EVENT: CHESTNUT HILL HARRY POTTER & last Week The Arts Festival

After a rain delay of a week, Chestnut Hill will held its 28thAnnual Fall for the Arts Festival on Sunday, October 14, 2012.

Chestnut Hill was recently named one
of 10 best neighborhoods in USA by the National Planning Commission,
after being nominated by the City of Philadelphia Planning Commission.  It
was named one of
2010’s Distinctive Destinations in the nation by the National Trust for
Historic Preservation and 2012 Best Main Street Shopping by Philadelphia Magazine.

NEXT WEEK There will be wizardry and wonder in the air as Chestnut
Hill once again transforms itself into Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley for Harry Potter Weekend, while Chestnut Hill College hosts the 3rd Annual Philadelphia Brotherly Love Quidditch Cup Tournament.

On October 26-27, the Chestnut Hill neighborhood will play host to a weekend’s worth of spellbinding events that will keep children and adults, and wizards and muggles, entertained.

All weekend long, shops and restaurants will magically change into
places right off J.K. Rowling’s pages. Visit the Leaky Cauldron, Madam
Puddifoot’s Tea Shop, Weasley’s Wizarding Wheeezes, Hogwarts Greenhouse
and many more.

The complimentary Knight Bus Trolley in Chestnut Hill will help you
stroll the avenue to catch magic shows, costume contests, movie
screenings, shopping and more.

Last year’s Harry Potter Weekend was sensational, and we can not wait for its return.

Friday, October 26

Dumbledore will open the festivities on Friday evening at 6 p.m. at
the Top of the Hill Fountain Plaza with a parade of Quidditch teams.
Later that evening, adult wizards and muggles can join the Harry Potter
pub crawl and (new!!) “The Hunt for the Horcrux” scavenger hunt.
Meanwhile, the younger set can enjoy the Diagon Alley Straw Maze at
Woodmere Art Museum, then jump on their broomsticks and fly to the
Chestnut Hill Hotel at 7 p.m. for a showing of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. For a nominal fee, others can brave the darkness on a scary Ghost tour leaving from the Chestnut Hill Hotel, 6:30-8 p.m.

Saturday, October 27

On Saturday, cheer on your favorite Quidditch team at the 3rd Annual Philadelphia Brotherly Love Cup
at Chestnut Hill College from 9:30 a.m.-6 p.m. on the softball field.
Free and open to the public, the tournament showcases 16 college
Quidditch teams from the Philadelphia area and beyond and will feature
two Quidditch pitches with games played simultaneously for spectators to
view. The best three teams will compete for the Cup in the final
bracket of the tournament.

Sunday, October 28

Quidditch 101, coached by Chestnut Hill College Quidditch players,
will be offered on Sunday on the estate lawn at SugarLoaf at 11 a.m.
Trick-or-treating and a costume parade in Chestnut Hill will follow
later in the afternoon. Meanwhile, from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. the stables at
Northwestern Equestrian Center will be open to the public for their
annual Halloween costume parade, open house and arena games. Meet
Tenebrus, a Thestral from Hogwarts, and more.

How to Get There

Taking public transportation to Chestnut Hill is encouraged for
wizards and muggles alike. On Saturday, October 27, the complementary
Hogwarts Express Shuttle will be making stops at the Chestnut Hill West
Station all day, with stops at Chestnut Hill College and the Top of the
Hill. More info soon.

Check out a cool video preview of the Quidditch Tournament, below.

Harry Potter Weekend 2012
When: October 26-28
Where: Throughout Chestnut Hill
Cost: Free; some activities carry nominal fees
Please visit www.chestnuthillpa.com
for more information. 

(Thanks to Chestnut Hill for having PhillyChitChat shoot their event and to photographer Mike Hirata – I was off shooting a few Design Philadelphia Events which you can read about on Philadelphia Magazine)