BY MADISON BLOOMQUIST/Murphy News Service
Fly your broom to the Twin Cities’ first Harry Potter-themed pub crawl in downtown Minneapolis this Saturday night.
The-Pub-Crawl-That-Must-Not-Be-Named will bring witches and wizards together from all over the Twin Cities. Participants are invited to escape to Hogwarts and have a magical night in Minneapolis.
Balogh and her friends started the pub crawl almost by accident. She said they were playing trivia at a bar and decided they wanted to go out some night dressed as witches and wizards. They made a public Facebook event, invited a few friends and soon had over 9,500 people RSVP.
“I had friends texting me from all over the [Twin] Cities telling me their co-workers and friends were talking about the event,” Balogh said.
Nine downtown Minneapolis bars—Rouge at The Lounge, The Pourhouse, Its Brothers Bar & Grill, Kieran’s Irish Pub, 508 Bar & Restaurant, Cowboy Jack’s, Gluek’s Restaurant & Bar, The Loon Café and Jackson’s Hole—will participate in the event.
Each bar will have something special happening along the way, Balogh said. Several will have themed drinks, including Gillyweed shots and Pumpkin Juice.
“They’re keeping their special potions a secret,” Balogh said. “We feel like there may be some magic involved!”
Pub crawlers are encouraged to wear costumes or official pub crawl t-shirts or tank tops. Some bars are offering free cover for those who decide to dress up.
For an added incentive, the pub crawl is donating books and money to the Hennepin County Library, Balogh said.
She said all proceeds from official t-shirt and tank top sales will go to the library. Rouge at the Lounge will host a Charity Book Station where people will donate books for a chance to win free passes to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando, Florida.
The-Pub-Crawl-That-Must-Not-Be-Named will take place from 7 p.m. to 2 a.m. this Saturday, Sept. 26. For more information, join the Facebook event. https://www.facebook.com/events/1668971683336405/
Reporter Madison Bloomquist is studying journalism at the University of Minnesota.