February 4 marks the second Harry Potter Book Night. Created through the publishing company Bloomsbury, the first Harry Potter Book Night was held in February 2015. I only learnt about it a couple of weeks ago, but organisation for this year’s events has been in full swing last year with people signing up for kits and other things on the Bloomsbury website to participate in their own Harry Potter parties. According to Bloomsbury, there were 10 500 parties and celebrations held all over the world for their first year, and this year there is set to be even more.
When the event was first created, Bloomsbury’s idea was to invite “schools, bookshops, libraries and community groups to host early-evening events in celebration of Harry Potter Book Night.” Bloomsbury even created a kit for organisers with free download or printed copies being delivered all over the world with everything they would need for a wonderful evening. Kits included things like word searches, craft activities and ideas for Harry Potter themed games, quizzes, and interesting book passages and scenes that could be read aloud. There are also wonderful certificates for those who participate and a myriad of resources for organisers to promote and organise their event. At the time of posting you could still register to receive a downloadable copy of the kit.
The theme for the celebrations this year is A Night of Spells and even if you missed the sign up deadline in November for your physical kit, and even if you’re not an organisation, you could still grab a downloadable copy and throw an impromptu party for you and your friends or family that would be just as enjoyable. To start you off The Guardian has even created a quick quiz to test your knowledge of spells for the special night.
If you are like me and didn’t know about this until recently, you can follow the fun of other people’s parties and events on Bloomsbury’s Twitter and Facebook or by using #HarryPotterBookNight. Or, if you really want to join in on the fun, check out Bloomsbury’s interactive world map and see if there is an event near you that you can attend!
Harry Potter Book Night kicks off tomorrow in the UK but Australia will begin theirs tonight so if you are looking for something to do, perhaps it’s the perfect time to bring a bit of magic into your evening with A Night of Spells and a little Harry Potter magic.
Lost in a Good Book 