Create your own invitation by making a sorcerer's hat out of black construction paper, letting the guests know that they have been "accepted" to this special Harry Potter Party.

Balloon Ghosts
11" black latex balloons
White plastic tablecovers (1 rectangular tablecover will make 4 ghosts)
White Curling Ribbon
Inflate a balloon. Cut the tablecover into 4 equal pieces. Drape the tablecover over the balloon, leaving the tied end of the balloon on top. Cut a small slit in the top of tablecover and push the tied end through. Mark and carefully cut out eye holes. Attach to the ceiling with curling ribbon. Your ghosts will come to life as the wind moves them as people walk by.

Harry Potter Party games & Activities

Play "Pin the Scar on Harry."

Play a Harry Potter Trivia Game. Visit www.scholastic.com/harrypotter/ to find questions to use for the Harry Potter Trivia Game. Do this after the kids are divided into their "houses" for this game, and see which house scores the most points. Award Bertie Bott's Any-Flavored Beans as prizes!

Set up a Magic Potion Station where the kids create their own "potions". Have different flavored juices, sodas and plastic wands available to create and stir up the potions. Plastic tumblers would be the perfect place to create these tasty concoctions, and then will make an awesome favor!

Hire a magician for the kids. Have the magician teach the kids some of the tricks after the Magic Show.

Decorate brooms.

Make their own wizard cape with some economical black gossamer, or black with silver stars patterned gossamer.

Set up a "Quidditch Match" Obstacle Course. The kids must get through the course on a broom, while balancing a boiled egg or a ping pong ball on a spoon.

As your guests arrive, draw a lightning bolt on each child’s forehead with face paint or Temporary Tattoos!

Muggle Quidditch
Your guests will enjoy playing this version of the most important sport in the wizarding world! You’ll need a broom for each child, a small ball painted gold (golden snitch) and a playing area, such as a garage. Divide players in two teams (use a sorting hat for fun) and position them on separate halves of the garage. Each team tries to sweep the golden snitch past the other team to the wall on the other side of the garage.

Chamber of Secrets
Once all your guests have arrived, inform them that the Chamber of Secrets has been opened and an evil monster has been unleashed! In this game of tag, choose one child to be the monster, who petrifies other players (witches and wizards) when he or she touches them. When a player is tagged by the monster, he or she must freeze. Unfrozen players can free petrified players by tagging them. Once a player is frozen three times, he or she remains permanently petrified. The last player to avoid being petrified, wins!

Prisoner of Azkaban
In this game of tag, inform guests that an evil prisoner has escaped Azkaban and the Dementors are in the area! Choose a child to be a Dementor, who petrifies other players (wizards) with a mere touch. Tagged players must freeze, but can be “unfrozen” by other players. Once a player is frozen 3 times, he’s permanently petrified. Last player to avoid being petrified, wins.

Silver Snitch Search
A lively variation on the popular sport played at the Hogwarts School in which a golden snitch is the coveted prize. Purchase small treats or gifts and wrap them in aluminum foil balls. Hide them in and around the house or yard. At the party, let the children search throughout your “arena” to find their “silver snitches.” (To keep it fair, limit the number each can collect.) They’ll love opening their snitches and finding treasures!

Find Moaning Myrtle
Your guests will be sobbing with laughter in this fun game as they try to outwit the birthday child with their best moans, groans, whimpers and sobs! Before starting, blindfold the birthday child. The rest of the players spread out around the room, but must not move once they’ve chosen a spot. All players then begin moaning and crying while the birthday child roams the room in search of “Moaning Myrtle.” When the birthday child finds someone, he or she tries to guess who it is by feeling with their hands. If correct, the two switch places and the game continues. Use creepy music for background noise to set the mood!

Potions and Spells
Decorate a shelf with clear glass bottles and jars filled with odd or creepy-looking contents. Label jars with the names of potion ingredients.
Dragon Toenails - chopped artichoke hearts
Manticore Pituitary - capers
Beetle Eyes - small black beads or poppy seeds
Salamander Skin - pickled ginger
Eye of Blind Cat - cocktail onions
Hippogriff Gizzard - smoked oysters
Bat Liver - chopped canned mushrooms
Bloodworms - cooked spaghetti in red-colored water
Deadly Nightshade - fruit of the miniature eggplant
Mandrake Root - whole ginseng root
Hollow Stump Water - dirty water mixed with potting soil

Sleeping Potion - water colored green with food coloring

Muggle Magic
Pick five pennies with different dates on them. Place the pennies in a wizard hat and ask one of your guests to pick a penny and look at the date without telling what it is. Have all the guests pass the penny around to look at the date. Quickly put the penny back into the hat and shake up the pennies. Have your young magician reach into the hat and pull out the chosen penny. The secret? He or she will know which penny was chosen because copper absorbs heat, and the penny everyone has handled will be warm. Once everyone knows how the magic is done, let all the children take a turn.

