[Book Events] Indigo Midnight Magic: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Release Party (Toronto)

Harry Potter Midnight Magic

I am perhaps the worst journalist/reporter ever as I’m recapping this event to you a week later lololol.

Last Saturday on July 30, 2016, I had the wonderful opportunity to hang out at Indigo’s midnight release party for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.

Let me preface this post to say that while I am a fan of the the Harry Potter universe, I’m that person who read a few of the books and opted for the films instead (because reasons). So I was mostly there for the community and to do my blogging due diligence as I didn’t pre-order or get a copy for myself.

But let’s get on with the festivities!

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Is there ever a too early for an event?

I arrived at Indigo Bay & Bloor impossibly early (like 5+ hours too early) with Amanda @ Brains, Books, and Brawn and Ambur @ Burning Impossibly Bright — who I met for the first time since I rarely get to attend Book Riot’s Read Harder monthly meet-up! — and after making the rounds through the store (as one does), we chilled at Starbucks, caught Drowsy’s, and talked about upcoming publications (as one also does).

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Book blogging community!

On the morning of, I saw a tweet from the OG (see: Original Gangster, bottom left Slytherin) Michele @ Just a Lil Lost, that she was partnering up with Indigo to live tweet the event using the hashtags #IndigoMidnightMagic and #IndigoHarryPotter and naturally, it’s lovely to see members from our community at events like these! She came with Karen @ One More Page… and Jessica @ Paper Trail Diary. The two cool individuals at the back were attendees who swagged out in HP garments (they initially wanted to photobomb but community is community).

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The event in full swing!

Festivities didn’t start until past 9 or 10 p.m., I forget. Regardless, this particular release party had 5 (?) stations for patrons to do Harry Potter-y things; decked out with employee–er, Wizards–manning each section. Among the activities available included: trivia, fortune telling, getting sorted into your house, wand painting, and writing on a large [almost] mural of ‘what HP means to you?’ (which I sadly forgot to write on).

What was most surreal was that this event drew crowds of all ages and everyone shared a very similar smile for the joy this piece of literature has given the world.

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Painting wands at Ollivanders!

I didn’t get to actually go through all of the stations because line-ups were long and hectic but I did get to experience a wand choosing me. It was a pretty neat trick that they used wooden chopsticks and hot glue to create the designs on each wand. Plus, the lady running this booth was really chill with us being there for half the night haha.

I did really want to do the fortune telling thing (despite seeing several shops on the way to work anyways) and kind of wished the activities began a lot earlier than they did as each iteration of trivia, fortune telling, or sorting hat, took a bit of time.

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 That moment you get re-sorted. Again.

So this may be perhaps the 37th time I’ve done the Pottermore Sorting Quiz and I typically get Slytherin/Ravenclaw as my house. So what did I get tonight? Hufflepuff. I don’t discredit it because I’m very Canadian but the Hufflechu in me had some existential crisis. Damnit.

Also full disclosure: so much paper could have been saved for the Pottermore quizzes with efficient printing (notwithstanding other means of going about this).

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The Aftermath

As is standard with most of Indigo’s signings, you had to pick up a ticket to join the line to get first dibs on x prize; being Cursed Child. Thankfully, I didn’t have to line up but the others were on the ball with their lining up.

As Cursed Child was Strict on Sale (which in laymen terms means: do not fucking open the box until the day of release because contracts and fines), they had a countdown (around 12:08 a.m.) to unwrap the crate and the excitement was high!

The above is a picture of myself, Amanda, and Ambur’s wands that we painted, the glorious copy of Cursed Child everyone had been anticipating, and a tote that came with it.

And as we left Indigo, and platform 9 3/4, it concluded my first midnight release party for a book!

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Afterthoughts:

Thanks for the hosting a wonderful night of fun, Indigo!

Did you attend a midnight release party near you?

Have you read Harry Potter and the Cursed Child yet, if so, did you like/dislike it?

Cheers,
Joey

connect: 
afterthoughtAn // twitter
anotherafterthought // goodreads
picturevomit // instagram