A magical meal for Muggles

The highly anticipated Harry Potter-themed dinner is being held at Holloway Commons this Wednesday, Feb. 6. It is expected to attract up to 4,000 people and will run from 4:30 to 9 p.m.

A member of the Student Senate Dining Committee thought of the idea for this themed dinner in December, and it has since grown into a major event. Deborah Scanlon, the area manager of Holloway Commons, said that it has taken much elaborate planning to get to where they are now. 

“As it started to grow, we have decided to do more and more things,” she said.

The whole dining hall will be transformed on the night of the event, with decorations of all sorts taking over the area. There will be a flying car, the goblet of fire, the Daily Prophet, and countless other decorations. The Holloway staff will also be dressed as various characters, with one member going as Dobby the house elf. 

Student actors dressed in the roles of different Harry Potter characters will also attend the event. They will act out a few scenes from the movies and perform a few musical numbers inspired by “A Very Potter Musical.” The 14 students will perform one group number, a duet and four scenes in a few different Holloway locations.

Sophomore theater design and technology major Janielle McCosh first thought of incorporating scenes into the event. McCosh and other students have been working hard and rehearsing for about two weeks. 

“It’s definitely gonna be fun. It’s gonna be crazy, but worth it,” she said.

Other students, not just the actors, are also encouraged to dress up for the dinner. There will be a contest for best costume, and the winner will receive tickets for “Harry Potter: The Exhibition” in New York City, as well as Amtrak Travel Certificates to get there. A photographer will also be present at the dinner to take pictures of those whom dress up.

Another contest regarding the dinner has already taken place, and the winners were notified Monday morning. UNH Dining Services put forward a question asking students what they would do to sit at the VIP table, and 24 people were chosen as winners. On the night of the dinner, two special tables will be reserved for these guests. The food will be served to them family-style, and dining will also do something a little extra special just for them.

As for everyone else, the food will be separated by theme around Holloway. The Euro section will have a Quidditch theme and feature foods such as roast beef, turkey and potatoes. The grill will be the newsroom and will be decorated with the Daily Prophet while serving burgers, wings and more. The pizza section will be the post office and will have pizza and macaroni and cheese. The soup section will be The Three Broomsticks Pub and have various soups and stews. The stir-fry will be transformed into a potions section complete with dry ice. The salad bar will have the theme of Ollivander’s Wand Shop.

A large portion of the food will be dessert. There will be Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans, cupcakes, pastries, and the infamous chocolate frogs. The Holloway kitchen staff began preparing the frogs three weeks ago and are working hard to make sure that there will be enough for everybody who wants one. There will also be a large cake made to look like Hogwarts.

The entire menu can be found at www.unh.edu/dining.

Students are getting very excited for the event, and Scanlon said she is happy to see the response the event has received so far. Past graduates have even been calling and asking if they are allowed to attend the dinner. Scanlon said that dining is thrilled to be pleasing the students, both old and new. She knows that Harry Potter is very special to many people on campus and is glad that they are able to put on an event like this.

“I think that this is the generation of Harry Potter,” Scanlon said. “Students read the books and saw the movies.”

As the preparations continue and the staff keeps working hard, Scanlon is looking forward to seeing the whole event come together.

“I hope that it will be truly magical,” she said.