Christmas
Party Themes, Harry Potter Party
How to Plan an Awesome Harry Potter Party for Young Adults
As my daughters have grown up, their love for Harry Potter hasn’t faded one bit. Now both adults, they still wanted a magical Harry Potter party theme for their shared birthday party.
But since most party suggestions cater to younger kids, I knew I’d have to get creative and take ideas from all the Harry Potter books.
I didn’t want the party to feel childish, so I crafted a more mature invitation and incorporated vintage elements into the decor to give it a sophisticated touch.
Inspired by “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,” I envisioned magical creatures taking over the dessert table, adding a whimsical yet grown-up flair.
The real challenge was coming up with fun ideas and activities that would captivate and entertain my daughters and their friends.
But, armed with my Ultimate Birthday Party Planner and hours of Pinterest research, we managed to throw an absolute banger of a party!
From the enchanted decor to the spellbinding activities, this party was lots of fun and I’m super excited to share all the details with you!
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Sophisticated Harry Potter Invitations
The invitation I designed for this Harry Potter themed birthday party truly set the tone for the entire event.
Available in my shop, this Harry Potter invitation template features a vintage style that immediately evokes a sense of timeless magic.
With the shadow of a majestic hippogriff in the back, it still captures the iconic imagery of Hedwig delivering a Hogwarts letter but with a more mature twist than most of the Harry Potter invitations I’ve seen.
The party invitation should be considered an integral part of the party experience, giving guests their first glimpse into the enchanting adventure that awaits them.
This invitation not only invites but also entices, promising a celebration that balances the whimsy of the Wizarding World with the elegance suited for adults.
Use Vintage Style Harry Potter-Themed Decorations
Going with more vintage decor was a great way to make our Harry Potter party decorations feel less kid-like and more suited for older kids and adults.
By using vintage elements, we created an atmosphere that appealed to every Harry Potter fan, regardless of age.
The classic, timeless look gave our party a sophisticated touch while still capturing the magical essence of the Wizarding World.
The Entrance
A Harry Potter themed party would not be incomplete without the iconic entrance from Platform 9 3/4.
We kept it simple but effective. We used a store-bought brick wall backdrop that opened like a curtain, placed an old chest and some vintage luggage borrowed from a friend, and, of course, added a white owl for that authentic touch.
I wished I had a birdcage, but I couldn’t find one in time. I could have done more but it still looked fantastic and set the magical tone right from the start!
The Dessert Table
The dessert table was totally awesome, with a chalkboard backdrop my daughter designed to look like the magical creature studies classes at Hogwarts.
She meticulously wrote “Happy Birthday” in a Harry Potter-style font, printing and tracing the letters for an authentic touch.
Surrounding the chalkboard were old Daily Prophet newspapers and pages from magical creatures books, artfully scattered using glue dots.
I found many of these printable treasures online for free by doing an image search.
The table itself was an explosion of vintage items straight from Diagon Alley with magical creatures hiding all around—can you spot the dragon emerging from his egg in the drawers?
Of course, the Sorting Hat made an appearance, and many of the treats featured magical creatures as well.
The Harry Potter-themed potion bottles, repurposed from our Halloween decorations, added an extra layer of enchantment. You can purchase the labels in my shop and watch a complete tutorial on how to make them.
With those, you could even create your own potions class.
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On top, a single snitch balloon was made with a golden balloon and 2 gold fire balloons left over from our epic Hunger Games party.
This setup really made it feel like we had stepped into the Wizarding World.
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Harry Potter Treats
The treats on the dessert table were a feast for both the eyes and the imagination, all meticulously themed around Harry Potter and the magical world.
Bertie Bott’s Every Flavour Beans
Of course, we served Bertie Bott’s Every Flavour Beans, which were really just regular jelly beans, but the official packaging—found as a free printable on DeviantArt—had guests hesitating and even asking before picking one, wary of encountering an unexpected flavor!
Chocolate Frogs
Another delightful treat we featured was the iconic Harry Potter chocolate frogs. Once you have the right frog mold and chocolate melts, they’re a breeze to make!
I found a fantastic box design as a free printable on Instructables. I decided to only make two to use as decorations. The real magic was in the pile of chocolate frogs on a plate, ready for guests to eat.
Chocolate Wands
Pocky biscuit sticks made for some simple yet yummy chocolate magic wands and this antique test tube holder was a great addition. The food label cards can be found in my shop.
Golden Snitch Chocolates
Ferrero Rocher chocolates and golden wings are an easy way to make golden snitches. I thought about making or printing my own little wings, but the already-made wings were so cheap that it just wasn’t worth the effort.
Mandrake Cupcakes
One of the standout treats at the party was the Mandrake cupcakes, inspired by everyone’s favorite screaming plants from “The Chamber of Secrets” Herbology class.
These cupcakes were a huge hit made with a strawberry on top of a chocolate cupcake, complete with expressive faces. Learn how to make them here.
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Monster Book of Monsters Cake
The centerpiece of our dessert table was this show-stopping Monster Book of Monsters cake, and I’m proud to say I decorated it myself!
