How to Host a Harry Potter Marathon

Co-authored by Ivy Summer

Last Updated: November 18, 2023 Approved

If it's been a while since you and your friends have seen the first Harry Potter movie, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001), you may be ready to for a movie marathon!^{[1]
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Research source} Altogether, the Potter films will take about 20 hours to watch start to finish, so you and your crew have your viewing cut out for you.^{[2]
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Research source} But with a little planning, preparation, and a some fun breaks, hosting your Potter movie marathon will be easier than saying wingardium leviosa.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Planning Your Potter Marathon Party

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1
Create a viewing schedule. Twenty hours is a long time to watch anything, even something that you love. You might want to split your marathon into two days and do a half marathon each day, or you might only want to marathon your favorite movies. In any case, write down your general viewing schedule, so you can tell your friends the start and end time of your marathon.
- You can add some fun and imagination to your marathon by also making it a theme party.
- For true, diehard fans who plan on watching the entire series from beginning to end, you should plan a sleepover party. Otherwise, you may have trouble fitting 20 hours of viewing into a single day.
2
Choose break-time activities. Sitting for long periods of time without moving can be bad for your health. Think of Harry Potter themed activities you might do to stretch out your body between viewings. This might include:
- Pretend dueling
- Muggle quidditch
- A Potterverse based board game
- Potter themed charades or pictionary
- Potter themed online quizzes
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3
Make and send invitations. Due to the combined length of the movies, you'll have to start watching early in the day and end late at night. You might even need to continue watching until the morning of the following day. Include your viewing schedule for your guests on your Potter themed invitation, and don't forget to include the address for the party, the time it starts and ends, and whether or not there will be refreshments.
- If you're trying to plan your party on a budget, you might consider making your party a potluck, where everyone brings a dish to pass. This should be clearly indicated on your invitations.^{[3]
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- Write your invitations on yellowed, parchment style paper so your invites imitate mail in the Potterverse. Purchase this paper at your local craft store or at an art supply store. You can try adding the Hogwarts symbol to one side of the envelope, too.
- Use pictures that reference Harry Potter in your invitations. For example, since owls deliver mail in the wizarding world, you might include the picture of an owl on your invitation.
4
Contemplate snacks with a Harry Potter theme. You don't want hunger pangs to interrupt your epic marathon! Think about some popular treats served in the wizarding world, and then do some research online to find recipes for these. You might serve butterbeer or pumpkin juice as drinks, and for food, you might prepare golden snitch cupcakes or Bertie Botts strange flavoured jellybeans. You might make:^{[4]
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- Homemade butterbeer
- Treacle tart
- Cauldron cakes
- Pumpkin juice

Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Setting up for Your Marathon Party

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1
Buy or rent the movies. If you don't have any of the Harry Potter movies, or if you are missing some of them, you'll have to purchase or rent the missing DVDs. Check for scratches ahead of time and give each movie a test run before the day of your party. It would be disappointing if you made it most of the way through your marathon and then had to stop due to a damaged disk or corrupted digital file.
- If you're missing one of the Harry Potter movies in your collection, you might ask one of your friends to bring the movie to the party. That way you can focus on getting ready!
When your marathon day finally arrives, put the first movie on your TV and allow it to play for a few minutes to check the volume. After you've adjusted the volume to a good level, pause the movie at the beginning so all you have to do is push "play."
Disposable cups, paper plates, and a few rolls of paper towel can make clean up easier when your marathon's through.^{[5]
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Research source} You can even buy cups and plates decorated with Harry Potter designs. These should be available at your local grocery or dollar store, though if you have difficulty finding Potterverse themed products, an online retailer might be your best bet.
4
Make and arrange your snacks. Depending on the recipes you've found, or depending on your favourite Potterverse treats, you may need to buy additional supplies from your local grocery store. Once your treats are made, arrange your snacks in a way that mimics the movie, like arranging food on a long table.
- Organize your treats on a rolling cart and pretend during food breaks that you're riding the Hogwarts Express!
- Have backup treats ready so that when you've finished one you don't have to interrupt viewing.
You don't need to go over the top, but small details will certainly add to the atmosphere. If you plan on playing muggle quidditch you'll need brooms for players, and these could be stacked off to the side as decorations in the meantime. Posters from the movies can be taped to walls, butterbeer served in an intricate-looking carafe or coffee press, and the books can be placed around the viewing area to give your home some Potter flair.^{[6]
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6
Make Potter-themed goody-bags. These can be something that you send your guests on their way with once the party is done, or maybe you'll want to give these to your friends when they arrive as a way of saying thanks for coming. To make your goody-bags more authentic, you might include:
- Chocolate coins wrapped in gold foil
- Mini creatures, like spiders, frogs, and dragons or owls
- A "potion" that's really a juice box
7
Clear your viewing space. You'll want your space to be as comfortable and as easy to move around in as possible. Move furniture that is blocks walkways or takes up unnecessary space, and bring extra seating from other rooms if you are able.
- If you are worried you won't have enough seating, you might make a cosy nest with blankets and pillows in front of your TV.
Even if you don't have a CD of the soundtrack from one of the Harry Potter movies, you can still stream tracks from YouTube, Pandora, or other online media providers. This will get your guests into the mood to marathon watch Harry Potter from start to finish.

Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Watching Harry Potter Marathon Style

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1
Enjoy a pre-viewing activity to prepare for the marathon. This may be as simple as having your guests choose a strip of paper with one of the four Hogwarts houses written on it from a "Sorting Hat." Or you might do something more elaborate, like have each guest that's arrived duel the next guest to arrive.^{[7]
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- If duelling, you might want to write up a cheat sheet for duelists that has offensive and defensive spells listed.
2
Give out house points, if applicable. After you've sorted your guests according to house, you can award points to each house for good things done and trivia known. Use a spare piece of parchment style paper leftover from your invitations, if you have any, and keep track of house points to make things fun. You might award points for:
- Quoting lines with the movie
- Knowing obscure movie facts
- Pointing out errors and mistakes
3
Stick to your schedule. Unplanned breaks might happen over the course of your marathon, but each of those will add time to your already 20 hour long journey through the Potterverse. Be sure food is conveniently placed so that your guests can eat as they get hungry.
- Stopping to prepare food can put you behind in your viewing schedule. Have pre-made food ready to go in your refrigerator, or plan in advance to order in once the snacks are gone.
Stand up and really stretch yourself out every hour or so to prevent yourself from becoming uncomfortable. Sitting for extended periods of time is bad for your health, but taking five to move around and stretch out every 30 minutes to an hour can relieve many of these problems.^{[8]
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As you and your guests graze on the goodies you've set out, you'll have to clear off empty dishes and bring out more food as necessary. Use your scheduled break times to top off your Bertie Botts jellybeans or replenish your cauldron cakes.

Expert Q&A

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What kind of activity could I include for guests?

Ivy Summer
Party Planner
Ivy Summer is a Certified Wedding Planner and the Owner of Voulez Events. Ivy has over 10 years of experience consulting, planning and coordinating weddings around the globe. She has also created a DIY online wedding planning workshop for couples, called "Plan Your Wedding Like A Pro." She currently resides in Greece where she continues to work with a worldwide network of planners and wedding professionals.

Ivy Summer

Party Planner

Expert Answer

You could have sorting hat activity! If guests know what house they're in, they could stick with that, but for those who don't identify with a specific house, you could have them sit down in a special chair, Put the "sorting hat" on them, and discuss which house they fall into. That can often be a super fun, interactive activity!

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What kind of decorations can I use for a Harry Potter marathon party?

Ivy Summer
Party Planner
Ivy Summer is a Certified Wedding Planner and the Owner of Voulez Events. Ivy has over 10 years of experience consulting, planning and coordinating weddings around the globe. She has also created a DIY online wedding planning workshop for couples, called "Plan Your Wedding Like A Pro." She currently resides in Greece where she continues to work with a worldwide network of planners and wedding professionals.

Ivy Summer

Party Planner

Expert Answer

You can recreate the floating candles look just by hanging painted paper towel and toilet paper tubes from fishing lines. That's a really fun, crafty project and the look is ultimately really cool.

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When is a good time to take bathroom breaks during a marathon?

Community Answer

You could take breaks in between each movie or plan a set amount of break time every couple of hours or so. There's also an app called "RunPee" that tells you when there is a lull in the action of a movie so you can go to the restroom.

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Tips

Put out cushions, pillows and blankets to make things comfy for your friends.

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Make sure to have very caffeinated beverages for late at night.

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If you think eight films would be too long for one night, you could show as many or few as you wish, or spread the marathon over several days.

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* If you Want, Watch the Fantastic Beasts films before the Harry Potter Films. These films are set before Harry Potter. Beware that watching these before or after the Harry Potter Films will add 4.45 hours to your viewing time On Top of the 20 or so hours for HarryPotter

Tips from our Readers

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There are lots of Harry Potter-themed cookbooks out there! If you're looking for specific recipes, check one out and see what magical goodies you can make.
If you can, take a nap before you watch the movies. They're pretty long, and if you're watching them all in one night, you might get pretty sleepy!
If you want to make your marathon comfier, you can set sleeping bags around the room so you and your friends can watch while lying down.
Have a MASSIVE box of tissues for the last few movies. Trust me, you'll need them!

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