PRESS RELEASE                                                                                          Contact: Katie English

October 8, 2014                                                                                              267-974-1250

Harry Potter Fan Festival Returns to Chestnut Hill

October 17th and 18th

Watch the video! www.youtube.com/watch?v=FXu-n_SkukM

Philadelphia, Pa – October 8, 2014.   The Chestnut Hill Business District announced today that Germantown Ave. will transform into Hogsmeade on October 17th and 18th for the 4th Annual Chestnut Hill Harry Potter Festival. Thousands are expected to attend, many in costume.

Throughout the weekend, Chestnut Hill restaurants and retailers will offer Harry Potter fun and activities including inspired edibles like Golden Snitches and butter beer, face painting, glitter tattoos, wand making, owl decorating, and fortune telling. The 5th Annual Brotherly Love Quidditch Tournament will be held at Chestnut Hill College on Saturday, October 18th with more than 16 college and university teams.

Friday, October 17th will feature the annual Harry Potter Pub Crawl from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. along Germantown Ave.  The Pub Crawl tickets sold out within the first 9 hours on sale!

On Saturday, October 18th, board SEPTA’s 9:15 a.m. “Hogwarts train” from Jefferson Station in Center City making all regular stops (including Suburban and 30th Street Stations) to Chestnut Hill West for the Harry Potter Festival Opening Ceremony. Harry Potter and friends will be onboard the train and arrive at the station at 9:45a.m. for the official Opening Ceremony of the Harry Potter Festival. Festivities along Germantown Avenue and at Chestnut Hill College will follow.  Here’s a sampling of the events and fun planned for Saturday, October 18th on Germantown Ave.:

  • The “Hunt for the Horcrux,” – fun activities for children up and down the Avenue including a special activity station hosted by The Franklin Institute
  • Defense Against the Dark Arts Classes
  • Harry, Hermione, Ron, Voldemort, Dumbledore, and more will be on hand to meet & greet.
  • The Bales of Cornwall Straw Maze at Woodmere Art Museum
  • The Jenks Academy of Wizardry & Witchcraft Kid Zone with crafts, a live wizard chess tournament, castle moon bounces, Professor Sprout and herbology tours, and more
  • The Market at Fareway becomes Diagon Alley with a Sorting Hat Demonstration, and other activities for muggles and wizards
  • The Great Hall at Iron Hill Brewery  featuring real Butter Beer
  • A Muggles Read-a-Thon featuring a live reading of Harry Potter & The Sorcerer’s Stone
  • Fortune tellers, face painters, magicians, caricatures, a photo booth, a wizard wheel of fortune, pumpkin decorating, glitter tattoos,  games and activities, and  specialty food, drink and retail promotions.
  • Selfie Station at Hedwigs Hollow with Dementors, Owls and Aragog

“For the 4th Annual Chestnut Hill Harry Potter Festival, we have added even more magical fun to this weekend filled with wizardry and wonder,” said Martha B. Sharkey, Executive Director of the Chestnut Hill Business District.  “Mark your calendars and join us on October 17th and October 18th as we prepare to transform Philadelphia’s Garden District into the wonderful world of Hogsmeade!”

The 5th Annual Brotherly Love Quidditch Tournament takes place on the majestic grounds of Chestnut Hill College and features collegiate and community Quidditch teams from across the nation. Quidditch is a popular, semi-contact sport, played by wizards and witches in the Harry Potter novels. The Quidditch Tournament not only gives players the chance to live out the fantasy of Harry Potter, but provides enchanting entertainment to thousands of spectators. A complimentary Knight Bus Trolley and Chestnut Hill College Shuttle will transport Wizards and Muggles all over town, from Germantown Avenue to Chestnut Hill College.

Many thanks to the sponsors of the Chestnut Hill Harry Potter Weekend, including Mike Hickey State Farm Insurance Agency, The Philadelphia Film Festival, and CertaPro.

About the Chestnut Hill Business District

The Chestnut Hill Business Association (CHBA) is a membership organization for its 125 retailers and restaurants and more than 200 professional and sustaining members. The Chestnut Hill Business Improvement District (BID) is supported by commercial property owners with a mission to keep the Chestnut Hill Business District clean, safe, and beautiful. The BID also supports marketing efforts throughout the year. The Chestnut Hill Parking Foundation (CHPF) manages six parking lots throughout the Business District.

Chestnut Hill, located in Northwest Philadelphia and designated as Philadelphia’s Garden District, was selected by Forbes.com as one of the top seven urban enclaves in the country. Chestnut Hill was voted a Distinctive Destination by the National Trust for Historic Preservation and was voted Best Main Street Shopping 2012 by Philadelphia Magazine. For more information, please visit chestnuthillpa.com.

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