Posting a Harry Potter Party on Halloween just feels too perfect doesn’t it ;) From the Honeydukes candy display and owl cupcakes to the Potions Class Activity and Hogwarts House banners, Emily Waltenbaugh of Smarty Parties worked her magic for her adorable junior wizards-in-training!

PARTY HIGHLIGHTS to look out for:

• Hogwarts Dessert Table with hanging candles, “Nimbus 2000” Treats & Hagrids Vegetable Patch
• Hedwig Cake, Potions Display, Transfiguration Photo Booth + Honeydukes Candy Display
• Wand Making Activity, Quidditch and Cauldron Experiments
• Gillywater, Pumpkin Juice and Butterbeer at “The Three Broomsticks”

PARTY DETAILS, as told by Emily…

My son, Graham, wanted a Harry Potter party for his 6th birthday. We turned our backyard into a mini Hogwarts for a day of “junior wizard training” for his buddies. The first order of business after passing through Platform 9 3/4 was to make our wands, which we did using chopsticks, beads, hot glue, and paint. While the wands dried, we had a potions lesson. We experimented with Acromantula Eggs, Basilsk Venom, Phoenix Tears, Dancing Unicorn Milk, Erumpet Horn explosions, and good ol’ Dry Ice. After the kids had combined every possible disgusting thing in their cauldrons, we moved on to a very loose version of balloon Quidditch, using hoops I made from PVC pipe and hula hoops, amid some gorgeous banners my neighbor hand-stenciled.

We sang “happy birthday” and enjoyed cauldron cakes (chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter-milk chocolate ganache and chocolate licorice handles), mini owl cupcakes, and ice cream. My mom made all the cupcakes and cakes, including the adorable fondant Hedwig. Every student was instructed to take a mini cauldron from the “Owlery” and fill it with their wand and some treats from Honeydukes sweet shoppe. We had a wonderful wizarding time, and we’ll be re-using some of the decorations for Halloween!