We had our first post-lockdown family gathering over the weekend and we had a lot to celebrate, we had missed four family birthdays, and a fifth was fast approaching! So we took the opportunity that Level 2 presented to trial a new theme for our collection, and got together for magical evening of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

The Setting
Platform 9 ¾ this way! We used a red brick backdrop to create the perfect entrance, and the ideal scene for wizard poses. Flynn the Fearless nailed it!

A stack of packages, vintage suitcases, a broomstick and of course Hedwig himself let you know you'd arrived at your destination, Hogwarts!

To set the Hogwarts scene we of course had to have the floating candles from the Great Hall. These made the perfect backdrop for the main food table, which was covered with a velvet tablecloth ‘bewitched’ to look like the night sky. We decorated the table with lanterns, cauldrons , stacks of vintage 'spell' books and of course lolly jars filled with Bertie Botts Every Flavour Beans and gold coins from Gringotts.

The dinner table was draped in black and featured props replicating some key pieces in the stories and the wizarding world. There was Harry’s Patronus the silver stag, the Hogwarts acceptance letter, a teacup and crystal ball for divination, silver goblets, quills, spiders, flying keys, potions, cauldrons, a dragon and of course Harry’s iconic round glasses. The perfect lighting makes everything more magical, so we added plenty of pillar candles and vintage silver candlesticks which also created height across the table.

Menu
We created the menu to include some of the treats mentioned in the book, including Harry’s favourite Treacle Tarts and of course the perfectly pink cake handmade by Hagrid.

The menu was printed into a Marauders Map, and we finished off the place settings with a unique handmade wand for each guest, along with a potion to quaff! The recipe for Felix Felicis (liquid luck) is below, in case you want to try your luck!

Felix Felicis
2 oz Vodka
1 oz Cointreau
1 oz Lemon Juice
1 oz Sugar Syrup
Add gold edible glitter for the shimmer effect and shake with ice.
(hot tip - use a medicine syringe to get the potion in to the wee jars without spilling it everywhere)

Games
The favourite part of any of our parties for our boys are the games, so of course we had to include some fun for them! We played Harry Potter Bingo, Wingardium Leviosa (a race while keeping a balloon aloft using only a wand) and Quidditch pong.

The night was a blast, it was awesome to be back together again, and the theme was a hit. Mischief managed.