Harry Potter is an omnipresent character in Spanish bookstores. The magical universe in which his story unfolds never goes out of fashion among young readers. In fact, despite the fact that the first novel in his saga is more than twenty-five years old, the wizard has one of the largest fan communities on the planet.
Luckily for Madrid fans of the famous Hogwarts pupil, the Ricardo León Library in Galapagar is organizing magical days for Harry Potter Book Day, a date on which schools and bookstores around the world celebrate the success of J.K. Rowling’s novels.
From Thursday 17 October until Saturday 19, the Galapagar library will have exhibitions, talks, children’s workshops and even live music. The first days of the event there will be afternoon activities, and on Saturday you can enjoy activities ideal for children from 11:00 to 13:00 and from 19:00 to 20:00 hours.
Activities to get out of the Muggle world
Harry Potter Book Day will begin and end with a collaborative reading session. On Thursday 17, the first chapter of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone will be read. On Saturday 19, the three magical days will end with a reading of the epilogue of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
Of all the event’s activities, the highlight will be an interview open to the public with Gemma Rovira, the translator of books V, VI and VII of the saga. The Spanish voice of J. K. Rowling will arrive on Thursday 17 at 7:00 pm determined to reveal her secrets for translating three of the world’s best-selling works.
On Friday 19 there will be a meeting point for moviegoers and readers: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (nominated for an Oscar for best picture in 2010) will be screened, followed by a comparison with the original book.
On Saturday morning, the little ones will be able to create Bowtruckles in a craft workshop and take one of these creatures home with them. Afterwards, visitors to the library will demonstrate their Harry Potter knowledge in a trivia tournament. In the evening, at 7:00 p.m., a saxophone and piano fusion will provide the soundtrack to the day.
Undoubtedly, although Galapagar is far from being Hogwarts, it is worthwhile for J. K. Rowling’s biggest fans to celebrate this week here. Of course, all attendees are invited to show up in their best magical costume, because yes, there will also be a cosplay contest.