Marathon Harry Potter Birthday Party This party was planned for my daughter's 6th birthday. A couple days before the party I made a castle cake using 2 14x14 base cakes stacked, 2 9-inch stacked rounds on top, and 8 sugar cones covered in icing to make the towers.   The day before I created a stone doorway to cover the entry into the porch using foamcore and brown and grey spray paint.  I cut the doorway into an arch and used grey parchment letter paper to make the archway lined with blocks. I then covered the doors with craft paper and used a fat magic marker to make them look like wooden doors and taped up the hogwarts crest I got at the party store. Day of the party, covered the walls of the proch with black table covers, covered 2 8 foot tables with purple table covers and set it with gold plates and utinsels, plastic champagne glasses became goblets. Napkins denoted each house by color. Day of the party. The children arrived to find the back yard turned into Diagon Alley. First they went to Gringott's to get their wizard money (cardboard foil coins), they then had to purchase, their capes (a length of light nylon with one end sewed over with ribbons to tie them on), their hats (cardboard HP hats that they personalized with stickers), wands ( the cute little ones that really light up), tatoos (especially dragon tatoos), and potions (many bowls of kool aid and pop rocks that they could scoop and make their special custom potion in a cup. the proprietor then poured in the water).  Then a ride on the Hogwart's Express...the yard tractor with a garden trailer on the back that took the kids around our yard and the neighbor's yard...ending at the door to the porch.  There waited the sorting hat (found in a hat store),  amazingly, no one was sorted into slytherin (You need to take into account the age of the party goers, some kids take these things very seriously). When all the kids had been sorted, the doors to the Great Hall were opened, inside (remember the black wall covering) there were black lights, fog from a fog machine, and the Harry Patter soundtrack playing. The goblets had been pre-sprinkled with pop rocks so when the juice was served they buzzed and popped. Lunch was pizza bagels, dino chicken nuggets and fresh veggies and dip.  Then back outside for the wizard hat pinata. Then cake adn ice cream. Afterward we watched the Harry Potter movie.   The most amazing part of this party is that most of the parents were going to drop their kids off and pick them up later. In reality all but 1 parent stayed the entire time, each pitching in to be members fo the cast (all cast members got a gown...graduation gowns we had left of our own and a couple found at a yard sale). We had a barbeque for the adults with adult beverages. The party lasted about 6 hours.