How to celebrate International Harry Potter Day
Everything you need to know about the occasion and how to mark it
Few books have struck a global chord quite like the Harry Potter series. The novels inspired a mega film franchise, acclaimed stage play, entire theme park and even a new sport (although admittedly Quidditch doesn’t look quite the same without actual flying). And that's before including the countless merchandise or book and gaming spin offs.
Once a year, the magic of the wizarding universe is celebrated with a special International Harry Potter Day, with fans engaging in numerous Potter-orientated activities.
What is International Harry Potter Day?
International Harry Potter day is the adopted day of the year that fans (affectionately referred to as “Potterheads”) celebrate all things associated with the wizarding world. Every year, this event takes place on 2nd May.
Why is May 2nd International Harry Potter Day?
According to the timeline in the original Harry Potter books, The Battle of Hogwarts would have taken place on 2nd May 1998 which is the date Voldemort was finally defeated.
International Harry Potter Day is therefore the anniversary of the battle and has become a day to mark the significance of J.K. Rowling’s work.
How to celebrate International Harry Potter Day
What to watch on Harry Potter Day
As so many of us are isolating from home, lockdown provides the perfect excuse to mark International Harry Potter day by binge-watching all the films from start to finish.
Begin with a tiny 10 year old Daniel Radcliffe in the Philosopher’s Stone and watch as the actors grow up with the characters to the final film, Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (featuring a special glow-up from Neville Longbottom).
One way you can watch all the Harry Potter films is on Sky Cinema, which you can also access using a Now TV pass. If you don’t currently have Now TV, you can get a free seven day trial of the streaming service and start watching now.
What to do on Harry Potter Day
Take things back to where the magic truly began with the original Harry Potter books. You can buy a boxset of all the paperbacks on Amazon at the moment for £39.99 instead of the usual £62.99.
There are also a whole host of special books released which include versions of the textbooks and fairytale stories from the wizarding universe like Quidditch Through the Ages (£5.39 on Amazon) and The Tales of Beedle the Bard (£4.19 on Amazon).
Or, if you prefer to listen to your novels through audiobooks, Audible has made Harry Potter And The Philosopher’s Stone available for free along with 200 other audiobooks for kids while schools are closed.
If you want to listen to the whole series, you can sign up to Audible online for a free 30 day trial.
J.K. Rowling has also launched a new site for kids during lockdown called Harry Potter at Home which features craft ideas, puzzles and quizzes for kids to help keep them entertained.
And for adults keen on their own video-call quizzes, you can try out our Harry Potter pub quiz and test your friends’ wizarding trivia with minimal effort, as we’ve come up with all the questions for you.
