India Indulges In Some Serious Pottermania!

The months and months of waiting, nail-biting, speculating and fan-girling are drawing to a close. July 31 is fast approaching and with it comes the arrival of the much-awaited book, Harry Potter and The Cursed Child! Excuse me while I do my own little happy dance. The book, which is the eighth in the Harry Potter series, will hit stores on the fictional Potter’s birthday and I just cannot wait anymore!

But if you’re a serious Potterhead (like me), bookstores and cafés across the globe are trying to make the wait a little bit sweeter. From midnight parties and Horcrux hunts to tough Harry Potter quizzes and theme-based games, India, too, has pulled out all the stops to celebrate the upcoming release of the book. While the book will be available in bookstores from 11:30 am on July 31, you can do lots of fun wizardy stuff till then!

Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai and Kolkata have been doing all they can to celebrate the Pottermania that has gripped the world. Scroll on to find out what your city has in store for you until the 31st.

MUMBAI →

1. Trilogy Bookstore

The good news is that this Lower Parel-based bookstore has planned an elaborate Harry Potter & J.K.Rowling party, which will be held on July 31. The event will include a host of fun activities like Muggle Quidditch, a costume party, duels with others, cakes and treats and, of course, the quintessential Harry Potter quiz. They even promise a free copy of the new book with every ticket! The bad news is that all the tickets are sold out! Pottermania, indeed! But for those of you who managed to grab tickets (lucky you!), we’d love to know just how fun the event was.

Location: 1st floor, Building No. 28, Raghuvanshi Mills Compound, Senapati Bapat Marg, Lower Parel (W), Mumbai.
Hours: 4 pm to 8 pm
Contact: 9004444560

2. The Hive

So clearly, Mumbai is leading the Harry Potter fan race. The Hive is hosting Alohomora: The Harry Potter Extravaganza on July 28, but guess what? The tickets are sold out here too! Tough luck, but for the lucky few who acted quickly, there will be magical activities like Quidditch Pong, The World’s Toughest Harry Potter Quiz, a Horcrux Hunt and a Harry Potter-themed menu. Those of you who make it, do let us know how it went in the comments below.

Location: 50-A, Huma Mansion, Chuim Village Road, Off Union Park, Khar (W), Mumbai.
Hours: 5 pm onwards
Contact: 9619962969

3. Crossword – Kemps Corner

At this outlet, not only can you can walk in to snap up your pre-ordered copy, but you can stay on and participate in the Harry Potter cosplay, the quiz session and lots of other fun games and activities, too.

Location: Mohammedbhai Mansion, N.S. Patkar Marg, Below Kemps Corner Flyover, Mumbai.
Hours: 11 am to 8:3o pm
Cost: Free entry
Contact: 022 6627 2104

DELHI →

1. Antisocial – Hauz Khas Village

Antisocial has organised a Harry Potter-based literature and writing workshop, titled The Magic Of Harry Potter. This is a series of 10 workshops and ends on August 6. It includes a panel of speakers like Meenakshi Madhavan Reddy, Gurcharan Das, Sanjoy Roy, Mihir S Sharma and many more, who discuss anything from the themes of the books to the tiniest details of the wonderful world of Harry Potter.

Location: 12, 3rd Floor, Hauz Khas Village, Hauz Khas, Delhi
Hours: Wednesdays and Saturdays, 6 pm to 8 pm
Cost: Rs 3,500
Contact: 7838652814

2. Café Red

Shahpur Jat’s Cafe Red is organising Harry Potter and the Fragrant Latte, to be held on July 31. Expect to enjoy an evening of cosplay, board games and conversations with fellow Potterheads, sparked with bits of magic! Click here for more details.

Location: 5G Jungi House, Shahpur Jat, New Delhi.
Hours: 5 pm to 8 pm
Cost: Free entry
Contact: 081300 78410

BANGALORE →

1. Lightroom Bookstore

Get ready for some fun, Bangalore! Head over to Lightroom Bookstore on July 31, where you can pose for a picture inside their version of the cupboard under the stairs, feast on food ‘fit for wizards’, and participate in their quiz to prove that you’re not a Muggle! They will even be giving away prizes for the best-dressed Potterheads as well as to the winners of the quiz. Want to attend this event? Visit this page for more information

Location: 1, Lewis Road, Cooke Town, Bengaluru.
Hours: 4 pm onward
Cost: Free entry
Contact: 080 2546 0466

CHENNAI →

1. Crossword – Alwarpet

Celebrate the launch of this much-awaited book at Crossword, Alwarpet, on July 31. The organisers are going to be hosting a fun scavenger hunt and a costume party. Go dressed as Hermione or Luna Lovegood and get ready to bag some prizes.

Location: Crossword Bookstores Ltd, Alwarpet, Chennai.
Hours: 12:3o pm
Cost: Free entry
Contact:  044 4203 1705

KOLKATA →

1. Oxford Book Store

Kolkata’s popular bookstore is all spruced up to welcome the new Harry Potter book. They have organised a Triwizard Tournament of sorts, to find the best witch or wizard in town. There are three tasks to complete in a quest to become the Triwizard Champion! No, don’t worry, you won’t have to battle dragons and dive underwater with some Gillyweed. You just have to dress up like your favourite character, answer a couple of questions, solve a crossword puzzle and participate in  few more fun activities! Put your skills to the test on July 30. Visit their Facebook page to register for the event.

Location: Oxford Book Store, 17 Park Street, Kolkata.
Hours: 12 noon onwards
Cost: Free entry
Contact: 033 2229 7662

2. Landmark Book Store

It sure looks like every bookstore in the country is doing all it can to make the most of this sensation! Landmark Book Store is also hosting a fun Harry Potter session. This includes a picture housie, a special cake and lots of other fun activities, designed to entertain Muggles and pure bloods alike!

Location: 3, Lord Sinha Road, Kolkata, West Bengal
Hours: 11:30 am onward
Cost: Free entry
Contact: 033 2282 2617

If you haven’t pre-ordered your copy yet, what are you waiting for? You need to be handed a Remembrall so that you don’t forget important things like this. But not to worry: your book is just one click away. Pre-order now with Scootsy.  They will have it delivered to your doorstep on July 31 itself. Until then, Nox!