Dress up as your favorite Harry Potter character for Vista’s pub crawl

The magic of Harry Potter is timeless for many fans, especially those who grew up with Harry and his magical world over the course of seven novels and eight movies.

And they still believe in Hogwarts magic as adults; only now, they can legally drink beer (and not just the butter variety).

Beer and Harry Potter will team up at the Harry Potter Halloween Pub Crawl in The Vista on Sunday, Oct. 30. Come as your best-dressed Gryffindor, Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw. Slytherins have to buy the drinks (just kidding).

There will be butterbeer – an adult edition served up by Flying Saucer. The bar’s take on the Three Broomsticks’ popular drink is a pumpkin beer with butterscotch schnapps.

It’s the first stop on the crawl, which begins at 7 p.m., followed by Tin Roof at 8:30 p.m. and Wild Wing Cafe at 10 p.m.

“Harry Potter is magic for all ages,” said Jessica McCartha, who organized the event with best friend Jen McGehee. “We grew up with Harry, Ron and Hermione. We went through heartbreaks when they did, first kisses, hard tests. Even with all the magic, it’s relatable! Who doesn’t need a little magic in their lives after all?”

The crawl was a Halloween house party that grew into something more.

“We organized this together because originally we were going to throw a Halloween party at her house, but that kind of fell through, so we decided to do this instead,” McGehee said of the crawl.

Here, she talks about the Potter magic in a pub crawl.

Q: Why is it fun to “crawl” from “pub to pub” in costume?

A: Pub crawls bring people together who share similar interests. It gives you the opportunity to try new beers, make new friends, talk about your favorite books and characters, etc. Since we are such a large group, it also brings business to the bars around the Vista.

Q: So how did you come to set up a Harry Potter pub crawl?

A: This is the first time I’ve organized an event such as this. I work at Flying Saucer and we’ve participated in a few bar crawls in the past. We’ve had zombie bar crawls and a superhero bar crawl. I figured with Halloween approaching, why not a Harry Potter Pub crawl? The books have become exceedingly popular again, with the recent release of JK Rowling’s new book, which is written as a play instead of a chapter story.

Q: Tell us about the crowd who will be crawling.

A: When I created this event, I was just expecting it to be a few close friends and co- workers in their 20s and 30s. The event has exploded, but I believe most people attending will be in their mid 20s, fresh out of school.

Q: Do folks realize what is going on when they see everyone out?

A: This is the first event like this I’ve ever done, but Harry Potter is very popular, so I think the muggles will definitely recognize us from the movies.

This story was originally published October 26, 2016 at 3:00 PM with the headline "Dress up as your favorite Harry Potter character for Vista’s pub crawl."