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Top Harry Potter party games!!

Throwing a Harry Potter party is quite the endeavor and is ripe with 'magic' possibilities.  Below are some of my favorite Harry Potter party games and ideas, along with some print and play party games that I created myself.  

Here are a few sections to help inspire your perfect Potter Party! You can make your party as elaborate and intricate as you want, or not! It doesn't have to be complicated to be fun. Do as much or as little as you want. I will include options for both. 

Hogwarts is the happiest place to host a birthday bash but if you can't go there, here are some ideas to bring the magic home. I suggest choosing 2-3 of your favorites to feature at your party.  


Harry Potter party games
Create Your own harry Potter Escape Room

Our Do It Yourself Harry Potter Escape Room plan shows you step by step how to create an at home Escape Room using our printable Harry Potter CodeBusters and how to set up fun and exciting challenges out of ordinary household objects and really budget friendly items. 

This game has it's very own page to give you full details and instructions.

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Harry Potter party games
pin the lightening bolt on harry

A Harry Potter spin on the classic pin the tail on the donkey! The blindfolded guest is spun around until they are disoriented. The guest then walks around, and tries to pin the lightening bolt on Harry's forehead. The player who pins their bolt closest to the target wins. 

Put one together yourself with a posterboard and paint - 

Harry Potter party games
Harry Potter Trivia Treasure Hunt

We have two Harry Potter treasure hunts - you choose which one is right for your crowd (maybe both). Both come with everything you need to put together an unforgetable memory - just print and play!


The first is our signature Harry Potter Trivia Hunt.  This printable hunt combines trivia, challenges, games, and clues that players or teams must solve in order to discover where the next clue is hidden.

We created the clues, but you get to decide the hiding locations.  This means you can play this hunt anywhere - your backyard, a school, or across a whole town!

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Not all players Harry Potter buffs? Then the second hunt we created might fit your needs better.

Our non-trivia Harry Potter Treasure Hunt still has a lot of Harry Potter / magic themed puzzles, clues, and games - but it does not require players to know Harry Potter. Perfect for the younger crowd!

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Harry Potter party games
Dobby sock toss

This is a fun twist on the classic game of cornhole. You’re going to make cornhole bags out of socks- four socks of two different colors, preferably clean without holes ;). For the stuffing inside, we used feed corn, which is traditional, but you can also use beans or plastic pellets. To have your bags regulation compliant, each bag should contain approximately 1-3/4 cup of corn to weigh between 15-16 oz. The idea is to reminisce about the lovely house-elf Dobby, so we added a picture of him above each hole to look like he’s collecting the socks. To play Dobby Sock Toss you are going to use regular corn hole rules (whether they are competition level or your own house rules). 

Harry Potter party games
potions class (slime making station)

This is a great way to let all of your party guests let their individuality shine! Set up a table with lots of options such as glitter, food coloring, beads, and the base ingredients for your slime of choice.  Not only will this be a fun activity for lots of ages, but it's also a great party favor that everyone can take home!

There are many great Harry Potter slime recipes out there, but below are a few of the ones I believe are most inspired!

Harry Potter party games
Horcrux Hunt

This is a simple but fun Harry Potter Party hunt.  Players race to find the seven horcrux image clues throughout the playing area. Each horcrux has a symbol next to it that players decode using their Alchemist Decoder.  Once players find and decode all seven horcruxes they must unscramble the letters and call out the secret word!

The secret word is any seven letter word you desire!! This game also comes with 8 decoy clue cards in case you want to make the game a little harder.

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Harry Potter party games
catch the snitch

Play this dashing game to get everybody up and moving! This is a fun spin on a classic easter egg hunt. You’re going to want to start with buying easter eggs, then painting them golden (or purchasing them golden). Then, to really get the snitch effect, you are going glue feathers to them. Either real or fake feathers will work, and hot glue works best to attach. Fill the eggs with whatever you want. Harry potter candy is a great touch if you want to stick to the theme. You can hide them wherever you think is the best place to play, though I recommend remembering where they are hidden just in case a few aren't found by the players. The players can split into teams, pairs, or play one-on-one, whatever suits you best! I find it best if you have a prize for the winner- It really motivates the players, and makes it a bit more exciting and competitive. 

