Let’s pedal all the way back to the year 2000. I know some of you remember it, and some of you were just being born, or not even born yet! My best friend at the time told me I should read these books she liked. Something about Harry Potter. I was very busy at the time reading V.C Andrews, and couldn’t be bothered with these children’s books. But then I saw the trailer for the movie based on these books. And so, as is still a thing for me, I picked up the book and read it before the movie came out. Long story short, the books (and movies) resonated with me in a way little else did. I was already too old to receive my letter, but like all of you, I dreamed of butter beer, and chocolate frogs and going to Hogwarts. Luckily, Universal Studios partnered with J.K Rowling to create the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, and all of our HP wishes came true.

© Universal Orlando
© Universal Orlando

Harry Potter Celebration is a yearly expo that takes place at Universal Orlando and features talent from the movies and lots of interactivity, but above all, it gives all of us Harry Potter fans a place to belong. This was my first Harry Potter Celebration, and I don’t think it will be my last.

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This is fine.

If you happen to love Harry Potter, then you are in luck, because I do too! I will have many articles coming out about Harry Potter Celebration, and this is the first one. Here are ten perfectly good reasons you’re going to LOVE Harry Potter Celebration.

1. You get to breathe the same air as the stars!

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I’m pretty sure Ron Weasley is looking right at me.

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You might even meet them!! This year, the line up was: Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley) Evanna Lynch (Luna Lovegood), Matthew Lewis (Neville Longbottom), Katie Leung (Cho Chang) and Bonnie Wright (Ginny Weasley). And there were many events you could go to and watch them talk.

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That thing where Ron Weasley is always looking at you.

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For many young fans, this was their first time seeing a celebrity and I saw many people who were simply starstruck.

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2. SWAG. FREEBIES. FREE STUFF. dfg

The best thing by far was the gorgeous print they gave us. Honorable mention to the paper house ties. I love this kind of stuff because it’s easy to bring your friends back home something!! Cursed Child Postcards? Harry Potter coloring pages!! Photo props!! All FREE (with admission)

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3. You can embrace your inner wizard personality.

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First years take boats, adults surf into Hogwarts

As an adult who (in my mind) has gone to Hogwarts, I took my outfit planning very seriously. Day one, I was an adult, who had graduated from Hogwarts, with a little throwback to my house, Slytherin, in the form of a velvet damask design on a black dress and accented by a green scarf. (Take the Pottermore test to find out what you are!) Day two, I rocked my OTHER favorite house, Gryffindor with a scarf that I got in London in 2003, when no Harry Potter merchandise existed in the US, and online shopping wasn’t a thing yet. What dark times!! (Fun Fact: The scarfs tag says Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. The British title.) I’m also wearing a beautiful dress Pin Up Girl Clothing gifted to me at Dapper Day last year, which is the most comfortable and versatile dress of my life that instantly makes me look cute:

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Do you like my tevas?

I saw many people taking it above and beyond, dressing in Wizarding World Clothes that would have the costume designers of the movies jealous! I thought I did a great job with my outfits, but I’ll need to step it up next year!

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4. You can Cosplay.

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Feeling confident to go beyond Wizard looks? Dress as your favorite character and get endless attention and people asking for photos. These are just a few of the really great ones I saw! I never even thought how cool it would feel to dress as someone from the movie and then get pics in Diagon and/or Hogsmeade!! Now to think of who to be!!

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5. You get to hear personal stories from the creators of the movies.

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Harry Potter propmaster Pierre Bohanna shows us a wooden bat that Beater’s use in Quidditch

Lots of people worked on the movies and the parks. They literally stand up and tell you where their ideas came from, how cool it was to work with J.K. Rowling and others. You can’t help but feel inspired!

6. You get to nerd out with a bunch of people who totally get you.

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This year several things happened where I felt very close to the thousands of people around me. Easily, the best one was the tribute Universal Orlando did for Alan Rickman each day. A little montage, and all the wizards and witches in the audience raised their wands. Full. Body. Chills. And not gonna lie, I totally teared up. The feeling in the air was pure magic.

7. 2 words. Butter Beer.

Image Credit: https://www.micechat.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/IMG_16151-610x406.jpg
Image Credit: http://theblondeabroad.com/

Drink your weight in the many varieties of Butter Beer, and LIVE THE MAGIC.

8. You can get sorted by the real sorting hat.

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Not sure where you fall? Let the sorting hat help you figure it out and make a literal dream of yours come true! It talks, it READS YOUR MIND. And don’t be scared off by the child in the pictures, there were more adults in line than children.

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9. Special Merchandise

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Looking to buy Dumbledore’s Cup? Maybe a prop replica? They have it all. They even have event specific merchandise (of course). But the artwork is top notch and I came close to buying a 1 or 5 things.

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10. Surprises

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The event held several lovely surprises. Fireworks to the Harry Potter music was one of the unannounced things that even guest relations team members didn’t know about! They announced several new Harry Potter offerings around the globe, including Pottermore’s involvement in new (well, new to muggles hehe) Wizarding Schools. WE’RE ALL GOING TO HAVE TO BE SORTED ALL OVER AGAIN!

