Today was such an exciting day as we celebrate Harry Potter in Aurora, IL. I was lucky enough that one of my friends had an extra ticket to the day's festivities. I'm one among thousands of people who stood in line in a cold Saturday morning in Aurora, but didn't get lucky enough to snag tickets. But thanks to my friend Ashley, who snagged me a ticket, I was able to attend! What a great day to spend time with some great friends!
Coming here for the first time this year, I was so excited to cosplay. But at the very last minute, I decided not to dress up. I did a whole day at the Bristol Renaissance Faire the day before, and quite honestly I just wanted to relax for this Sunday! But in any case, I do have a cute outfit on (more on that below, in case you're interested).
My Highlights from the Event
I have never spent much time in Aurora, IL, so when we arrived I was in awe of how beautiful this town was! The town didn't completely transform into Hogwarts, but its decor and signs were brilliant as they gave a nod to the fantasy world of Harry Potter.
I completely enjoyed seeing Platform 9 3/4, where they had a tiny train going around the city. And butterbeer came in bottle and drink form. I liked the drink sold with the whipped cream better out of the two. And it turns out that the bottled version sells for $23 on-line and only $12 for a 4 pack at the event.
The Paramount Movie Theatre showed movies 1 through 4, and this one was open to the public. You could watch the movies for only $1. And SOAR Illinois(Save our American Raptors, INC.) gave a presentation on owls.
They turned the Fire Museum into the Hogwart's School. Children registered for classes like potion making and learning about herbology. We wanted to join the classes, but they booked so fast and a lot of people booked on-line. A Quiddich match also took place during the event.
Diagon Alley had so may vendors. I loved seeing all the Harry Potter themed items. And unfortunately there wasn't a lot of traffic by the Hogsmead village area since it's a bit away from the action. It was right by SciTech Hands on Museum, which also featured events for an extra fee of $9.75 (nine and three-quarter dollars).
Both the Tanner Museum and David L. Pierce Art and History Center featured treasure hunts for free. The Basement of the Dead featured a wand laser tag event that day as well. They also set-up a food truck station for all within the festival area.
All in all, it was definitely a family friendly event! No wonder thousands of people loved going to this each year! Well done, Aurora, IL!
Here's more pictures from the event:
Want to get my full outfit? Here's the shopping list!
Oh and don't forget my blog post about the 30 Harry Potter Collectibles in Honor of His Birthday!
Want to see more pics from the RennCon event at Bristol Renaissance Faire the day before, click on the image below -
Don't forget to check out these upcoming events in the area!
International Sailor Moon Day: Chicago
August 4- 6, 2017
Check out the fantastic 3-day event for International Sailor Moon event organized by the Otherworld Thaeatre group. Get your tickets now!
Chicago RetCon - Bringing Comics Back to Comic Con
August 12-13, 2017
Chicago RetCon features local comic book artists on this 2-day event. Type in CODE: GeeksAGogo to get 20% off tickets to the show! Get your tickets today!
And lastly, don't forget we have 10% off tickets to Wizard World all over the country! Take advantage of the savings with CODE:GEEKSAGOGO
Till next time, geeks! :)
