The Harry Potter Fandom

    “Potterheads” as they call themselves, are some of the most die-hard fans of Harry Potter.  First released in 1997, with the last book being published in 2007, J.K. Rowling’s series became a worldwide phenomenon very quickly.  The books follow a young boy’s life as he finds out he is a wizard and then that he has a price on his head set by the most powerful evil wizard to ever live.  

    Despite J.K. Rowling’s intentions of Harry Potter being a series for teens, the Harry Potter fan base is multigenerational.  The series gained such long-lasting popularity that seven years after the last book was published, an entire theme park opened up in dedication to Harry Potter.  In 2014, “The Wizarding World of Harry Potter” opened at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida.  Here fans will find many attractions from the series including Hogsmeade, Diagon Alley, and the Hogwarts Castle.  Along with these destinations, fans are also able to enjoy Harry Potter themed roller coasters and other rides like the Hogwarts Express.

Universal studios in Orlando is not the only Harry Potter theme park, however.  There are several locations all across the world including Hollywood, Japan, and Beijing.  Above is a picture of Hogwarts castle at the Orlando location.  Fans enjoy visiting these parks because it is as if they are stepping into the world of Harry Potter themselves.  As a fan myself, when I read the books I imagine how amazing it would be to be a part of this secret world; I would love to go to one of the parks and bring the experience in my mind to real life.

    On top of Harry Potter theme parks, there are many other ways fans celebrate and share their love of the series.  One way is via websites.  A popular website dedicated to Harry Potter is called MuggleNet.  On this website, fans can read the Daily Prophet (a newspaper) and the Quibbler (a journal written by Luna Lovegood’s father).  There is also a link on MuggleNet to the “Alohamora” podcast where chapters are revisited and interpreted in great detail. 

   Another way that the fandom expresses its obsession is through conventions.  A popular Harry Potter convention called LeakyCon  is held in Chicago.  Here fans are able to dress up as their favorite characters, meet actors from the films, and discuss the joys of the series. 

    The following link is a video of what a fan might experience when attending LeakyCon.

My Experience at LeakyCon

    Conferences such as these as well as the theme parks allow Harry Potter fans to “become” part of the Wizarding world for a few days, which is why this is such a popular event for the Harry Potter fandom.  Websites and podcasts are methods for which fans share their existing knowledge of Harry Potter as well as learn from other fans in the fandom.  The main part of fan conventions such as LeakyCon is cosplay, which also makes fans feel as though they are living in the Wizarding world not unlike how the parks makes fans feel.

    Fans also participate in real life Quidditch, a sport J.K. Rowling created in the books.  Players fly around on broomsticks, with the main goal of getting the quaffle (a ball) into the goals on either end of the field while avoiding bludgers (heavy balls that are thrown at players holding the quaffle).  In 2005, a group of students from Middlebury College in Vermont decided to bring Quidditch to life as an intramural sport.  From there it took off and now there is an official governing body called the IQA (International Quidditch Association) in which hundreds of teams participate across the United States and Canada.  Fans of Harry Potter are able to get active year round if they chose to play Quidditch.

Works Cited:

“Harry Potter Fandom.” Wikipedia, 17 Feb. 2023, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Potter_fandom. 

“Accio Politics.” MuggleNet, 31 Jan. 2022, www.mugglenet.com/mugglenet-family/accio-politics/. 

“My Full Leakycon 2022 Experience.” YouTube, 31 July 2022, youtu.be/YGZdurUXNlE. 

Black, Alan. “Quidditch: An Introduction to This Actual Sport (Yes, It's Real).” Bleacher Report, Bleacher Report, 28 Sept. 2017, https://bleacherreport.com/articles/1025528-quidditch-an-introduction-to-this-actual-sport-yes-its-real.