Harry Potter Food and Recipe Ideas:

Professor Snape's Pizza
Forbidden Forest Fruit Salad
Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream
Polyjuice Potions
Golden Snitch Donut Holes
Black Licorice Wands
Gummy Worms
Make "Butterbeer" -- mix apple juice and ginger ale and serve on dry ice.
For your cake, make a Sorcerer's Hat Cake with an accompanying magic wand. Place a cupcake at the end of the wand.
Hand Delivered cakes...Anywhere

Cauldron Cuisine
Make your child's favorite soup, stew or other hot dish and serve it from a cauldron or large pot! (Plastic cauldrons are available locally at costume stores or hobby shops.) As you dish out each child's portion, sprinkle salt over it and chant a magic spell for fun! Example: A dash of mandrake root and a bit of dried swamp flowers, keep this magical soup hot for hours!

Deathday Vegetable Platter
Invite your guests to try this suspicious dish--left over from Nearly Headless Nick's deathday party! To begin, make edible "eyeballs" by peeling radishes, leaving thin streaks of red skin on them to represent blood vessels. Use the tip of a vegetable peeler or a small knife to carefully scoop out a hole (roughly the size of an olive) in each radish. Stuff a green olive, pimiento side out, in each hole. Arrange "eyeballs" on a serving tray with baby carrots (goblin fingers), red Jell-O® squares (heart of veela), cucumber slices (Basilik tongue), etc. Be creative and have fun!

Dragon Snot
This is more appealing in a witch's cauldron if you have one. Simply mix green sherbet and sprite together.

Magic Potions
Your guests will be delighted to try out these mysterious magic potions! For this drink recipe, you’ll need a light-colored beverage, such as white grape juice or lemon-lime soda, and several colors of food coloring. Pour your beverage of choice into plastic goblets, adding a drop or two of food coloring to each glass. Serve guests different colored drinks. For more fun, name each colored potion: red (love potion), green (sleeping potion), yellow (laughing potion), etc.

Magic Wands
Ingredients
(Makes 16 Wands)
1 cup Pillsbury® Creamy Supreme® Chocolate Fudge Frosting
1 cup chocolate candy sprinkles
16 pretzel rods
1/4 cup Pillsbury® Creamy Supreme® Vanilla Frosting
Directions
1. Line cookie sheet with foil. Place chocolate frosting in microwave-safe 13x9-inch (3quart) glass baking dish. Microwave on HIGH for 10 to 15 seconds or until melted; stir until smooth. Place candy sprinkles in shallow dish.
2. Dip each pretzel rod in melted frosting, turning to coat completely. Roll in candy sprinkles; place on foil-lined cookie sheet. Refrigerate 30 minutes or until frosting is set.
3. Place sheet of foil on work surface. Place vanilla frosting in small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on HIGH for 10 to 15 seconds or until softened. Dip 1 inch of each coated pretzel in vanilla frosting; place wands on foil. Let stand about 4 hours or until frosting is set.

“Finger” Sandwiches
Could they have belonged to…Peter Pettigrew? Eeew! To make, simply purchase cheese and refrigerator croissants, and mini turkey sausages or similar favorite that resembles a “finger.” Slice sausages lengthwise and cut cheese into strips. Unroll croissants and stuff them with sausages and cheese. Roll back up and bake as directed, or until golden brown.

Bewitching Brew
Your guests will be spellbound when they witness your ability to turn an ordinary beverage into an enchanted drink that crackles and spits! Simply pour your child’s favorite beverage into glasses for all your guests. After you have placed a glass in front of each guest, add a few Pop Rocks™ candies to each one. Since this candy is processed with carbon dioxide, it will crackle, pop, and spit when it comes into contact with water, juice, soda pop, etc. (Pop Rocks is a registered trademark of the General Foods Corp.)

Scabbers Snack
A favorite of wizards-in-training at the Hogwarts School.
Ingredients: .
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter.
1 cup chocolate chips.
1/4 cup butter.
8 cups Crispix® or rice Chex® cereal.
2 cups powdered sugar.
Melt the peanut butter, chocolate chips and butter together. In a large bowl, pour over the cereal and stir well. Pour the powdered sugar into a large brown paper bag and add the cereal. Fold the bag to seal, shake well to coat evenly, and pour onto wax paper. Serve in bowls around room.

Sirius Black Sodas
For this drink recipe, start with a light-colored beverage, such as white grape juice or lemon-lime soda, and several shades of food coloring. (You can make ice cubes beforehand by filling several ice trays with apple juice. Freeze for at least five hours, or until completely frozen.) Pour the beverage into clear plastic cups, add a drop or 2 of food coloring to each to create “icky” shades. Serve guests the colorful concoction of their choice…vile blue, pond scum green, blood red, etc.

Honeydukes Sweet Shop Cupcakes
Straight from the favorite bakery of Harry, Ron and Hermine. Bake regular cupcakes and let them cool. Frost with homemade or store-bought icing, tinted with colors if you prefer. Pile the icing on extra thick and top with favorite sprinkles, little candies, etc. (For another option, add silly candies like gummy worms cut in half and sticking out of icing, chocolate eyeballs, etc.) You want to go over-the- top here and serve something that’ll amaze and delight your young wizards!

back to Themes Page

Reason To Party is your source for Harry Potter party Supplies, Decorations, Harry Potter Party ideas and party favors for your child's Harry Potter birthday party.

ReasonToParty has the Internet's largest collection of Party Supplies, Decorations and Party Favors.

We want to be your place for party supplies, party ideas, decorations, recipes and party games and activities.

Children's Birthdays | Bradenton Web Design | Web Hosting | Audio/Video Equipment