Transfigured Town’s Festival of Wizardry is a Spellbinding Success

This past weekend, I polished my broomstick and flourished my wand as I visited The Transfigured Town and their annual Festival of Wizardry. Witches and wizards of all ages gathered to Blyth, Ontario for a weekend of entertainment, shared passion for the Harry Potter series and all things magical. Potter fans are some the the best dressed patrons of such events. Some of the supreme costumes this year were Dolores Umbridge, Neville Longbottom’s Snape boggart and Remus Lupin, who threw chocolate at the sight of oncoming dementors.

Something new to the festival was the arrival of merchandise and costumes from Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. With the second installment of the Wizarding World movie series coming out November 16 of this year, the fandom has more and more new items and characters to embrace.

Canada’s biggest wizarding festival featured over 100 vendors on the event grounds of 15,000 sq. ft. Throughout the weekend there was wizarding rock music by The Lovegoods, magic shows and improv sketches. This year the festival also attempted the world record for the largest adult scavenger hunt. The grounds had your average food trucks available, but the real treat was the alcoholic Butterbeer (nicknamed “Better Beer”) featured in the Restricted Section. It definitely came the close to the sweet taste of Butterbeer at the Wizarding World in Orlando. The weekend’s big attraction was definitely special guest, Bonnie Wright (Ginny Weasley in the Harry Potter films). Her live interview and photo session sparred a mile-long line-up of fans. 

However, my favorite event was the Quidditch tournament. This muggle version of the magical sport does not include flying, but still is wonderfully entertaining to watch. The exciting final match has sister-teams Valhalla and Valfreyja battle for the trophy. The current regional champions, Valhalla ended up catching the golden snitch and the victory.

The Festival of Wizardry also had a lot of activities for young children. Kids and adults alike enjoyed the inflatable maze, bubble soccer, archery tag, wizard school and crafts. This event was the perfect place to spark the flame for a new generation of young wizards. I saw the beginnings of future of readers, adventurers and nerds. I hope to see them at the next Transfigured Town.

If you fare a fellow fan of Harry Potter, fantasy and human golden snitches running with a tennis ball and pantyhose tucked in their pants, I suggest getting tickets to the next Transfigured Town. It is sure to leave you spellbound.

For more information on the upcoming Transfigured Town events, go to www.transfiguredtown.com

For information on watching a Quidditch game near you, go to www.iqasport.com, www.quidditchcanada.com or www.usquidditch.org