Harry Potter party games
sorting hat 

Sorting is iconic when it comes to Hogwarts, and there are many ways to go about it in a party scene. One way is randomization. You can do this by drawing out of a hat, filling cupcakes with house colors, or rolling dice. Another fun way that may feel more accurate to the players is by taking personality quizzes online. There are plenty of both official and un-official sorting quizzes, so there are lots of fun options.

MAKE YOUR OWN SORTING HAT

To make a sorting hat, start with a standard witch's hat. Trace the hat's circumference onto a piece of brown fabric.  Cut it out, then cut an "X" into the center. Slip over the point and glue edges in place. Fold and scrunch several pages of newspaper to form a face shape (you may want to make it in separate parts - eyes, nose, and mouth) Tape securely to the front of the point. Drape more of the brown fabric loosely around the cone face and pin closed in the back. Leave excess at the top to hang down over the pins. 

To sort kids randomly into houses, attach four velcro circles to the bottom brim of the BACK of the hat. Cut circles of felt in the four house colors (red, green, blue, yellow), one for each child. When a child comes up, place the sorting hat on their head and have them reach behind to pull a circle free. That color will be their house. Remember to replace circles between students. 

Check out this video of another cool option. This is just the ticket for those who are feeling creative and have the time to make this one of a kind sorting hat!

Harry Potter party games
wizard's chess

Remember the excitement of the iconic scene in which the Golden Trio play life-size chess while fighting for the sorcerer's stone? For this game, you will recreate that scene with your own game of life-size chess.

You will need at least 8 players in order to play. The players are split into two even teams, and each team decides together what each person will represent. It is expected that you won't have enough people for a full board, as a normal chess game has 32 pieces, so teams will need to creatively strategize as to what the best small team of pieces would be. Each team will need only one king, but other players can be bishops, knights, pawns, rooks, or a single queen. You might want to eliminate the role of pawn since it won't be as fun as others, but the players can play around with different combinations of pieces. What would happen if a team consisted of a king and five bishops? What about a team of one each? The possibilities are endless.

The game is played on an 8x8 grid, which can be created easily with construction paper on the floor. If the grid feels too big, you can take away spots to make it smaller. At the start of the game, a coin is flipped to decide which team will take their spots on the grid first. They can arrange themselves in any way they want as long as they stay within the first two rows. When they are ready, the next team then chooses their spots within the first two rows on the opposite side. The first team on the field then moves first, with the King in charge and the team giving input.

To make sure everybody is having fun, make sure the person who is King changes every round. Everybody should know normal chess rules before you begin, but you could also make up your own rules to keep things exciting.

Harry Potter party games
quidditch soccer

This is a variation of soccer that energetic Harry Potter fans can appreciate. The game requires at least 9 players, with a maximum of 13. You will also need a soccer field, soccer ball, a coin, and an even amount of soft dodgeballs. The main goal is to collect points by scoring goals.

The players split up into two equal sized teams, and one extra person is required to be teamless. On each team, one person is a seeker, one person is a beater, and all others are chasers. You also need a referee. The teamless person acts as the snitch, and should wear something yellow (hat, shirt, etc). The chasers start by facing each other, about 10 feet apart, in the middle of the field. The beaters start in opposite goals, with the soft dodgeballs. The seekers start beside their own beater. The snitch starts in the middle of the field with the soccer ball and the coin.

To begin the game, the chasers choose who will kick the ball first on their team, and that starter chooses heads or tails. The snitch flips the coin, and declares which team kicks first. As soon as the snitch declares heads or tails, the game begins.

The starting chaser kicks the ball, and the other chasers leap into action. The snitch starts running away from the seekers. The chasers are trying to kick the ball into the goal. The beaters are the only ones who can hold any of the balls. The beaters must both defend the goal as well as throw the dodgeballs at the opposite team. The beaters can leave the goal to retrieve dodgeballs, but cannot score goals. Only chasers can score goals. If a chaser scores a goal, their team gets 10 points. When a chaser is hit by a dodgeball, they are out of play until they touch their own goal, and must bring the offending dodgeball with them. The seekers are constantly chasing the snitch, and if caught the team scores 30 points and the game is over. If the score is tied after the snitch is caught, the score is settled by a race across the field by the two seekers.