This iconic book any Harry Potter fan would immediately recognize, was much easier to make than I expected. With its fierce look and crooked teeth, this creation brought mischief straight from “Care of Magical Creatures” into our home.
The cake featured a furry buttercream exterior and fondant teeth and gums. Our guests were impressed and couldn’t wait to sink their teeth into this monstrous delight at the end of the party!
I’ve written a complete Monster Book of Monsters cake tutorial and made a video for you, so you can recreate this fantastic cake yourself.
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Mini Honeydukes Chocolates
Creating themed wraps for Hershey Minis is something I do for each of my parties. It’s easy and always gives the party a bit more of a personalized look.
BONUS: These wraps are available for free for you in my download library! Just sign up for my fun newsletter and you’ll be sent the link and password to the library.
All these little touches gave everyone a little taste of the Honeydukes sweet shop and made the dessert table an interactive and immersive part of the celebration.
Harry Potter Dinner Foods and Drinks
Because one cannot live on desserts alone, and since our party was scheduled in the evening, we also served dinner featuring more Harry Potter-themed foods.
The Great Hall Food Table
The food table was a vibrant tribute to the great hall and four houses of Hogwarts, with colorful house banners hanging in the background. I used plastic tablecloths in the iconic house colors and cut black cardstock into banner shapes, gluing the house crests onto them.
These cardstock banners were then pasted onto the corresponding colored tablecloths. The result was a stunning display that brought the spirit of Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin to life.
Bangers and Mash (kind of)
Bangers (sausages) and mash is a typical English fare. And I really wanted to make mashed potatoes but it just didn’t happen. Instead, we served Bratwursts with grilled onions and bell peppers in a big bun with potato chips.
I don’t have a picture of it unfortunately but it was really good.
Caesar Salad
It’s not the Caesar salad that’s interesting. It’s the authentic vintage cauldron it’s in. That cauldron came from my grandmother’s house in the south of France. When my parents passed, this was the one thing I really wanted to bring back as a fond souvenir of her.
Pumpkin Pasties
My daughter made pumpkin pasties, using a recipe she found online but quickly decided to improvise adding her own creative twist with lots more spices.
These little handheld pastries were delicious and instantly put me in the mood for fall. With their warm, spiced filling and flaky crust, they were a hit with everyone.
It felt like we were enjoying a treat straight from the Hogwarts Express trolley.
Butterbeer Punch
Every Harry Potter party needs butterbeer, and ours was no exception. Having recently visited Universal Studios, I had a good idea of what it should taste like. While I knew I couldn’t achieve the same froth on top, I aimed to get as close as possible to the taste and make a punch bowl full of it.
Honestly, after looking at several different recipes, I didn’t measure my ingredients, but I mixed a bunch of A&W cream soda, about a half cup of butterscotch syrup, a teaspoon or so of butter extract, and a tub of vanilla ice cream in a big punch bowl.
The result was absolutely delicious and brought a taste of the Wizarding World right to our party.
Gillyweed Water
I saw this idea for Gillywater on An Edible Mosaic and just had to try it. (In the “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” book, Gillyweed is a magical plant that allows the eater to breathe underwater.)
I spiralized a couple of cucumbers, sliced and juiced a couple of limes, and added a bunch of mint to filtered water. The result was a more visually stunning version of your basic refreshing spa water.
Think of it as adding a magical refreshment to our party!
And you too can add a touch of magic to your Harry Potter party with these fun vintage food cards, styled in a Harry Potter font!
These cards are available in my shop and are perfect for labeling all your enchanting treats. They’ll bring an extra bit of charm to your spread.
Harry Potter Party Games
Games and activities are a key part of any party, and even a gathering of young adults needs its share of fun.
Of course, we kicked things off with a sorting hat ceremony, setting the stage for the evening.
To keep everyone engaged and off their phones (except for snapping pictures), we split the guests into four teams, each sporting a cool lanyard with their Hogwarts house name, crest, and color.
Now that we had our Hogwarts student teams, the teams competed in two thrilling games, embarked on a scavenger hunt (complete with flying keys and a whomping willow), and ended with a bang by whacking a Golden Snitch piñata.
The games were so much fun that they deserve their own post—stay tuned for details on how to set up your own Quidditch field, plan an epic scavenger hunt, and make each activity a magical experience!
Harry Potter Party Favors
Buying party favors for 10-year-olds is easy. Buying party favors for 18-year-olds? Not so much. I had to find something they would enjoy and not automatically throw away.
But I found some great favors that they loved and that didn’t break the bank! So go check out my other post for the low down on the Harry Potter favor bags.
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Our Harry Potter party was a hit, with magical decorations, tasty treats, and fun activities all around.
From the stylish invitations to the dessert table and exciting games, everything came together to make the celebration feel like a real part of the Wizarding World.
Seeing how much everyone enjoyed themselves made all the planning worthwhile.
I hope this gives you some great ideas for your own Harry Potter birthday party and helps you bring a bit of Hogwarts magic to your home.
I have lots more awesome Harry Potter party ideas:
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