Dressing up like Harry Potter characters and spending a Saturday frequenting downtown businesses sounded fun to Katherine Bonner and her friends, Sanj Singh and Amanda Lynes.
“We all enjoy Harry Potter,” said Bonner, who is coordinating the fourth Unofficial Augusta HP Crawl Nov. 20. “We thought we’d invite a friend or two.”
That first year “a friend or two” turned into 200 people who wanted to join in the fun. The third crawl was in 2019, and an estimated 2,000 ventured into downtown Augusta businesses for that one, she said.
About 25 businesses will take part Saturday. It’s not just a pub crawl; other businesses such as Ubora Coffee Roasters, Farmhaus Burgers and the Book Tavern are partnering to make it an event for all ages.
“Potterheads are young to old. There are daytime locations,” said Bonner, whose love of Harry Potter began after she read “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.”
While it’s the fourth book in the series, it hooked her at 8 years-old, and she went back to read the first three.
Each business is encouraged to do something related to the theme of the young wizard, and creativity has no limit.
Some businesses decorate; others create menu items especially for the crawl.
At Ubora, a butterbeer latte is on the menu. Boll Weevil will serve butterbeer cake slices. At Vance’s Bakery Bar, elixirs such as Beautification Potion, Malevolent Mixture and Draught of the Living Dead are a few concoctions especially created for the event.
“We are excited to be part of downtown and like to participate in as many events as we can. Also, many of our staff are big Harry Potter fans,” according to Troy Adamo, Vance’s co-owner.
Vance’s will begin its Harry Potter festivities at noon.
Bonner said she’s excited that new downtown businesses such as Vance’s and Pineapple Ink Tavern are participating.
Bonner said there’s no set schedule for the crawl. People can make it what they want it to be. She encourages families to participate earlier in the day to alleviate some crowds. With the possibility of an extra 2,000 people downtown Saturday, space could be at a premium.
There are two meet ups planned – one at 8 p.m. at the Scene Nightclub and the after party beginning at midnight at Sole Augusta.
Other participating locations include Joe’s Underground, Pineapple Ink Tavern, the Fox’s Lair, Riverwatch Brewery, Le Chat Noir, Firehouse Bar, Bar on Broad, Beamie’s at the River, Garden City Social, Draft Society Taproom, Soul Bar and Loft Augusta.
Some businesses that usually charge a cover waive the cover for those in costume, she said.
A complete list of participating businesses is available at the crawl’s Facebook event https://www.facebook.com/events/s/augustas-4th-annual-hp-pub-cra/814452745886225/ or on Instagram @augustahpcrawl.
Charmain Z. Brackett is the features editor for The Augusta Press. Reach her at charmain@theaugustapress.com.
