Harry Potter Day at the Knoxville Zoo, sponsored by Books-A-Million, invited fans young and old to dress in their favorite wizarding garb and experience a little slice of Hogwarts here at home.
In celebration of Harry Potter’s birthday, which is July 31, the Zoo adapted their usual attractions to include the Hogwarts Express, makeshift Quidditch and Hagrid’s Hut with an animal showcase among other things.
The crowd was surprisingly young, with just several millennials sprinkled throughout and most activities geared towards a younger audience. I found most of the older Harry Potter crowd ogling at the baby gorillas.
Upon entrance, fans were given a wand, or a twig with a ribbon around it, and were led to the games where they could hop on a broomstick and jump from tree stump to tree stump or try to throw a ball in the correct pail.
There was also a man in a silver chrome mask holding a very large snake, letting everyone touch it if they dared. The man didn’t say much, though. I decided to keep my distance.
Overall, Hagrid’s Hut seemed to be the most popular attraction.
A handler brought out everything from snakes, tarantulas and two different owls, telling about each animal and explaining it’s role in the famed series.
“This big guy,” she said, gesturing to the large tarantula on her arm, “has no skeleton.” This drew in an “ah” from the crowd and had everyone listening.
Next, she asked the listeners about the means of communication at Hogwarts, to which everyone shouted, “OWL” before the little creature came out for show.
Kids, teens, and adults were told that they could then take pictures at the photo station, go to a hat sorting station or learn different spells. Attendees could also ride the Hogwarts Express, which was just the regular train with $3 tacked on to the adult ticket price of $19.95.
Though maybe a disappointment to the small crowd of twenty-somethings that turned out for Harry Potter Day at the Knoxville Zoo, the event seemed to go over well with the little ones. The older participants largely gravitated toward the gorilla exhibit where two baby gorillas and their expectant mother were playing.
Overall, the event was great for kids and those wanting to learn more about the animals in Harry Potter, but the zoo itself seemed to draw more attention than any witchy additions.
