A month and a half ago during dinner, my 15 year old expressed that she wanted a sweet 16 birthday party. The first thing that popped into my head, even before she finished her request, was an episode of “MTV’s My Sweet 16.” Oh no… My stomach began to churn with dread as I envisioned teens attempting to behave older than 16 and my husband and I playing security. To my surprise and utter relief, we dodged a bullet when I heard the magical phrase, “I want the party to be Harry Potter themed.” In the words of Napoleon Dynamite, “yessssssssssssssssss!” Harry Potter I could do! Of course this list is not exhaustive of all the awesome things you can do for a Harry Potter themed party but they are some of our favorites.

1. The invite! A letter from Professor McGonagall herself requesting your presence at Hogwarts! Yes Minerva, we will be there.

1HarryPotterMustHaves-Invite

 

2. Platform 93/4 entrance! A perfect way to set the mood of your Harry Potter celebration.  To make it even more awesome add some vintage luggage, owls, or even a picture of the birthday gal/guy.

2HarryPotterMustHaves93-4

3. A House Sorting activity, complete with an appearance of the infamous sorting hat himself! When you go to Hogwarts you must know which house you belong in.

3HarryPotterMustHaves-SortingActivitys

4. House scarves! (Or ties, or badges) It would be best to give the person who is crocheting your scarves more than a months notice. Ahem… Thank goodness for lunch hours and late night Netflix viewing binges.

4HarryPotterMustHaves-Scarves

5. Ollivander’s Wand Shop! “The wand chooses the wizard, Mr. Potter!” There are many tutorials out there on how to make your own wands, which we did and MANY of them.

5HarryPotterMustHaves-Ollivanders

6. Harry Potter themed birthday desserts. Hagrid’s birthday cake to Harry, check! Golden snitch cake pops, check! A mandrake in his very own pot of dirt pudding, say what?!!! Check and double-check!

6HarryPotterMustHaves-HarryPotterTreats

6-2HarryPotterMustHaves-HarryPotterTreats2

7. Harry Potter themed decor such as Hogwart’s portrait wall, flying keys, potions class, wanted posters, owl depot, AND photo booth wall with props!

7HarryPotterMustHaves-Decor

8. Honeydukes’s Candy Shop equipped with all of your sweet favorites such as acid pops, cockroach clusters, Bertie Bott’s every flavor beans, and chocolate frogs!

8HarryPotterMustHaves-Honeydukes

9. Harry Potter themed photos of the birthday girl being a fierce wizard. Extra points for a photo with a patronus charm.

9HarryPotterMustHaves-HarryPotterPhotos

10. Finally… A surprise trip to Universal’s Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Can you tell she is excited?

10HarryPotterMustHaves-Trip

I hope you enjoyed our list of Harry Potter Sweet 16 must-haves! Also, if you are ready to surprise your favorite Harry Potter fan with a trip to Universal to experience The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, I would love to help! Contact me at Lizeth@TravelWithTheMagic.com, on Facebook or by phone at 1-800-670-4312, ext. 143.