As previously reported, yesterday I attended the Magical Harry Potter event at the London Film Museum on behalf of SnitchSeeker.

The day kicked off with a duelling tournament. The grand prize? A pair of tickets to the World Premiere of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II on Thursday. Set in the Council Chamber of the County Hall, where the film museum is located, it resembled the court room in which Harry is tried in Order of the Phoenix. Contestants and spectators sat in the chamber, with the master of ceremonies, a reverend-like wizard, stood atop, keeping score. Eight contestants were randomly chosen from the first one hundred fans to arrive, to compete for the tickets. They were; Ash, Holly, Louise, Hannah, Jack, Jenna, Anya and Danielle. The battles were conducted with infra-red wands courtesy of Tomy. Lasting twenty seconds each, the winner was the wizard and witch with the most lights left on their wand. The audience, made up of dressed-up fans from Dobby, to Dementors, from Death Eaters, to Luna Lovegood, cheered on the participants as they were knocked out in rounds until Louise was crowned the winner.



Beyond the chamber, at the end of a corridor, lay the main event area. A presentation area bedecked with promotional posters from the final room, several different demonstration stalls, stewards dressed as Hogwarts pupils (Gryffindors) and props & costumes from the films on display. Fans had the opportunity to dress up, courtesy of Lochaven International, in robes and uniforms from the films - I was watched as they posed for scenes, in front of a green screen, including a moment of triumph catching the snitch during a Quidditch game.



Electronic Arts were offering the chance to try out the new Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II video game on PS3. The short demo involved navigating Harry, Ron and Hermione around Hogsmeade, whilst being atacked by Death Eaters and Snatchers, in order to get to the Hog's Head, using spells such as Expelliarmus and Stupefy. At the time of playing, I was the only person to fully complete the section on show.



Top Trumps were displaying their new set for the last film. Noticably the cards have come a long way in terms of design and visual appeal, although there was a mistake with one card - a character had been mis-named!



To coincide with the duelling competitions, a wand skills class was available with a professor from Hogwarts who had a mock classroom complete with desks like in the movies. I took part in a tutorial on wrist movement and precision of spell-casting; though it didn't last long it entertained both kids and adults. Other Tomy products, including toys, action figures and the wands were also on display.



Lego Harry Potter Years 5 - 7 was also available for trial. The section on show came from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I and consisted of Harry and Hermione in the graveyard at Godric's Hollow followed by the confrontation with Bathilda Bagshot later on. Bathilda is just as creepy in lego form and has a bit of a zombie walk going for her. As ever, the lego game has moments of comedy in it, including a moment where Hermione uses a comedy hammer to defeat Nagini. To compliment the game, physical lego sets were also on display, accompanied by a giant Hagrid, who attracted a lot of attention!



The Noble Collection also had products on show, including wands, brooms, the Marauder's Map, Death Eater masks and Luna Lovegood's jewelry. The brooms were particularly popular and were used many a time for a photo opportunity. The Harry Potter version of Destination was the last section of displays, a monopoly-like game where you earn House Points by reaching destinations.

In the centre of the room, to tie the whole thing together, were several costumes and props on display, including a Hogwarts uniform, Harry's triwizard gear from the first task and Ron's Christmas day clothes from the first film. These were accompanied by a broom and various prop books from the movies.



The event brought together many different people, from families to teenagers to young adults and all seemed to have a good time. Whilst it was an event hosted by WB Consumer Products, it didn't feel like parents were being given the 'hard sell' approach, which considering the current climate was probably much appreciated. The mix of observational and interactive elements was enough to keep the attention of even small children.

More photos from the day can be found in our galleries here.

The Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II video game, out July 12, 2011, can be pre-ordered via the links below.

Deathly Hallows II PC – Amazon | Amazon UK | EA Store
Deathly Hallows II Nintendo DS – | Amazon | Amazon UK | EA Store
Deathly Hallows II Playstation 3 – Amazon | Amazon UK | EA Store
Deathly Hallows II Wii – Amazon | Amazon UK | EA Store
Deathly Hallows II Xbox 360 – Amazon | Amazon UK | EA Store