Boston becomes Pottersville

Boston becomes Pottersville So tonight is the fateful night for millions of Harry Potter fans across the world. And of course, MIT has more than its fair share of HP geeks, and thus you might be asking yourself, if I went to MIT, what would I be doing for the big release? Let me tell you about some of the Boston/MIT-area parties. At Newtonville Books in Newton (a Green Line trip away), there promises to be possibly the best of the areas events. Beginning at 9pm until the magic hour, the store will host a a night of readings, movie, activities and live music for the whole family! What Makes Newtonville Books party so awesome? For one, theres going to be a musical performance by Kay Hanley. You may know her as the singing voice of Rachael Leigh Cooks Josie in the Josie The Pussycats movie, or as the lead singer of the band Letter to Cleo, which provided the soundtrack for (among other things) the film 10 Things I Hate About You (yes, I cant believe it either two references to 10 Things I Hate About You in less than a year). Also, reading from Harry Potter books will be author Tom Perrotta. Hes probably best known as the author of the book from which the great film Election (with Reese Witherspoon and Matthew Broderick) was made. Its also a costume party, which is always fun. And, as with many other parties, theyll be screening past Harry Potter films. Theyll be having fun activities, too, like wand- and hat-making. To me, this seems like the place to be. One of the other interesting Half-Blood Prince events is being put on by the Charles Hotel here in Cambridge. Their plan is to turn Harvard Square into Hogwarts Square. If you book a room through their package, guests will, upon arrival, reach into the Sorting Hat at the hotels front desk to obtain their guestroom key. At midnight, theyll bring the book directly to your room. In the hotels courtyard, theyll have an outdoor screening of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban; all guests also receive the DVD for free, as well as Droobles Best Blowing Gum. The package includes a suite room (nice!), but runs $299. Some of my favorite Boston-area bookstores are also having cool parties. At Brookline Booksmith, folks will get a free Harry Potter T-shirt, eat exclusive Harry Potter Cookies (including shapes like Hogwarts, lightning bolts, and Harrys glasses), play trivia games, and wear costumes. Here in Cambridge, the Harvard Book Store (not affiliated with Harvard University) will have a cool costume party. They promise face painters who will provide lightening bolt scars; roving triviadours asking HP trivia questions for prizes; and a Diagon Alley Raffle for even more prizes from Flourish Blotts Bookstore, Florean Fortescues Ice Cream Parlor, and Ollivanders Wand Shop. There are many other celebrations nearby to MIT. At the Prudential Center Barnes Noble, theres a Midnight Magic event. The Boston University Barnes Nobles hosts a Harry Potter Pajama Party, including a scavenger hunt. Pandemonium Books Games hosts an adults-only (16+) Hogwarts Alumni Reunion, with games and a Lightning-Quick Fanfic competition. At Curious George (where many of my friends went for the Book 5 release), theres the Harry Potter Midnight Party. And at Henry Bears Park, a toy store, their Harry Potter Year 6 Midnight Party will include a magician. The Boston Public Library, across from MITs former home in Copley Square, has an all-day party on Saturday, with face painting, crafts, games, and a movie marathon. Harry Potter events worldwide can be found, among other places, at potterparties.org. What are your feelings about the book release?