By Anna Skinner
Barnes and Noble of Carmel will be hosting a dual celebration for Harry Potter’s birthday, as well as the release of “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Parts One and Two Script Book,” a play which recently debuted in London.
The midnight release/birthday party celebration will begin at 8 p.m. July 30, with attendees encouraged to dress in Harry Potter attire.
“We are going to have all types of activities going on that evening for all different ages, wand-making to trivia to … various activity stations throughout the entire store set up for the whole evening like face painting and different games,” said Liza Nahas, community business development manager. “For the first time, the café will have actual Harry Potter-themed items, so that’s going to be fun.
At 7 p.m. June 24, a preview of the event will be held at the bookstore.
“It’ll be a more scaled-down event, but we will still have activities to get geared up and ready for the midnight release,” Nahas said. “We found there are so many people that grew up reading Harry Potter and remember coming to all the Harry Potter release parties we had 10 to 15 years ago. They’re grown-ups now, but they still remember the magic of those parties.”
Barnes and Noble will be taking reservations for “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” at the preview party.
At 12:01 a.m. July 30, Barnes and Noble will be able to sell the book.
“We’ve got this down to a science so we are able to get everybody out of here very quickly so everybody who is a Harry Potter fan can start reading the book immediately,” Nahas said.
Reservations also are being taken for “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: The original screenplay.” This book will be released Nov. 19 to coincide with the movie release of the same name. Readers are encouraged to place reservations now.
“Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” is $29.99 for a hardcover and “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” is $24.99 for a hardcover. Reservations can be made at Barnes and Noble, 14790 Greyhound Plaza, Carmel.
