All right, so you don’t actually have to be a wizard to celebrate International Harry Potter Day–you can, in fact, be a muggle–so let’s just say the one basic rule for this day is you have to be all in when in comes to the Harry Potter fandom. Why else would you be on this post after all, right?
Unless you’re one of his followers.
In which case you might as well give it up. He’s gone. Dead. Defeated. We won. He lost. Therefore you lost. You might as well side with us at this point.
Kick the dirt. Grumble all you want. Come on, you Hufflepuff, let’s do a group hug as we peruse this post on things to do to celebrate this day of wars won and lives lost.
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When is International Harry Potter Day?
There is no clear date here, so you’ll see some back-and-forth arguments going on between either May 2nd and July 31st.
For this post, we’re saying Harry Potter Day is May 2nd, due to this being the date of the final conflict of the Second Wizarding War, when the Order of the Phoenix proved victorious in the battle and destroyed Lord Voldemort.
Things to do on International Harry Potter Day
Collect Things
Home Decor
Take Vacations
Dress in Style
Play Board Games
Eat Something Good
Remember Characters
I feel like I could’ve added a few more categories here for Harry Potter Day, but I think they’d drift more into sub-categories, honestly. Such as with the “Home Decor” section.
I could simply separate that entire category into sub-categories of kids’ room decors, bathroom decor, kitchen decor, holiday decor, and even party decor, if I wanted. But there’s really no need for me to do that here, because that’s just a sensory overload for what this post itself is all about. It’s giving surface ideas, not in-depth ones.
With that being said, I think I did cover all categories for Harry Potter. Aside from the books.
I feel like anybody coming to this post already has the books, so I didn’t think there was a need for them, that’s all–same goes for the movies.
The rest should give you ideas for Harry Potter gift ideas for yourself or others!
Add to your Harry Potter collection
If you’re a Harry Potter Funk Pop collector or a figurine collector of any kind, then this is the perfect day to start collecting more of what you don’t already have, or to gift these collections to a fellow Potter fan that might not have them.
There are a variety of collector’s products out there, so if you are buying for someone else, think about what they like.
There are bobble heads, pez dispensers, limited edition items, and all that.
- Fluffy Bobblehead Figurine – Fluffy is our favorite three-headed guard dog, and the fact that you can have this beastly doggo nod its heads in agreement is just a selling point.
- Harry’s Patronus Funko Pop! – We all know that Harry’s patronus comes in the form of a stag–the same shape as his father. We first see his patronus in the scene when he protects Sirius Black and Hermione from the Dementors on the bank of The Great Lake.
- Harry Potter Pez Limited Edition Collector’s Series – If you like pez or know of anyone who enjoys pez, you can enjoy the small tasties throughout the days or weeks, and once they’re gone, you’ve got yourself an empty collection of six Harry Potter pez containers.
- Harry Potter Ultimate Pin Collection – Have a pin collecting fetish? Whether you collect pins on a backpack or on a lanyard or just have a special area for specific pins, The Bradford Exchange has Harry Potter pins they sell in monthly issues, if that’s something you’re interested in.
Decorate your home Hogwarts-style
As stated above, home decor encompasses a wide variety of household products, including holiday and events like weddings and birthday parties, so that’s something to think about if someone has a certain event coming up that you know about and you know they’ll enjoy themselves some Harry Potter gifts.
These items might spark some ideas.
- Golden Snitch Ceramic Trinket Tray – If you’ve got small trinkets like jewelry that you need a place to set down that’s unique, the Snitch’s golden color might compliment their color, and it won’t fly off with them.
- Hogwarts Express and Platform Salt & Pepper Shakers – I love searching for different salt and pepper shakers and seeing such a variety out there. Most people buy your typical bland ones, but then there’s the cool people, buying ones like these.
- Sealed Invitation Envelope Pillow – You might not have gotten your invitation to Hogwarts yet, but you can get yourself this pillow on Harry Potter Day and dream of the day it comes in the mail.
- Starbucks Themed Ceramic Mug – Harry Potter and coffee to start your mornings? I don’t see how this could be a bad thing at all. Plus, that pun is on point.
Devour some Hogwarts delicacies
This might be the best part of the post for you, even if it only lists a few different ideas.
The sweets cart that was brought by on the train certainly stood out to me at the beginning of the first movie where we got to see a pile of all kinds of delicious looking goodies.
And not only that, but there were other times where Harry and friends were trying different food and acting out animals or trains, as the case was, with steam coming out of Harry’s ears, if you recall.
Anyway, below are some recipes as well as treats you can get yourself or others.
- Bertie Bott’s Every Flavour Jelly Beans – Tired of the same old jelly bean flavors? You might think about trying these then, because that box label does not lie. Prepare to think twice about trying some of these flavors, you daredevil.
- Classic Butterbeer Recipe – Butterbeer is of course one of the main drinks that you should know about in the Potterverse…maybe the only one. And here’s a recipe on how to make your own with cream soda and rum.
- Harry Potter Pumpkin Howlers Recipe – This is a recipe you can make whenever you want that won’t scream at you when it’s made, but it might taste quite delicious if you enjoy eggroll wrappers, mascarpone cheese, and pumpkin puree.
- Harry Potter Inspired Hot Chocolate Spoon – Just because you don’t like frogs doesn’t mean Trevor’s frog won’t taste good on top of this chocolate spoon and stirred into your favorite hot drink.
