as an animagus or as a fearsome boggart and learn to read tea leaves.
7 p.m. - "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban"
6 p.m. - There will be a "Get Your Name in the Goblet of Fire Challenge" and a Ministry of Magic Interdepartmental Memo paper airplane contest.
7 p.m. - "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire"
6 p.m. - Try to make a true prophecy.
7 p.m. - "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix"
6 p.m. Take a potion-making class.
7 p.m. - "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince"
6 p.m. - Make a Ministry of Magic ID card and listen to a reading of “The Tale of the Three Brothers.”
7 p.m. - "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1"
6 p.m. - "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2"
8:30 p.m. - Join in a Snape costume contest, trivia and discussion for the release of Lorrie Kim's new character study on the potion's master.
11 p.m. – Watch a screening of a special documentary on the world of Harry Potter.
