Call it Harry Potter and the Goblet of Beer.
A party for Harry Potter-loving muggles is coming to the Bell House in Gowanus on Aug. 2. And unlike the books, this event is strictly for adults.
“There is going to be a little more debauchery,” said PotterCon organizer Margaret Kaminski.
The free event promises drinking and other activities restricted from the original target demographic of the books, along with trivia, a sorting ceremony, and an Instagram-based costume contest.
Kaminski started PotterCon last year as a small party with about 10 of her friends at Freddy’s Bar in Park Slope. Her pals indulged her Harry Potter obsession, she said, telling her the party could stand in as her birthday party that year. But when other acquaintances started griping that they hadn’t been invited, she realized the event had broader appeal.
“So many people who hadn’t known about it saw pictures and asked why they weren’t invited, so we said next year we’re going to make it way bigger,” she said.
So this year, everyone is welcome — even Slytherins.
“I think Slytherin gets a bad reputation because every evil wizard ever was from Slytherin,” said Kaminski. “But really, Slytherins are just ambitious and want to achieve greatness. It’s not all evil, racist purebloods.”
Kaminski, who is 24, said she sees the Harry Potter books as the great unifier of her generation — a massive cultural force that she and everyone her age grew up with.
“It’s a defining moment of my generations and it’s a moment that lasted a decade,” she said. “It provides this undercurrent of connectivity.”
PotterCon at the Bell House [149 Seventh St. between Second and Third Avenues, (718) 643–6510, www.thebellhouseny.com]. Aug. 2 at 2 pm. Free.
