For one night, Filipino Harry Potter fans lived their best Potterhead lives as they celebrated what makes the franchise special to them.
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Being a Harry Potter stan can be complicated knowing that its creator is, well… you know. But despite it all, the fandom still finds ways to focus on and celebrate the magic of the franchise. And for a group of Filipino Potterheads, that manifested in a special gathering last May 2, which so happens to be International Harry Potter Day in celebration of Harry Potter’s defeat of Voldemort. On this magical day, Hogwarts-themed celebrations happen across the world. One of these was “A Night at the Great Hall” in our very own Glorietta Mall on a sunny day in Manila.
The event was hosted by CC, a Manila-based event collective focused on crafting curated, niche, and thematic experiences and one-of-a-kind social functions. Founded by Ryan Sison and Fran Beltran, this multi-disciplinary event organization, which gets its name from the “Bcc” icon you see in your email inbox, aims to design experiences that foster creativity and community. This desire for connection is actually what inspired the org’s name.
With every function they plan aiming to showcase the hidden gems of the city, it’s no wonder they’ve immortalized this love letter to Manila through their quirky little label.
Curious to know what a group of Gen Z Harry Potter fans do inside a pop culture museum in Makati? Here’s the inside scoop from someone who was there to experience it all.
BEHIND THE MAGIC
So how did the Great Hall of the evening and the festivities come to be?
Guests arrived in their House colors, wands tucked into their robes, and popcorn boxes in hand. As floating candles flickered overhead, the students took their seats at the long table, socializing or grabbing some butterbeer for a night to remember.
The spellbinding event happened in the sprawling walls of Manila’s pop culture-centric Omniverse Museum, mainly in the life-sized recreation of the Great Hall from the iconic movies.
ICYDK, Omniverse Museum is special in that it currently houses thousands of original movie artifacts, props, and collectibles secured from Hollywood Studios and global destinations, with many of these being rare, never-before-seen pieces. Naturally, it made a good setting for Filo wizards and witches to celebrate one of their fave franchises.
As they entered the museum, they traveled from the Top of the GLO to a world of fantasy. With Potter Waltz playing in the air, they walked through the iconic locations of Star Wars, from Batuu to the Stormtrooper’s Base, and Jabba the Hut’s palace, until finally, they reached the remains of a crashed spaceship in the forest. From there, they walked through the gates and entered the Great Hall.
SYMPHONIES OF SORCERY
Rose Ko, the cosplay violinist, was dressed as Luna Lovegood as she played Hedwig’s Theme, and songs from John Williams’ most iconic Harry Potter soundtrack.
Of course, what’s an enchanted evening without a touch of thrill? Guests were invited to partake in a Horcrux Hunt — a treasure quest that had witches, wizards, and a few bold Muggles scouring the museum’s boundless alternate realities.
Imagine slipping past the iron gates of Themyscira, rummaging through the shadowy corners of the Batcave, peeking into Arkham Asylum’s eerie cells, and venturing into Mordor, all in search of the cursed relics of Voldemort’s soul.
REFRESHMENTS AT THE GREAT HALL
Aside from popcorn, the VIP guests were given ‘Happee Birthdae Harry’ cake-decorating kits, inspired by a certain lovable half-giant Hagrid. Students could also eat delicious bagels by New York-inspired brand Booya Bagels. Fun fact: Their bagels were inspired by Professor McGonagall’s sandwich platter in The Chamber of Secrets movie.
No Harry Potter event is complete without some delicious butterbeer, and the iconic drink was provided by one of the evening’s sponsors, Stanford Shaw Brewing (they were delicious, I had three cups!)A photobooth provided by Reel Cool PB was also available on Hogwarts grounds.
A MAGICAL SCREENING
As the night went on, cups of butterbeer were refilled as the participants walked through the various halls of the Omniverse Museum.
Finally, everyone gathered for a film viewing of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, and as the first notes of Prologue chimed, nostalgia and new memories blurred into one golden, fizzy glow. During the climactic wizard chess battle, the chronically online Hogwarts exploded into a line-by-line rendition of Ron’s iconic line (the whole moment was as good as it sounds).
MAGIC BEYOND HOGWARTS
It was a magical night, but the true enchantment lay in the way multiverses collided. Batman brushed capes with wizards, the Iron Throne loomed near Iron Man’s base, and Mordor’s looming darkness was brightened by a floating candle or two. Some Hogwarts students even snuck out of the Great Hall to meet the criminals of Arkham Asylum.
It was a night where Manila’s Omniverse Museum reminded us that magic isn’t just in wands and spells — it’s in the spaces where imaginations are free to run wild, the playgrounds of IP that raised us, and fans gather to enjoy great stories that did, does, and will continue to speak to us. For the pop culture-obsessed, Omniverse Museum lowkey needs to be on your must-visit list.
At the end of the event, the Horcrux Hunt winners were announced by Harry Potter and the Golden Snitch. After a few interviews, the bittersweet Leaving Hogwarts theme played. It was a fitting end for a spellbinding evening.
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