I am just going to have to watch Harry Potter aren't I?

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My closest friend is having her 50th this year. I am a few years older than her, so I am not sure if this contributes to my lack of knowledge on the subject.

She is quite Harry Potter mad. She watches the films over again every now and then also has themed objects, like Le Creuset dishes and the likes.

She is having a Harry Potter party, I am not too shocked about this. The thing is, I have never watched Harry Potter, it just isn't something that ever appealed to me.

She chats to me about her party plans and is bouncing things off of me, and tbh I do not have a clue about half the stuff. I suggested something food wise and so she said, well actually that doesn't fit in with the theme 😂

She is a great friend and I would love to help her. But that means I am going to have to watch the films now I think. I have to dress up too, so I could pop along to the costume hire place and ask them to suggest something, but then I think I would be being a bit of a fraud not knowing who I am.

So I need advice. Do I need to watch them all? If I just watch the first one will that sum it all up? Or should I rather just watch the last one, and try fill in gaps, so I am a bit caught up.

Please don't suggest the books either. I think that seems way more torturous.

quickest thing to do is watch the first film
the audio books are good but long and time consuming
then look at plot and character summaries to choose a character
I agree, Mrs Weasley would be a good one and easy to do

the only issue I can see is that some of the other party go-ers might be HP nerds and quibble with your costume in some way

I think the people decrying adults' interest in these books probably haven't read them and have no idea how complex, and in the end, how dark they are. They definitely grew with the audience and I wouldn't recommend the later ones for younger children at all. They aren't my favourite books but when my children were that age I was drawn into the plots. They definitely beat Lord of the Rings into a cocked hat yet somehow that fantasy world is an acceptable interest for adults. Now I wonder why that might be?

Actually no, I don't wonder.

Presumably she knows this about you if you're good friends.

I'd just remind her I've not seen/read any of it but am happy to help by looking on pinterest etc. The internet is so saturated with Harry Potter due to it's enduring popularity that all you really need to do is a quick Google of 'Harry potter party ideas' 'Harry potter party food' and 'Harry potter costume ideas" pick a few, pass on a few and that's that. No need at all to watch the series, read it or make a big thing out of it.

If you do go for the audibooks with Stephen Fry, he is generally very good but some of his character voices are pretty bad and he pronounces certain things oddly in a jarring way. His attempts at different accents are awful, the Irish ones make me really cringe.

I'd recommend doing the Sorting Hat quiz on the official website to find out which Hogwarts house you belong in!

Then you can get the correct colour accessories.

I'm a Hufflepuff (Badger, yellow and black).

Wow, thanks everyone. I did have to go and be a bit productive, I didn't expect quite so many responses.

I had a look for the audio, and as someone said earlier, I was quite shocked about how long they are. I did a double glance when it said it was 124 hours long, but that is all of the books. 8 hours for the first one.

I have reconsidered, and think I will give at least the first film a go. Who knows, maybe I will get hooked, and then watch them all.

As for the comments about having a child-like theme for an adult party. I didn't think it odd at all. An interest in something particular doesn't have to have a time frame. And I think that by the time you turn 50, it is an unwritten rule that you can do exactly as you please without a care of what other people think.

Thank you for all the suggestions for the dress up. I think I will have to read the thread again after watching, as at the moment they are just names and I cannot visualize them. Another reason I think watching the film is better.

I do think I am not going to tell her I am watching, and then see her face when I roll off names of characters and not be totally clueless 😀

I totally agree! I'm 36 and grew up alongside Harry Potter. Our teacher in Y6 at primary school read the first book to us and it was magical as we were the same age as Harry. I still remember queuing in the middle of the night with my brother to get a copy of the last book when I was about 18.

One of the themes in the book is of the magical world (Harry etc) and the muggle world (ordinary people in the real world) not understanding each other - if you decide not to watch the films, then you could always go as a muggle, and pretend that you have literally been invited to a real magical party for a world you know nothing about - it might be fun! (You could probably get a jumper or something with the word "Muggle" on it )

When Harry first encounters the magical world, he is a muggle too. So if you want to watch the film (I do think the book is a better introduction but the film is fair too) then you will undertake that first year of discovery with him and you could go as a first year Hogwarts student instead.

They don't seem to wear their hats very much. I think they are for formal occasions only.

Let us know what you think of the first film OP! :)

Would you consider dying your hair purple OP? You could go as Tonks.

