In the midst of the mayhem at last year’s Queen City Mischief and Magic festival in Staunton, Va., Sarah Lynch spotted her town’s tallest cop crouching down and handing a young boy a wand. The officer must have been 7 feet tall, she estimates—a big, older man. She figured the child had dropped his wand.
But no, the officer told Lynch, the festival’s brainchild. The police captain had special wands made for the entire department. “And he handed me one out of his back pocket that said QCMM,” she recalls. “Just when you think people here couldn’t be nicer, something like this happens. Every year I cry 15 times. It’s incredible and it feels like magic—like the most beautiful thing that happens in my town and in my life.”
The fourth annual Queen City Mischief and Magic festival—a weekend-long celebration of the Harry Potter books and films—starts Friday. Staunton is located in the Shenandoah Valley at about a 2-3 hour drive from the District.
The festival organizers are quick to note that it’s a homegrown fan event, with no affiliation to Warner Bros. Entertainment or J.K. Rowling. Since its inception in 2016, the event has grown rapidly: At least 10,000 people are expected to pour into town this weekend, Lynch says, and she wouldn’t be surprised if that number doubled.
The festival spans 12 downtown blocks, and few decorations are needed to transform the area into Hogsmeade, the wizards-only village in Britain. Years ago, when Lynch was reading a Harry Potter book to her son, she realized: “Man, this is just like our town. We have everything that Harry has. It’s historic, it’s beautiful, and the buildings are all like old English buildings.”
That’s true for multiple reasons: Staunton, which was founded in 1747, was an important transportation hub during the Civil War. But unlike many other small towns in the northeast, it emerged from the war relatively intact, which means its 19th century architecture is among the most impressive in the region. The city is routinely lauded for its commitment to preservation.
QCMM is free to attend, though there are some ticketed events hosted by local businesses. Hermione, Dumbledore, and Harry and Co. will be in attendance, so count on ample photo ops (there will be an array of selfie stations, obviously). Other highlights include wand-dueling—so make sure yours is sharpened—plus a costume parade for kids, another for adults, magic shows, and a sorting hat dance party.
Mermaids will swim in a 21-foot tank, and there will be tarot card readings and henna tattoos. Attendees can experiment with potions or watch artists make fire-breathing dragons and basilisk teeth out of hot glass. And like any good festival, QCMM isn’t short on food or drink: Enjoy a chocolate frog or cauldron cake, chased by a limeade libation, butter brew, or glitter-infused hefeweizen called “9 3/4.” Or sit down for traditional English tea at Stelle Rose at Staunton Station.
If you’re tempted to hit the road, here’s a handful of events to catch at the festival:
Queen City Mischief and Magic Lecture Series
Various times
QCMM is teaming with nearby Mary Baldwin University to host a slew of academic talks. On Friday, check out a lecture on “magic and mental health,” and on Saturday, pop into “strong female leads and the adolescent romance” or “reading signs and symbols on the covers of the Potter novels.” John Granger, who’s known as the Dean of Harry Potter Scholars, will deliver a keynote address at 10:30 a.m. on both Saturday and Sunday. Saturday’s talk will focus on why we so adore that boy wizard, and Sunday’s will explore what Potter and Shakespeare have in common.
Quidditch Clinic
Saturday, 12:30-4:30 p.m.
Staunton’s parks and rec department didn’t have any hoops for this drop-in clinic—a problem that Lynch mentioned in passing to a local man, who declared that he would make some. During this bootcamp-like activity, “kids can stand on balance balls with brooms between their legs,” Lynch says, then attempt to throw balls through the specially made hoops.
Hands-on Workshops
Various times
Perfect your spell-casting skills here, in a low-pressure environment, before putting them to use back home. Or get a refresher on how to properly use a wand, and later, pop into a dancing workshop—you’ll need it if you want to impress at Saturday evening’s Yule Ball.
Slytherin Snake Show
Sunday, 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., 2:30-3:30 p.m.
Reptile World’s Michael Shwedick is bringing some guests to the festival: He travels with a cobra, crocodile, banana python, and massive prehistoric snapping turtle. “He takes the lid off a basket, and this cobra comes up and plays with him,” Lynch describes, aghast at the idea.
DoGood Alley
All weekend.
This is the Staunton version of Potter’s Diagon Alley—with a charitable twist. Nineteen local non-profits will have booths in the alley, and there will be free activities like button- and bookmark-making. Many of the organizations report that QCMM is their biggest fundraising weekend of the year, Lynch says in delight: “It makes me realize how my town is full of the biggest hearted people.”
The Queen City Mischief and Magic festival runs Friday-Sunday in downtown Staunton, Virginia. FREE.
This story has been updated to correct Staunton’s distance from the District.
