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Magical Harry Potter Party Ideas Any Muggle Can Pull Off

September 30, 2020 by Leslie Leave a Comment

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Are you looking for fun (but not overwhelming) Harry Potter party ideas to celebrate an upcoming birthday? Keep reading for creative DIY ideas any muggle can pull together.

A little Background:

My oldest has been a Potterhead since she was a kindergartener.

As she’s gotten older, she’s developed a close knit group of friends who share her love for everything Harry Potter.

So, when I told her that for her 10th birthday she could have her very first sleepover, we decided to go hog wild and turn our basement into Hogwarts’ great hall.

It was a ton of fun, and full of magical surprises.

dessert buffet with the text magical Harry Potter party ideas for muggles

Now, to add a bit of context, we were on vacation with my family until a week before the party. So I didn’t get the chance to go as wild and crazy as I would have liked.

About the Party:

  • What Was the Occasion? 10 year old birthday sleepover
  • How Many Guests Did You Have? Birthday girl + 2 guests
  • What time of Day? 8pm
  • Where Was the Party Held? Our Basement

Harry Potter Party Decorations

There’s an abundance of Harry Potter party ideas out there, so we could have gone completely bonkers with the decorations.

…but, like I said, we had only a week to prepare. And during that week I was also taking care of all three of our kids.

So, yeah. We kept it simple.

front door covered with brick paper and a sign that says platform 9 3/4

Platform 9 ¾

To set the tone, our front porch transformed into the barrier at platform 9 ¾.

But instead of painting or cutting out dozens of bricks, I simply covered the front door with brick style bulletin board paper.

Add a slit for the door handle, and a sign that says Platform 9 ¾ and you’re all set.

DIY Hogwarts house banners floating in front of windows with floating candles above
A room with Hogwarts house banners in blue, red, yellow, and green, with floating candles and twinkle lights on the wall

House Banners

The common area in our basement is a pretty long and narrow space. And at one end is a set of benches and a card table.

So, we decided to let the kids sleep down there, and make the space feel like the great hall, with DIY house banners and floating candles.

The house banners were pretty simple to make. I used my Cricut to cut out a logo for each house and glued them onto poster board that had a triangle cut out of the bottom.

The hardest part was hanging the banners, but a dowel rod on the back of the banner and some fishing line made all the difference.

close up of a floating candle made from a toilet paper tube

Floating Candles

We’ve all seen the floating candles made from toilet paper and paper towel tubes. They’re such a fun touch, and not too expensive either.

That said, they were more difficult to make than I expected. LED candles are all different widths, as are paper towel and toilet paper tubes!

It took a little bit of rigging, but we made it work…and a year later we still have the candles floating in our basement.

Honeydukes sweet shoppe buffet with a custom sign, and candies in plastic cauldrons and glass jars

Honeydukes Candy Buffet

Now, what’s better for a sleepover than a candy buffet?

I admit, it was a lot for three girls. But my other kids took the opportunity to help themselves too. 🤣

The wood backdrop is actually one of my photography backdrops, and matched the Honeydukes colors perfectly. (though it was a little heavy for hanging)

From there I used plastic cauldrons in a variety of sizes, and every apothecary jar and clear vase I could find.

assorted candies in mini plastic cauldrons with food labels in front saying dragon toes, nautious jumping snakes, and witches hats
Apothecary jar filled with colorful cotton candy and a tag that says candy cobwebs

Best of all, most of the food came from the Dollar Tree, so it was a smaller quantity than it seems, and didn’t break the bank either:

  • Candy Cobwebs – Cotton Candy
  • Gringott’s Gold – Yellow Cheese Balls
  • Fizzing Whizbees – Pop Rocks
  • Dragon Toes – Candy Peanuts
  • Nautious Jumping Snakes – Gummy Worms
  • Wizard Biscuits – Owl Shaped Sugar Cookies
  • Candy Wands – Rock Candy Sticks
  • Golden Snitches made with Ferrero Rocher Candies
  • Witches Hats – Hershey’s kisses

More Harry Potter Party Food Ideas:

  • Green Witches Brew Punch
  • Witch Cauldron Pudding Cups
  • Clementine Pumpkins
  • Easy Butterbeer Recipe
paper popcorn boxes with honeydukes labels

Party Games and Activities

Being 10-year-olds the kids were pretty good at entertaining themselves. A few of the things they did include:

  • Played Harry Potter Trivial Pursuit,
  • Watched at least two of the Harry Potter movies,
  • Pretended to be witches and wizards with their wands

…and just generally hanging out.

There were no tears or hurt feelings. We’re lucky that they’re such a great group of kids.

Sugar cookies shaped and decorated to look like the deathly hallows and white owls

What is the one part of the party setup that you loved the most, and why?

The Honeydukes buffet was definitely my favorite. If you can’t tell, I love bright colors, and all those treats just look so pretty.

It also helps that I love to create designs like the sign and the table tent cards.

Where can I find the same supplies you used?

  • Brick bulletin board paper
  • Poster board from Dollar Tree
  • Candies from Dollar Tree
  • Popcorn boxes from Dollar Tree (with custom Honeydukes labels)
  • Floating Candles – DIY using these LED candles
  • Honeydukes backdrop
  • Honeydukes sign (coming to the shop soon!)
chocolate truffles with wings to look like golden snitches

More Party Themes to Consider

  • Simple Flower Party
  • Ice Cream Party Ideas for the Sweetest Kid on the Block
  • The cutest DIY Baking Party

Now It’s Your Turn

It may not be the biggest Harry Potter party, with a slew of homemade cloaks and gourmet everything. But the most important thing is that the three Potterheads that were there, all had a blast.

Hopefully you were inspired to keep your Harry Potter party ideas simple too. After all, parties are first and foremost about spending time with loved ones.

Let me know in the comments section what part you liked most!


Join me over at Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter,

for more fun ideas and inspiration!

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Filed Under: Halloween, Kids Parties, Parties, Parties Tagged With: harry potter

About Leslie

Leslie is the passionate party planner in her family. After being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2018, she was determined to find a way to continue making amazing parties for her kids that don't leave you exhausted. To do that Leslie combines the experience she learned working for a professional event planner with the reality of a busy family life to create party inspiration that the average mom can reproduce and be proud of.

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I love helping busy moms create DIY parties that aren’t overwhelming. Here you'll find crafts, recipes, and fun printables you can use to create a celebration you’re proud of that you get to enjoy too! Read More
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