Hello, my fellow muggles! Some of my favorite kinds of adventures to share with you are film tourism escapades, where you can immerse yourself in one of your favorite shows or movies. And if you love Harry Potter (I’m assuming you do if you clicked this link), you’re in for a real treat!
It’s no secret that Warner Bros. it’s super-stingy about Harry Potter-themed events outside of their own franchise. So it can be incredibly hard to find experiences that are accessible. We were thrilled to have the new Forbidden Forest Experience just three hours away from us last year. But even that was rather expensive (and the butterbeer stunk!).
So, what can we do?
Well, back in October 2019, I came across a post about the Queen City Mischief and Magic Festival, a free annual, two-day event hosted by the town of Staunton, VA. Unfortunately, I’d just missed the event by a few days, so I added it to my calendar for 2020. I’m sure you can guess how that went; no thanks to COVID.
The festival shut down for the next 2 years and came back in 2022, by which time I’d completely forgotten about it. As luck would have it, I came across another post about it early this summer and made a point to add it to my calendar for this year.
We drove 3.5 hours through the mountains, booked an Airbnb, and attended the festival for one magical day… and now I can tell you all about it.
Where & When Can I Attend the Harry Potter Festival?
This wizard-themed festival is located in downtown Staunton, Virginia. To avoid copyright issues, the festival’s official name is the Queen City Mischief and Magic Festival since Staunton’s nickname is Queen City. It’s really the perfect location because the buildings here all look like they’re straight out of another era, which fits perfectly with a trip to Diagon Alley or Hogsmeade!
The town puts on this magical event every September, and the next one is already scheduled for September 28-29, 2024. However, some of the activities get underway starting on Friday, so you could show up on the 27th to extend the fun!
How Big is the Festival?
Big! The main festival runs for 4 full blocks on either side of Beverly Street (each named after a Hogwarts house), so pretty much 8 city blocks of fun! But it extends a way beyond that as well. There’s a farmer’s market that has a few booths set up in the Wharf Parking lot, and the shops along Byers Street also had some special events running. It’s a fairly concentrated area, but you could definitely spend a good part of the day wandering around to see it all.
Here’s a link to a list of all the participating vendors from 2023:
Should I Dress Up?
Yes! We saw some absolutely epic costumes on festival attendees, from a very convincing Dumbledore (RIP, Michael Gambon) to full Hogwarts regalia. Of course, you can just keep it simple, too. I went as Hermione in The Deathly Hallows, so I could wear muggle clothes. But a lot of people just wore their favorite house colors or Harry Potter shirts.
What Can of Stuff Can I Do at the Festival?
The town puts together an absolutely epic roster of activities, many of which are FREE! Some of the local shops also put together special experiences, menus, or products to fit into the festival’s theme. These typically have an additional cost for supplies, but they were all reasonable. Here’s just a glimpse of this year’s activities.
Free Harry Potter-Themed Activities
- Owl, snake, and other wildlife shows
- Firebolt 5K
- Gringott’s Bank tours
- Character Meet ‘n’ Greets (with photo ops) and parades
- Daily Hogwarts train arrivals
- Quidditch tournament
- House sorting ceremonies
- Caricature drawings
- Mermaids and a splash zone
- Dementor and Siren Splash Dance Parties
- Ollivander wand ceremony
- Niffler Dig
- Dragon Sanctuary
Harry Potter-Themed Activities with a Fee
- Triwizard Tournament Maze
- Various potions classes–DIY candles, zen rollers, bubble bath solutions, and bonbons
- The Dark Mage’s Escape Room
- Pancake Breakfast and Hogwarts Feats with Character Meet ‘N Greets
- Herbal tea blending
- Wizard High Tea
- Build-your-own magical creature
- Finklepott’s Fairy Hair
- The Hunt for the Golden Egg
- Professor Beetlebane’s Charms Class
- Pet sorting cupcakes
- Drive-In Harry Potter movie marathon
Again, this is just scratching the surface of this year’s activities! And I haven’t even touched on the shops and restaurants. You’ll find no shortage of magical gear, handmade wands, butterbeer, butterbeer-flavored coffees, and wizard-themed dishes to occupy you between scheduled events.
Which Harry Potter Characters Can I See?
From what I saw, pretty much all of them! There were volunteer characters walking around in full costume all day, and you could take pictures with them on the streets or in the Gringotts Vault.
But my favorites were Professor Snape and Mr. Filch, who did a phenomenal job perfecting their parts! I literally couldn’t make eye contact with Snape, lol. Additionally, we saw Neville, Mad-Eye Moody, Rita Skeeter, Hagrid, Dobby, the Malfoy family, Bellatrix Lestrange, Professor Umbridge, a goblin, Luna Lovegood, Ron and Ginny Weasley, Sirius Black, and Gilderoy Lockhart.
I also saw some epic costumes on guests, like the Dumbledore I mentioned and a very convincing Hagrid.
Closing Thoughts on the Queen City Mischief & Magic Festival
If you like Harry Potter and live near enough to visit this festival, do it! I was blown away by how much detail Staunton had put into this event, despite the terrible weather. It literally felt like we were fighting off typical Hogwarts weather, but we chose to embrace it, as did all the volunteers.
Obviously, an event like this could easily get cheesy. But it was such a magical experience and so well put together! I already want to go back next year and spend the full weekend enjoying all that the festival has to offer.
What do you think? Does this sound like something you’d enjoy? Let me know in the comments below! And if you haven’t already subscribed to the blog, be sure to do that before you go to stay up to date on all the latest adventures.
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And if you’re interested in a couple more Harry Potter-related articles, here’s what I recommend you read next:
- First Look at Harry Potter: A Forbidden Forest Experience
- Best of the Park Guide to Islands of Adventure, Orlando
- Best of the Park Guide for Exploring Universal Studios, Orlando
And if you want to see footage from this event, check out my YouTube video here:
Thanks for stopping by, and happy travels!
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