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And even your own family can surprise you… On our way to the event, my husband and I debated whether or not I should buy a wand. We’re pretty practical theme park people, so we don’t buy a lot of souvenirs. Ultimately I decided I didn’t “need” it, and we moved on. Little did I know… while I was working to take pictures, my husband stepped out, bought me Snape’s wand (my favorite character) and even had the box signed by the one of the real wandmakers from Warner Bros. YOUR OWN FAMILY CAN BE MAGICAL TOO.

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Now, for a little speculation on next year’s event…

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Universal is currently building Sapphire Falls, another family hotel, after the massive success they had with the ultra family friendly Cabana Bay Resort. Sapphire Falls is specifically including building 115,000 square feet of meeting space. Gee, what big, crowded event could they put in that meeting space??

HARRY POTTER CELEBRATION!! I am just speculating, Universal hasn’t announced this, but it does seem likely that they will move the expo to the convention hall, so this event can eventually turn into a San Diego Comic Con: Harry Potter Style. And wow will the event GROW if they do this.

Now.. since I live in Tampa, I needed to find a place to stay while I was in Orlando for the Harry Potter Celebration and was delighted when Choice Hotels offered me a room. Boy did I hit the jackpot because it actually turned into one of my best hotel stays I’ve had in Orlando. Let’s start out with location. The Clarion Inn & Suites is almost LITERALLY across the street from Universal Orlando. We turned out of the parking lot and 1 min later were entering the parking garage. That’s pretty cool.

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It was late when we got to the hotel after a long day in the parks. We pulled up to a pretty unassuming building and prepared for an Old Florida Motor Lodge with that familiar smell…

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As we entered the lobby and I saw purple lights, I got really excited. Purple is my favorite color. We opened the doors and I was met with severe modern elegance, like, wait. Hotels in my price range look like this?

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It smelled really clean, felt really clean and was bright and modern. I couldn’t believe how nice it looked! Let’s keep in mind that as of this posting, rates start at $79 a night. I’ve stayed in plenty of places in Orlando for more than $79 that were super sketchy, and this place felt much more expensive than I’m used to.

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The lobby features a bar and ample seating. It also has a gift shop and a Coffee shop that serves an ala carte style continental breakfast that you can purchase.

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After arriving arriving late and having not eaten, we were thrilled to get a table at Tabla. Especially after learning it was one of the highest rated Asian restaurants in Orlando. As vegetarians, they had a great spread of incredibly delicious food. In case you don’t know it’s rare to find a place without extensive research that we can find a lot to eat at. We liked this place so much, we’re planning to go back for my birthday in April. It was a wonderful surprise.

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After we ate, we decided to go to the pool because we are hot tub connoisseurs. We planned our whole honeymoon around amazing hot tubs, so trust me when I say we are experts. Once we stepped into the courtyard and entered the pool area, we were really able to take note of the renovations this hotel has done that set it apart from it’s other “motor lodge” style hotels. The trim around the outside has been beefed up with lots of moldings that make the courtyard look rich. The pool area also had a bar and ample chairs. The pool has a zero entry side that makes it really welcoming and modern.

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The hot tub is in it’s own little area with modern planters and a gate around it. We found the temperature to be perfect, the jets to be strong and experience sublime as we rested our bodies after a day in the parks. A hotel in Orlando having a hot tub is a must for me. How else do you rest your tired body after 10 mile days in the parks!?

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It was time to go back to the room and get some shut eye, as we had an early day at Universal Orlando the following day. On our way back we passed the smoking area, which is nicely themed and out of the way. We saw a few people utilizing it, but did not smell smoke during our stay. (The hotel is smoke free) I like that it was themed with faux gaslights and a fountain. I also like that you can tell this hotel is trying and the person trying has a good vision and design team.

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Our room was right int front of the pool, a short walk from the lobby. Upon opening the door, the purple theme and sultry richness of the resort continued to blow us away.

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Like… Is this Vegas??

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Yeah, that’s an extra room there at the end, and yes the couch folds out into a bed. And look at that chair!

The room also featured a coffee maker, your basic toiletries, but best of all… The desk lamps had USB chargers AND outlets built into them. I typically bring 3 power strips with me, and I didn’t have to use one!

The beds were really comfortable and the room was clean, and smelled clean (not musty or moldy). We had a really great stay that was grounded in surprises around every corner. Where I expected things to be dirty, they were clean. Where I expected things to be basic, they were elevated.

The following morning we took an uber over to Universal Orlando and it cost $3. If you’re more adventurous, you could easily walk there in less than 10 minutes. And let me remind you… this resort costs less than $100 a night on average. If you’d like to stay here, please tell them that Stephenie from MiceChat sent you (they were super nice) and click over to their website to book your room!

So what do you think? Do I make a convincing case for going to Harry Potter Celebration? Are you planning to go to Harry Potter Celebration in 2017? I’m gonna start working on my outfits! Watch out for my other articles, where we will go in further in depth into Harry Potter and the Wizarding World!

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Stephenie
Stephenie (@StephIsHappening) is a professional photographer who lives in the heart of Hollywood, California. Stephenie shoots on set photography, live shows, and events in Los Angeles. She also takes on a limited number of theme park shoots, family sessions and weddings every year. To get in touch with Stephenie please visit her website PhotographybyStephenie.com or follow her on instragram @StephIsHappening and @PhotographyByStephenie