It’s that time again — for kids and adults alike to brush up on their wizardly knowledge and prepare for the next release in the hugely popular “Harry Potter” film series, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.” Even the residential colleges are caught up in the trend.
Princeton’s celebration of Harry Potter has spanned from themed dining hall decorations to creative study breaks featuring food like chocolate frogs and butterbeer, and students have welcomed these events with enthusiasm. Many students will take part in college-sponsored trips to see the film’s first showing at midnight tonight.
Whitman College has sponsored a trip to a midnight showing of the film at the MarketFair Mall, renting out an entire movie theater. As of Wednesday afternoon, all of those tickets had also been sold, after tickets were offered to the entire student body.
More than 200 students will be attending, said Christina Davis, the college’s director of student life. The bus will leave at 11:15 tonight from Baker Rink.
For students in other colleges, residential college advisers organized similar trips to local theaters on a smaller scale based on student interest.
Additionally, Whitman, Mathey and Rockefeller colleges hosted Harry Potter-themed dinners in their dining halls Tuesday night, decorating the rooms with Hogwarts-themed accessories and desserts.
At Rockefeller, “the tables were arranged to resemble the Great Hall with color-coded tablecloths, witch hats and golden snitches,” Marcus Wong ’13 said.
The dining hall staff crafted a similar transformation in the Mathey dining hall, which featured cauldron-shaped candles and large themed cakes.
Wong explained that organizing events such as these fulfills the ultimate goal of the residential college system.
“A lot of us like “Harry Potter,” so this is an effective way for the colleges to bring us all closer with something we can bond with,” he said.
The Center for Jewish Life sponsored a study break Tuesday night at which attendees made chocolate frogs from molds and chocolate.
At the CJL, David Mazor ’12 is organizing an elaborate Harry Potter-themed dinner Friday, when the dining hall will be transformed into the Great Hall that features prominently in the book.
He added that although the CJL attempted to include Hogwarts-inspired food on the menu, kosher dining restrictions ultimately limited their options.
“Harry Potter has been such a big thing for so many in our generation. We grew up with it,” Mazor said.
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