Accio movie night! Whether you’re a brave Gryffindor, a loyal Hufflepuff, an intelligent Ravenclaw or a cunning Slytherin, there’s one thing we can all get behind: a dinner and a movie Harry Potter marathon.
So, don your robes and hats, grab a mug of Butterbeer and tuck in for a day (and evening, if you’re committed) full of magic. It takes a whopping 20 hours to get through the entire Harry Potter series of movies, so you’re going to need plenty of snacks and drinks to get you through.
Dinner and a movie: Your ‘Harry Potter’ marathon menu ideas
We can’t conjure up a magical feast like Dumbledore or Mrs. Weasley, but we sure can set you up with the best food and movie pairings for each film.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
MOVIE: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (Don’t have it? Get it at Amazon or see more options)
RUNNING TIME: 2 hours, 32 minutes
YEAR OF RELEASE: 2001
RATING: PG
STARRING: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson
The first movie in the Harry Potter series is full of scenes to make your mouth water. Anyone with a sweet tooth will remember the iconic trolley on the Hogwarts Express, with all its chocolate frogs and Bertie Bott’s Every Flavour Beans.
The real showstopper, though, is the feast scene in the Great Hall. Join the students of Hogwarts with your own hearty meal, like a garlic herb-crusted roast beef.
MORE: We tried the egg cooker with a cult-following on Amazon—is it worth it?
For dessert, you could even try to recreate the birthday cake Hagrid made for Harry’s 11th birthday! Just swap out the chocolate frosting in our recipe for pink frosting and pipe some poorly spelled birthday wishes in green frosting. Then, you know, try not to sit on it.
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
MOVIE: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Don’t have it? Get it at Amazon or see more options)
RUNNING TIME: 2 hours, 41 minutes
YEAR OF RELEASE: 2002
RATING: PG
STARRING: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson
Channel your inner Hermione and make yourself a potion that any witch or wizard would be proud of. Mix up some wickedly delicious witch’s brew from Pizzazzerie as a Polyjuice Potion stand-in — without all the hair and nasty side effects of turning into someone else.
And what better snack to go with your potion than Bijoux & Bits’ cauldron cakes with Felix Felicis filling?
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
MOVIE: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Don’t have it? Get it at Amazon or see more options)
RUNNING TIME: 2 hours, 21 minutes
YEAR OF RELEASE: 2004
RATING: PG
STARRING: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson
The Prisoner of Azkaban is a monumental movie in the series for many reasons, one of which being that it introduces us to the deliciousness that is Butterbeer. Transport yourselves to Hogsmeade by whipping up your own frothy batch with a recipe courtesy of Bakingdom.
You can balance the Butterbeer’s (heavenly) sweetness with some salty pub snacks like these homemade pretzel bites.
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
MOVIE: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Don’t have it? Get it at Amazon or see more options)
RUNNING TIME: 2 hours, 37 minutes
YEAR OF RELEASE: 2005
RATING: PG-13
STARRING: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson
Ah, the Triwizard Tournament — when magical students from all over Europe gather together to fight off dangerous creatures in the name of “eternal glory.” Pay homage to Harry’s iconic golden egg rescue with some spinach artichoke deviled eggs.
MORE: Dinner and a movie: ‘Hocus Pocus’
Then, wash them down with an eyeball highball cocktail in honor of the ever-creepy “Mad-Eye” Moody, who makes his first appearance in The Goblet of Fire.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
MOVIE: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Don’t have it? Get it at Amazon or see more options)
RUNNING TIME: 2 hours, 18 minutes
YEAR OF RELEASE: 2007
RATING: PG-13
STARRING: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson
The Order of the Phoenix is where things start getting really intense for Harry and his pals. There’s an expulsion, an army and the cruelest Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher yet.
In a nod to the evil Dolores Umbridge whip up a cocktail in her favorite color with these simple three-ingredient watermelon margaritas.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
MOVIE: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Don’t have it? Get it at Amazon or see more options)
RUNNING TIME: 2 hours, 33 minutes
YEAR OF RELEASE: 2009
RATING: PG
STARRING: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson
This Harry Potter movie is full of potions. There’s the Liquid Luck potion, gifted to Harry by Professor Slughorn, and, of course, the love potion Ron accidentally imbibes. Brew a potion of your own with this yummy love potion cocktail, courtesy of All Roads Lead to the Kitchen.
Serve it up with some crunchy caramel popcorn, perfect for shoveling in your mouth as you watch the movie’s more intense scenes.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Parts 1 & 2)
MOVIE: Part 1 (Don’t have it? Get it at Amazon or see more options);
Part 2 (Don’t have it? Get it at Amazon or see more options)
RUNNING TIME: 2 hours, 26 minutes; 2 hours, 10 minutes
YEAR OF RELEASE: 2010; 2011
RATING: PG-13
STARRING: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson
For the final installments of your movie marathon, try pairing a snack with each of the three Deathly Hallows.
For the resurrection stone, some crostini with fresh basil pesto, cream cheese and stone fruit should do the trick.
MORE: Dinner and a movie: Disney’s ‘Frozen’
Make your very own Elder Wand using this recipe for Halloween pretzel sticks from Lady Behind the Curtain.
And for the invisibility cloak, try Best Friends for Frosting’s cotton candy s’mores (the cotton candy disappears in your mouth, get it?).
Enjoy your night in with Harry, Ron, Hermione, He Who Must Not Be Named and the rest of the gang as you chow down on these perfectly matched snacks, meals and drinks. Now if only we could “accio” the TV remote.