Look for Movies in Minutes on YouTube. They have a three minute summary of the first film which includes clips and images from the movie.

Also check out HP on How It Should Have Ended... those Time Turners could have saved a lot of trouble 🤣

Go as Crookshanks! (Hermione's cat). Cat ears, black eyeliner for nose and whiskers. Done!

Audio books! Also… why haven’t you? She likes them for a reason. You never know you might unlock a real love for them too 😁

@AllProperTeaIsTheft whilst I agree that perfectly intelligent people can and do read HP you lost your argument by sneering at ‘the tripe’ some people read.
If you’re as clever as you present yourself here then you’ll know that books are written for others to enjoy (mostly) and if the reader does enjoy them then they’ve served their purpose. I prefer anything by Graham Greene and for me his writing style is superb. That’s my personal opinion though and I don’t expect others to agree.

Of course people enjoy books that I consider tripe. And no doubt I read books that they'd consider tripe. My point was that it's unreasonable to assume that the adult books you read (which might not be very well-written, and which many adults might think are tripe) are automatically superior to any book that was aimed at children.

Tell her you are going to be there, wearing an invisibility cloak ( and stay at home!)

I have just started watching the HP films. I started last week but as the films are lengthy, I watch about half one night and the rest another. I'm 35 and my sister is obsessed and has been for years. I'm on the third film and yes they are good but it's definitely not my thing. I'm glad I'm watching them but I definitely won't be watching them again (so far anyway)
I don't think you need to watch any to join in the party fun. Google HP dress up and pick one you like.

Do you happen to have young-adults in your family or other circles? They might be able to tell you all you need to know in an afternoon or so 😊

There's a House of Spells shop in London, and other Harry Potter themed shops too.

The film Yes Man springs to mind 😂you should seriously watch the Harry Potter party bit.

Me and my daughters all love Harry Potter and have watched all movies multiple times…. Lego puzzle lego ect….
this Christmas my husband watched all the movies with us and he struggled with the first two but afterwards he said that he really enjoyed all of them and wanted to watch them again because he felt like he missed stuff
definitely watch all movies

Honestly I'd recommend neither watching nor reading - I love Harry Potter, but even I have to admit the first movie especially is very much geared towards younger audiences - The audiobook however, especially read by Stephen Fry is "chef's kiss" imo and captures the dynamic of the family and the wonder much better than the films did.

When I'm in a HP mood, I'll usually audiobook the first movie, possibly the second as well (unless I'm short of time, then movie it is!), then the third onwards I'll switch to the movies.

If you go for audiobooks, then you can do other thing as well whilst you're listening and then it doesn't feel like you've wasted your time on something you're not massively into!

Stephen Fry read the audiobooks brilliantly. I am an avid reader but not great at reading aloud so I got the audiobooks on CD for my dyslexic DC. They loved them and so did I! So that suits being in the car, walking, relaxing in the evening. When is the party again?

I am a MASSIVE Harry Potter nut, I had a Harry Potter themed wedding and got engaged in London after a weekend at the studios and theatre show. If you’ve any questions please feel free to ask!!! Also, I recommend the audiobooks if you want to get the stories without reading the books fully.

I had a Harry potter themed wedding so might have a few tips! (Feel the need to say we tried to make it as classy as possible).

You can make wands really cheaply using chop sticks, a hot glue gun and brown acrylic paint. They look brill - fab party favour.

Also, very easy to replicate the acceptance letter for invites - the font is available online. A wax melt on the back perfects them!

Realistic wax led candles of varying sizes dotted around the room looks great. We also had some antique frames with our favourite quotes printed on dotted around. As well as props and antique books.

Also if it's fancy dress, you could go as Fleur Delacor. Have always wanted to have the opportunity to pull that one off but I'm probably closer to a shaven Hagrid.

I've got other ideas - happy to share if you need any just conscious that I am waffling.

Ooo I am excited to meet someone else who had a Harry Potter themed wedding @Chab92!

You could get her this cookery book for catering ideas. It's pretty good, we've tried quite a few of the recipes, aesthetically lovely creations.
https://www.whsmith.co.uk/products/the-official-harry-potter-baking-book-harry-potter/joanna-farrow/hardback/9780702311680.html?gad_source=4&gclid=CjwKCAiA-vOsBhAAEiwAIWR0Td7NGJIWq-ij7F86up1ILbHGL1XwMpLC_OyLBQgxeOB1hJ-n_f1p_BoCgtMQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds