Here are some budget-friendly, yet magical Harry Potter party ideas for any occasion! Perfect for a birthday, anniversary or a Potter movie marathon!

A boy lives with his aunt’s family and moves out when he gets accepted to a boarding school. Sounds like a perfectly normal thing to happen.

However, if the boy lives in a cupboard under the stairs, and an owl delivers his acceptance letter, you know things aren’t going to be predictable – they’re going to be magical!

Yes, we’re talking about Harry Potter, the boy wizard, whose birthday falls on 31st July. If you’re planning to host a party in his honor or for any other reason, we’ve got some interesting DIY Harry Potter party ideas for you to try!

Contents show

25 Magical Harry Potter Party Ideas for Kids

Harry Potter Party Ideas for Invitations

1. Hogwarts Express Ticket Invite

Your party prep will start by sending out invites, so let’s make sure it’s done in style! Wild and Grizzly has some Hogwarts Express tickets that work perfectly for a Harry Potter party!

2. Balloon Owl Party Invitations

In the Harry Potter universe, it’s the owls that deliver important messages, so it’s only fair that an owl deliver your party invites! One Creative Mommy shows us how to get it done with a white balloon owl – genius!

3. Owl Post Party Invites

When it’s a list of Harry Potter party ideas, owls are sure to feature a lot, which is why we’ve got another owl-themed invitation from Tonya Staab. This is a good choice if you don’t want to bother with balloons or have to mail the invites.

4. Hogwarts Letter Party Invitations

Imagine getting an acceptance letter from Hogwarts – how cool would that be? Well, thanks to Live Love Local Blog, you can make this dream come true for your friends by sending them Hogwarts letter invites!

Harry Potter Party Ideas for Decor

5. Platform 9 3/4 Brick Doorway Decoration

Moving on to Harry Potter party ideas for decorations, we love this one from Color the Moon, which sets the mood for the rest of your bash! The bricks are arranged in an offset manner which makes them spin as you walk through, just like in the books!

6. DIY Flying Keys

Remember the enchanted flying keys that protected the Sorcerer’s stone? Everyday Best shows us how to turn ordinary keys into the enchanted version, and it’s a lot easier than you think!

7. Printable Harry Potter Hogwarts Banner

Let all the Hogwarts houses come to life in this colorful banner from Laura’s Crafty Life! You can make this banner even without specialized machines – all you need is some creativity and patience!

8. DIY Harry Potter Floating Candles

The floating candles in the Great Hall looked amazing in the movies, and it seems like a magical environment to have a meal. Well, Happiness is Homemade shows us how to make that a reality, with this DIY project!

9. Hogwarts House Hurricane Vases

My Nerd Nursery has multiple Harry Potter party ideas for you to try, but our favorite is this hack with the hurricane vases! They’ve dyed unpopped popcorn kernels with house colors and filled them in the vases, topped with matching flowers – gorgeous!

Harry Potter Party Ideas for Food

10. DIY Edible Sorting Hats

You can’t have a list of Harry Potter party ideas without featuring a sorting hat, and Party like a Cherry gives us an easy way to sort your guests into houses! Let them crack open their edible hat, and the color decides their house!

11. Nimbus 2000 Broomstick Snack

Harry’s Nimbus plays an important role in all his adventures, and Ruffles and Rainboots shows us how easy it is to make broomsticks out of chocolate cups and sticks!

12. Golden Snitch Chocolates

We love how The Baker Upstairs converts easily available golden-wrapped chocolates into Snitch balls! All you need to do is add some golden wings to the balls, and you’re done!

13. Monster Book of Monsters

How would you deal with a textbook that tried to bite your fingers off every time you tried to open it? Well, if it’s the Monster Book of Monsters, you’d have to stroke the spine, but in the case of these brownie books fromGarden Seeds and Honey Bees, you can gobble them up!

14. Double Tier Harry Potter Cake

Ah, the main event of this list of Harry Potter party ideas – the cake! Pretty My Party has an impressive cake design that will feed a crowd, but isn’t too complicated or fussy.

15. Kid-friendly Butterbeer Recipe

After all that food, you need something to wash it down and Princess Pinky Girl has the perfect thing – Butterbeer, the popular drink at The Three Broomsticks Inn!

Harry Potter Party Ideas for Activities

16. DIY Paper Bag Puppet

Gather some plain brown paper bags and craft paper and let the kids have a blast creating their own paper bag Harry Potter puppet which they can take home with them!

17. Pin the Scar on Harry

Most party ideas will feature some form of Pin the Tail on the Donkey, and in this list of Harry Potter party ideas, we’re doing it with Harry’s scar! Finding Time to Create gives us detailed instructions on how to make this, with foam board, vinyl and cardstock.

18. ‘Have you Seen this Wizard?’ Photo Prop

Wild and Grizzly has the perfect photo prop for a Harry Potter party – and we love it! Kids are going to have fun peeping through the frame, and you can also keep a few round glasses and wands on hand.

19. Quidditch Party Game

If the weather is nice, take the kids outside for a fun game of Quidditch! Now you can’t fly around on broomsticks, but you can still have fun – simply follow the instructions at Color the Moon.

20. DIY Harry Potter Obstacles Party Game

If you’re looking for Harry Potter party ideas for slightly older kids, this game from Crafting Cheerfully is perfect. You’ll need to get a few things ready and learn the rules, but then it’s going to be a blast!

Harry Potter Party Ideas for Return Gifts

21. Harry Potter Craft Stick Bookmarks

These Harry Potter stick bookmarks are easy to make and are great for a big party. You can use these for any kind of book – not necessarily one that deals with wizards and magic!

22. DIY Hogwarts House Treat Containers

Since your guests were sorted into houses at the beginning of your party, let’s end the bash by giving them a little house-colored treat jar to take home. Fern and Maple gives us all the instructions to make these.

23. DIY Hogwarts Trunk Ornaments

How cute are these trunk ornaments from Home Talk? They do require a bit of time and effort, so they may be more suitable for a party that has fewer guests. Or you could use them as prizes for the party games.

24. DIY Harry Potter Bath Bombs

A Pumpkin and a Princess shows us how to make some gorgeous Harry Potter-themed party bombs that will carry the party’s theme further, even when your guests reach home.

25. DIY Harry Potter Peg Dolls

Artsy Fartsy Mama shows us how to make all the main characters from the Harry Potter series from peg dolls, but you can stick to just the main trio to give out to your guests.

We hope you’ve got enough inspiration from these Harry Potter party ideas to have a truly memorable bash! These aren’t just great for kids; they’re suitable for Potterheads of any age. So as we celebrate the boy wizard’s birthday, you can have a watch party with your best buds – in true magical style!

If you’d like to check out more party ideas, here you go: