Get 'Harry Potter and the Cursed Child' at Phoenix, Tempe release parties
“Whether you come back by page or by the big screen, Hogwarts will always be there to welcome you home.”
That was J.K. Rowling’s promise when the last Harry Potter film premiered in London in July 2011.
It’s been five years since the "Deathly Hallows: Part 2" film and nine years since the release of the final Harry Potter novel. On July 31, Rowling’s promise will be fulfilled. Potter heads can return to the wizarding world on a new page. And Changing Hands Bookstore is helping them get there.
Changing Hands is holding a midnight release party for “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child: Parts One and Two” at its Phoenix location on July 30, followed by a family-friendly event on July 31.
Brandon Stout, the marketing director at Changing Hands, said the excitement for “Cursed Child” has been intense, with ticket sales immediately taking off and not letting up.
The midnight party has been sold out since July 16. By July 18, more than 500 tickets had been sold.
Pre-ordering the book from Changing Hands for $29.99 (plus tax) granted a Hogwarts Express admission ticket for two to the midnight party. The pre-ordered books will be distributed to ticket holders at midnight and the following day to those who cannot be present.
The ticket also admits a family of four to the family-friendly release parties at the Phoenix and Tempe locations. Books and tickets to the family-friendly parties are still available.
“Cursed Child” is the script book of the new play premiering in London on July 30. The book will be released worldwide at midnight on July 31.
Changing Hands' midnight event is celebrating the new story with the kind of release party Potter fans flocked to years ago.
Festivities will include Tabletop Quidditch, a Care of Magical Creatures game, trivia for the most expert Potterheads, fortune-telling and a costume contest.
Stout said the bookstore’s challenge will be living up to fans’ memories of past parties.
“How do you live up to that as a bookstore putting on an event like this?” he said. “Maybe the beer will help.”
The bookstore’s wine, beer and coffee bar, First Draft Book Bar, will be open and special brews will include alcoholic Butterbeer and PolyJuice Potion, non-alcoholic Butterbeer, and Pumpkin Pasties.
Stout said though alcohol will be served and activities are geared toward adults, there is no age requirement for the party because the store knows some adults will want to bring their kids who want to get their hands on the book as soon as it is released at midnight.
Faith Hochhalter, a children’s book specialist at Changing Hands, helped plan the release parties for the last three Harry Potter books and remembers a very “teenagery” crowd. This time around, she expects to see those teenagers come back as adults with families of their own.
“We're seeing a lot of that generation of parents coming into the store and introducing their kids to Harry Potter and getting them excited about it, too,” Hochhalter said. “So we're really excited about having, like, a multigenerational fanbase for Harry Potter.”
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“Cursed Child” is the first Potter work conceived for the stage instead of the page, and it’s the first not to be written by Rowling. The script was written by playwright Jack Thorne. Rowling served as a collaborator on the original story with Thorne and director John Tiffany.
Brandi Stewart, a children’s book buyer for Changing Hands, said fans don’t seem to mind.
“I think even though the format of the book is different ... the enthusiasm seems to be just as high as it ever was,” Stewart said, “People are just excited to have something more to read in that world.”
The cultural phenomenon that is Harry Potter goes beyond the books, Stout said. It’s a community of likeminded people who want to share in the experience.
It’s an experience Changing Hands is happy to join.
“The Phoenix store has only been open for two years now, so we've never had the opportunity to do this,” Stout said. “We're as excited, I think, as everybody else is to see how it goes.”
Hochhalter said she, along with Stewart, is just excited to have an excuse for another Potter party.
“You need an excuse to party? We've got one,” Stout said. “Really that's what it boils down to in the end, doesn't it? Just a good pretext for dressing up, coming out with your friends, reliving some of those old memories, revisiting those characters, (and) doing it in a familiar, comfortable place.”
Potterheads, welcome home.
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Release Parties: "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child"
When: 10 p.m. Saturday, July 30. 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Sunday, July 31
Where: Changing Hands, 300 W. Camelback Road, Phoenix.
Admission: $29.99 for a hardcover copy of “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Parts One and Two.” Midnight party sold out.
Details: 602-274-0067, changinghands.com.
