Watching all of those Harry Potter movies has gotten us in the mood to party, Hogwarts-style.
So whether you're looking for a fun kids birthday idea or want to shake up your grown-up dinner party style with a themed bash, we have two words for you: Harry Potter.
Spectacles, spells and sorting hats. Butterbeer, banners and broomsticks. Wizards, wands and Wanted Prisoner photo booths. We're having so much fun already.
The first step to throwing a Harry Potter party is to binge-watch all of the Harry Potter movies, of course. What better way to get into the party mood than by reliving all of the coolest, spookiest, saddest and baddest moments of Harry, Ron and Hermione's adventures?
With NOW TV's Sky Movies Pass, watching the movies has never been easier: access the entire Harry Potter catalogue with over 1,000 movies on demand.
For £9.99 for a month with no contract, it's simple, flexible and commitment-free.
Before you get started, have a look on Pinterest for inspiration: from costumes to crafts, Goblet of Fire drinks to cauldron cakes, party perfection, down to the littlest details, is just a click away.
Now, accio festivities! Here's everything you need to know to throw an amazing Harry Potter themed party.
Get sorted into your 'house'
Are you cunning, shrewd and ambitious? Smart and erudite? Dedicated and patient? Or maybe courageous and determined?
With the help of a quick quiz and a sorting hat - use an old witch's hat or get creative with newspaper, modeling paste and paint - sort your guests into their respective houses: Slytherin, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff or Gryffindor, to get the party started.
Take it one step further with cute themed accessories like paper ties or knit scarves in house colours for guests to wear once they've been sorted.
Embrace the decor
From Platform 9 3/4 signs and curtains to floating candles, creating the mood of the Harry Potter world is fairly simple - and very fun.
Work the enchanted ceiling effect into your home by painting kitchen rolls white, dipping them in melted wax, sticking in an electronic tea light and suspending from the ceiling with thread or fishing line (click here for full instructions).
DIY signs are great for directing people to different areas (Diagon Alley, Hogwarts, etc.), while a fun game for kids is creating an Azkaban prisoner wanted sign photo booth. You can also make your own Wanted prisoner posters in advance at Photofunia, printing them out with the faces of your guests and scattering them around your home.
Food, food, food
Now, the best part of any Harry Potter fete: the snacks. You don't need to try out every recipe from the films (let's leave Hagrid's rock cakes and stoat sandwiches alone, shall we?), but playful treats to try include Honeyduke's acid pops, cockroach clusters, liquorice wands and chocolate frogs (Pastry Affair has a selection of recipes for all of the above, and they look as fabulous as they sound).
Bertie Botts Every Flavour Beans - with flavours including booger, dirt and earwax - are available to buy on Amazon UK and make great display items and goodie bag sweets.
You can also have fun using motifs from the books and films to create some eye-catching, mouth-watering treats like golden snitch pops from With Sprinkles on Top, themed sugar cookies from Bakingdom or cauldron cakes from Pastry Affair. Yum.
Drinking potions
No Harry Potter viewing party would be complete without butterbeer, which you can easily whip up with 1/4 cup of sweetened condensed milk, 1/4 cup of butterscotch, 2 tablespoons of whipped butter at room temperature and 1.5 cups of vanilla cream soda. For an adult-friendly alcoholic version, just add some rum. Another adult treat sure to impress is the Goblet of Fire cocktail - there's actually a flame!
Another unusual drink you can make for a Harry Potter bash is a colour-changing beverage - just put food colouring in the bottom of a cup, let dry and top with ice and water or lemon soda. The kids won't believe their eyes...
Add some fabulous details with authentic-looking potion labels from Etsy. There are also a wealth of free printables to choose from online to make your food station look even better, like these drink printables and candy labels from Over the Moon.
Digital aids
From the invitations - which you can send via owl balloon (how cool!) - to labeling everything from banners to bottles at the party in Harry Potter fonts (check out Dafont), free inspiration is just a click away.
One of our favourites? Stick this Moaning Myrtle printable onto the toilet seat for a ghostly touch...
Harry Potter apps can add another dimension to your more grown-up soiree. The free Spells app lets you act out spells and duel with other players. Stupefy!
Fun and games
You can set up a mini Quidditch pitch in your backyard for the little ones or start a Quidditch beer pong game when it's lumos nox time (yes, Quidditch beer pong is a real thing and yes, it's as awesome as it sounds).
Add an activity to the party by mixing up your own potions with food colouring or having an amazing crafts session turning chopsticks into wands that look good enough to be sold at Ollivanders.
Movie buffs will also enjoy quizzing one another on all of the trivia from the movies with Scene It?
And for the perfect party favour, don't forget DIY treat bags from Honeydukes.
Now we just need to master the scourgify spell to make clean up a little easier...
See Also:
So there you have it - everything you need to throw an amazing Harry Potter themed party. And what's more, you can catch up with all the films with a NOW TV Sky Movies Month Pass - it's flexible, contract-free, and only £9.99 for a month.
18+. UK only. Pass auto renews at £9.99pm unless cancelled. Now TV account required. Streamed via broadband (min speed 2.5Mbps)/3G to two compatible devices. Costs may apply. Further terms apply.