- This product was also talked about in Christmas 2021 – A Day Worth Proving You’re Naughty or Nice
Play board games with the family
There are several notable games within Harry Potter that you’ll probably remember, and of course many of those games have been created by muggles to enjoy, so take the time on Harry Potter Day to get with your family and have some friendly competition with some of these non bone-breaking games introduced by the franchise.
And some not.
- Gringott’s Checkers Set – While it’s not explicitely shown in the movies, I imagine the goblins use spare change that has been dropped to play Checkers in their off-time somewhere in a back vault that only they have the key to.
- HedBanz – Perfect family game for 2-6 muggles to test their knowledge on the Potterverse. Answer questions correctly and earn chocolate frog tokens. First to get five wins!
- Scrabble Harry Potter Edition – Test how well you know the wording of the Potterverse, though you do get a small reprieve, because it includes a glossary of wizarding words, as well as a deck of 36 Hogwarts cards!
- Wizard Chess Set – My favorite game set in Harry Potter, and though this one is a bit more tame, it still requires a bit more thought.
Remember your favorite characters
International Harry Potter Day isn’t all about Harry Potter or even the death of Voldemort.
It’s about remembering every character. The ones who lived, the ones who died, the ones who partook in the war, and maybe the ones who didn’t, and don’t forget the creatures of the world as well, even if they don’t have actual names, as that doesn’t make them any less important to the world.
- Dobby is a Free Elf Lanyard with Charm – Now that Dobby is a free elf, he’s a slave to no wizard, but we can always have him by our side with this lanyard that includes a little charm of him.
- Luna Lovegood Coffee Mug – Because she’s so zany, it makes her a memorable character, though her screen time isn’t a long one compared to most others. This is a nice coffee mug that captures her personality perfectly.
- Severus Snape Nendoroid – A Snape figurine that shows a little bit of his attitude through his posturing and facial expression. He’s obviously tired of your crap, but we never seem to be tired of his.
- Voldemort Wand Pen and Bookmark – He’s not everyone’s favorite character, that’s for sure, and not everyone likes mentioning his name, but as of this day, he’s not a threat to the Potterverse, so who cares? Grab a pen and a bookmark and flaunt the fact that he’s gone and can’t do anything about you using his crap.
Vacation hotspots
Not every hotspot includes going out of state–there could be a local hotspot where you live that could celebrate Harry Potter in a certain way with certain products–including coffee shops. You kind of just need to know where to look.
But those are few and far between, to be honest.
The big places where people go to for celebrating their love for Harry Potter are certainly going to require some time off work and will need some time to plan.
Not only that, but some of the events listed below aren’t going to fall on International Harry Potter Day. They have their own dates in which they start, so you’ll need to keep an eye on their start date (if they have one).
Trust me, though, they’re worth at least thinking about going to.
- LeakyCon – Are you a hardcore Harry Potter fan looking for a hardcore Harry Potter convention? LeakyCon might be right up your Diagon Alley! It features wizard panels, cosplay, programs, discussions, and more–including specials guests like screenwriters and actors.
- US Quidditch Cup – Thought Quidditch was just a sport for Hogwarts itself, didn’t you? You were wrong! It’s an actual full contact sport, blending rugby, basketball, and dodgeball. Try to register for a team if you’re a sportsperson, or grab some tickets to watch!
- Wizard Hysteria – If you’ve ever thought of trying an escape room, or if you have tried them and like them, this one is wizarding themed! The best part is these escape rooms are kid friendly and have a time limit of 60 seconds.
- Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando / Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Hollywood – These two vacation spots in the US are highly popular with the fans of Harry Potter and offer a diverse amount of rides and shops with some of your favorite areas and foods from the movies and books.
Wear your house clothes and jewelry
Well if you’re part of the Potterverse, then you’ll have to be sorted into one of the four houses, so it’s only a guess that you’d want a uniform regarding your house’s emblem. Not only that, but there’s also the goofy shirts that give a shout-out to your wizard-loving side that tells people you’re into Harry Potter, sometimes vague, sometimes not.
But if clothing isn’t your thing, because one size doesn’t always fit all, then jewelry and bracelets might be something to think about as well.
- Hedwig Necklace Carrying Mail – This isn’t necessarily a Hedwig only necklace–it could just be an owl carrying mail–but for this post, it works!
- Hogwarts House Robe Earrings – Speaking of house robe colors, Everyfelt over on Etsy has these cute earrings that you could wear depending on what house you best fit into.
- Ravenclaw Boots – There’s just something about these boots that really stand out to me, and maybe it’s the bright blue plaid-looking design, but also the Ravenclaw tag marking your house.
- Wizard’s Matata T-Shirt – All right, when I saw this, I immediately knew I had to put it up on the page, because it gave me a good laugh and I absolutely love the concept. Anyone who enjoys The Lion King should enjoy it as well.
In conclusion…
Wow, there are a lot of things to do in regards to International Harry Potter Day, but that’s mainly because the Potterverse is so vast and so many people love the characters as a whole and the franchise itself just…exploded with how good the books and movies were.
So thanks to that, you’ve got a lot of things to consider on this day, either to do for yourself, to gift to others, or to consider buying for your own means.
Here’s hoping I’ve nudged you in the right direction and gave you some ideas.
Ultimate list of Harry Potter links
We’ve got a variety of Harry Potter links on this site and since this post is dedicated to the franchise as a whole, it’s the perfect post to put everything together. That way you don’t have to go looking all over for products of interest, and you won’t miss out on products you might want to check out.
This list will periodically be updated until it’s exhausted.
Which might be a while, considering how vast the Potterverse is…
