We are big Harry Potter fans and not ashamed of that fact at all. I mean, what’s not to love?! Escaping to a special world where magic exists (Mrs. Weasley uses magic to cook, friends), complete with unlikely heroes, bad guys, friendship, family, the redeeming power of love… it’s simply wonderful.
We’re happy that our kids have been swept up in the Harry Potter world, too (not sure they had a choice, to be honest).
So when we heard of the Queen City Mischief & Magic Festival in Staunton in the fall, we were in!
Fortunately, we have dear friends whose families love everything around Potter as much as we do (maybe even more). So we all met up in downtown Staunton for the day.
For this festival, the entire downtown area of Staunton is transformed. The train station becomes Platform 9 3/4, on every block there are characters from the books (and by the way, whoever played Snape was so realistic it was eerie). You can take photos with the characters as well as collect character cards. The kids had a great time with this.
Many attendees, especially the kids, arrive in costume. And that is part of the fun! Lucky for us, we already had two Harry Potter robes in our closets due to previous Halloween costumes, so we were ready.
The kids played large-scale chess and got sorted into houses. Our youngest obviously wanted to test our love and acceptance of him by ACTIVELY ASKING to be put into Slytherin. (We kept him, in case you were wondering.)
There is face painting, food concessions, things to buy, some character performances on the streets, and so much more!
There was even a show with large reptiles, such as this GINORMOUS SNAKE that was so definitely Nagini.
One of my favorite parts of this festival is that it is entirely “homegrown.” It all started, from what I gather, from a group of women who decided to make a festival to celebrate the book series, and it has just grown. The entire downtown area is involved, with shops offering butterbeers and costuming storefronts and staff. Historic downtown Staunton is vibrant on any given day, but seeing the community rally around this festival is incredibly fun. There were even glass blowing demonstrations that we were able to watch – this festival had a little bit of everything.
But the organizers say it best on their website:
Staunton is always magical, but on QCMM weekend, our cup runneth over. We are surrounded by real magic - the kind you can't buy or find anywhere else. It springs from the Stauntonians who transform our charming historic downtown and visitors who gather to celebrate a series of books with wonderful and needed messages of inclusion and acceptance. The power of a well-told story to inspire and give hope should never be underestimated.
Parking wasn’t too difficult for us when we arrived, but we went early in the day and found street parking a few blocks away. There was a bit of a wait for a table at a restaurant to eat lunch (particularly with a group as large as ours) but we were happy to enjoy the festivities on the street while we waited.
It was also fun to simply explore Staunton more. While we’ve been to the Frontier Culture Museum, heading up to the train platform and seeing the view of downtown Staunton was new to us, and a fun detour.
Honestly, it was hard not to get swept up in all the magic and excitement of the day…
There wasn’t any fee to attend this festival and many of the sidewalk and street activities were free. Bring money for concessions, trinkets and food, but otherwise, just enjoy the freedom to believe.
And now, I’m signing off.
Mischief managed.
Learn More about the Queen City Mischief & Magic Festival:
- Official website
- On Instagram
- Also, the books are always better than the movies (promise) so if you haven’t read them, visit our affiliate link and get the set for your home library. You are likely to return to them again and again.
Raising Charlottesville is a website dedicated to highlighting fun & local activities for families living in the Charlottesville, VA area.