With the 2011 summer release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows pt.2, why not throw a Harry Potter or Hogwarts Halloween party this year? There are so many great costumes and accessories to be found, it will be easy to turn your home or yard into Hogwarts School of Magic and have the whole place come alive! Below are some suggestions:

Send out invitations:
Make invitations to send out. Make sure to make it clear that anyone who comes MUST be dressed as a character from one of the Harry Potter films. There's a Harry Potter Hogwarts robe that is available and can be used for any character from Harry himself to Hermione to Luna or any of the other secondary characters from the films. There's also a slew of costumes for Dementors, Death Eaters, Voldermont, Dumbledor, Snape and others. You should have them RSVP and let you know what they'll be dressed as so you can plan to have a good variety of characters.

Plan the look of your party area:
Think about how you'd like your surroundings to look. Would you like a more Hogwarts theme? Or maybe you could do a Diagon Alley theme with different areas looking like different magickal stores. You can find lots of things for a Hogwart party, school banners, a Sorting Hat, wands, all kinds of things that you can buy as is. The other option is to mix store bought with things that you can make yourself like potion bottles, spread spider webs around, Find old hard cover books at a used book store or thrift shop and put "worn" looking covers with titles like "How to Identify Monsters and Beasts" or "Casting Spells for New Wizards". If you've watched the movies, then you'll have no problem coming up with ideas on decor for your party!