How to host the Ultimate Harry Potter Slumber Party!

Harry Potter is definitely having a moment here on the East Coast, with a huge new store of products opening in the Flatiron District of NYC this summer. I've always loved the books and movies, and can remember staying up all night when I was at University back in England (not studying or partying!) because I had to finish The Goblet of Fire before I went to sleep! My 8 year old has just started reading the first instalment and is really getting into it, so it felt like the perfect time to launch this magical slumber party theme.

The party I've created has a monochrome twist, with tents and sheets emblazoned with the house sorting hat and Harry's famous lightning scar and glasses. Golden snitches hang from the front of the tents, with lots of glowing candles, fluffy owls, birdcages and spell books scattered around as the general decor. The overall feel is of snuggling down in Hogwart's Great Hall for a house slumber party!

As well as putting on their favourite HP movie instalment and providing the butterbeer, there are so many easy activities and little extra touches you can put together to make this a sleepover they'll never forget:

1. Send out a Hogwarts Acceptance Letter
Kid love to get mail! Send out a Hogwarts acceptance letter as the party invitation. There are many templates online and it sets the scene perfectly for what is to come.

2. Creating a Wand Making Station
Set up a craft station with paint, glitter, gems...anything the kids can use to make their own magical wand. You can buy wand making kits online, but disposable chopsticks work just as well! For older kids, a hot glue gun can make a cool string effect, like I created here with my own wands.

3. Have you Seen This Wizard? Photo Creation Station
Each of my slumber party packages comes with an Instax Mini Camera and sheets of film. Purchase some Harry Potter photo props online and have some fun by taking photos of the kids for them to print out and clip to their tents! They can also take them home in their favor bags as a fun memory of the night.

4. Snacks, snacks and more snacks
Barnes & Noble in Westport stock a great selection of Harry Potter goodies.  Set out some chocolate frogs and Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans.  I've tried my own kids with these and it's so funny watching them taste all the different crazy flavors! For a really special touch, Confections by Crystal in Southport can create the cutest Harry Potter themed cake pops in chocolate or vanilla sponge.  They look great and are seriously delicious too.

This was such a fun slumber party to put together, and I can't wait to create one for your little wizards and witches soon!

Visit our Harry Potter Slumber Party page
​
​

---