The butterbeer will be brewing for Reitz Union Board Entertainment’s third annual Harry Potter-themed event, this year titled “A Day in Diagon Alley.”
The event, which will be hosted from 8 to 11 p.m. Nov. 7 in the Reitz Union Grand Ballroom, is free to the public and will feature the band Harry and the Potters.
Harry and the Potters are a tribute band known for starting the wizard-rock genre and singing songs about events that happen in the series.
Tim Derrick, captain of the Quidditch team at UF and a 21-year-old classical studies senior, said he had been to previous Harry Potter-themed events, but adding in the band Harry and the Potters was a nice touch this year.
“There’s that whole wizard rock community,” he said, “and Harry and the Potters is one of the good ones.”
Event features include butterbeer, cupcakes, and wand and broomstick decoration, said David O’Leary, a 21-year-old UF business administration senior and RUB Entertainment co-director of special events.
“It’s our biggest event of the school year,” said Christina Chang, also co-director of special events for RUB. She said the group is expecting about 1,200 people.
The 23-year-old UF parks, recreation and tourism senior said seven of the most popular shops from Diagon Alley will be featured, including the Leaky Cauldron and Ollivanders. She said the event should cost RUB Entertainment about $8,000, excluding Harry and the Potters.
In the past, the event has had themes such as the Yule Ball and Hogsmeade, said O’Leary.
“I don’t know anyone who doesn’t like Harry Potter,” he said. “Even though they’ve stopped producing the original seven, it’s still popular with students these days.”
Students who are fans of the series are looking forward to the annual event.
Other fans said this will be their first event and plan to go because of the people who attend.
“I’m a very avid fan of Harry Potter and the franchise,” said Tatyana Mann, a 19-year-old UF art sophomore. “I like meeting new people who are just as avid.”
She said it makes her happy there are people like her who still feel so passionate about the series.
“The fact people are still going helps to keep the series alive,” she said. “It makes me feel like I’m not alone in supporting the series.”
A version of this story ran on page 5 on 10/25/2013 under the headline "Harry and the Potters and 1,200 Gators"
