Book Festivals
Sometimes the way to call attention to a book is to gather like-minded lit for a themed event or play out the themes of a book in a highly experiential setting.
Projects
MuggleFest Portland
As a fundraiser for a non-profit childcare center that serves the refugee population of Portland, Maine, Curious City formed an army of set designers, graphic designers, actors, fundraisers, readers, and volunteers to throw the biggest Harry Potter party on the planet.
To coincide with the release of the final book in the series, the MuggleFest crew built a reproduction of Diagon Alley in an old train factory. Each Diagon Alley shop was filled with either like product from Portland area businesses or a non-profit that ran an activity associated with that shop.
We minted galleons for entry to those non-profit shops putting $6000 in circulation for our non-profit partners. The sponsoring non-profit brought in over $30K in ticket sales, vendor fees, and many other wacky schemes.
Every detail was painstakingly created by area artisans and volunteers and paid tribute to J.K. Rowling’s brilliant universe. Over 5,000 readers gathered for this historic (and hysterical) event. Some of the highlights were:
- Entry to the site by historic steam engine train
- Daily Prophet as event guide printed by The Forecaster
- Entry through the Leaky Cauldron serving Margarine Meade
- A Gringott’s Bank complete with troll tellers and galleons