This is a fun game that could be played multiple times if the seekers catch the snitch relatively quickly. Make sure you provide plenty of water for the players, and a first-aid kit just in case there are any falls. Players will have lots of fun in this fast-paced game.

Harry Potter party games
defense against the dark arts

In order for your magical guests to practice defeating evil creatures, you will be creating a faux dementor. For this you are going to need a ball-shaped piñata, a black sheet, construction paper, thick wire, and a wand (stick). This is going to be very similar to how you would normally use a piñata, but you are going to add the decorations to make it look like guests are dueling a dementor. Bend the wire into two large 'J' shapes, and attach these to the bottom of the piñata- these will look like arms. Next, cover the piñata with the sheet, and secure it with strong tape or glue. Adjust the arms until the fabric drapes nicely. After that, cut a scary face out of the construction paper and attach it to the front of the dementor. Finally, hang the dementor in a clear area with no hazards.

A player is blindfolded, spun around, and directed towards the dementor. Make sure there is always an adult watching in case there are any accidents. 

Below is a great video as to how one crafty mom made her Dementor Pinata.  You don't need to have a blow-up spiderman for this creation - any humanoid shape will do!

Harry Potter party games
diagon alley - apprentice row

It's career day in Diagon alley!! 

Ollivander's Wand-making - You may want to construct the basic wand in advance of the party.  Hot glue three or four of the wood beads together so that the holes line up (this is important for later). Then glue onto one end of the chopstick wand (this is your handle). Drizzle the glue up and around the wand shaft to add knobby textures for a more magical look. Paint wands in different shades of brown for different types of wood. Provide students with a variety of fillers - dragon heartstrings(gold thread), unicorn hair (mylar tinsel strands), Gnome Hat (slices of red felt), different feathers (phoenix, owl, raven) and Scales  (sequins of many sizes and colors for mermaid, chimera, etc.).  Apprentices will choose a wand, a core and a stopper (large jewels, round beads, cork or pompom tufts work well). Insert the core, seal with hot glue apply stopper and wait for the wand to harden. 

Flourish and Blotts quills - cut the tip off some large feathers. You can then insert the inside of a pen and wrap with floral tape or thin strip of electrical tape to secure. Students can leave them white or decorate the feathers with paint or stamps to personalize them.

Gringott's Mint - use air dry clay (also called cold porcelain) to mint some gold galleons, silver sickles and bronze knuts. Fimo and Crayola are two popular brands but there are recipes for it if you want to make your own. Press the clay out into a rectangle then cut into coins using small cookie cutters or die-cuts (avoid circles if you since muggle money looks weird to wizards). You can also imprint coins using a stamper or wax seal tool for a more artistic look.

Weasley's Wizard Wheezes- Whip up some sweet surprises to take home with you like:

Puking Pustules -Give each student a small foil pan lined with wax paper. Melt several colors of Wilton's Candy Melts. Let students drop several spoonfuls of two or three colors into their trays and swirl with a toothpick or pretzel stick. Toss in candy bits (like MnMs, Reese's pieces, etc.) and or pretzels. Stick the trays in the fridge for about ten minutes to set. 

Fever Fudge - Start with a simple fudge recipe, then add red hots or other spicy sweet cinnamon candies or peppermints. Microwave 12 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate and one 14 oz can of sweetened condensed milk for five minutes. Stir vigorously, then add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and several handfuls of cinnamon or crushed peppermint candy for a warm burst of flavor. Spread in an 8-inch square pan lined with buttered parchment paper. Refrigerate to set, then cut into yummy squares.

DIY Hedwig Craft: DIY Hedwig party craft takes about 10 minutes to create. This super cute moving hedwig owl also doubles as a fun party favor! Plus it's easy to make and uses simple materials. 

Harry Potter party games
What's Missing? Print & Play Game

 What's Missing is a printable party game where players take turns using the What's Missing Cover-Up Card to hide one one the Harry Potter Icon images on the Print & Play Game Board. 

Spread out around the board are the Harry Potter Icon Cards - one for each image on the board.  When players find the card with the image they believe is hidden beneath the What's Missing card they slap their hand on it and call out FOUND IT! That player gets to be the next player to pick the hidden image. 

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