This Halloween I had the privilege of joining a free-form acting group headed by none other than Focsee Cosplay, for the Ithaca Wizarding Weekend, a two-day event turning a small cross section of Ithaca NY into a slice of Diagon Alley itself. Slated to be one of the Death Eaters and faithful servant of the Dark Lord, I had a blast going between the mulled apple cider vendor, the wand salesman, and dodging recapture from over ambitious Aurors.

Our day started as most do, trundling out of our hotels with dark circles befitting Azkaban escapees. Pictured with me is Hugging Hunter Cosplay who was playing a character about as unhinged as she looked.

And of course, our Auror opponents were preparing themselves to fight evil with wholesome breakfasts. As you can see Miraculous Lollipop, playing Auror Odin, chose to arm themselves with a pop tart and a peace sign.

From there, we hopped in our flying cars and headed to the event. Parking was somewhat difficult to get, due to the popularity of the event, so I recommend bringing shoes you can walk distances in.

From the moment we rounded the red bricked corner, delicious smells practically assaulted us. There was the warm, apple cinnamon smell of hot cider, delicious barbecue and the sweet, underlying sweetness of butter beer. My cell phone pics do little justice, but even at the very opening of the event, people were pouring in.

Our first order of business was staging an escape from Azkaban. Tawny, Jason (not pictured) and I comprised the three baddies that had been wasting away for quite some time. After a brief bit of dialogue, we made a break for it, only to be chased down by Focsee and Miraculous Lollipop, which was much more intimidating than it sounds, I promise. The kids seemed to have the most fun with the event and were more than happy to tell Focsee where we had run to or where we were hiding. Children these days, so obsessed with things like justice!

But after a good half hour of running around, we took a break together and enjoyed some delicious refreshments from several of the vendors.

Nothing like noms to bring two sides together. And finally, Jason of Salty Commander Cosplay

makes a photographic appearance as Peter Pettigrew with a serious eyebrow malfunction. It was fun to just watch the people walking by, enveloped in the atmosphere of hundreds of nerds having fun. There were children in bouncing around, pointing, exclaiming, laughing. There were adults, eyes shining with a kind of nostalgic giddiness that comes when you see something that you're not quite sure is real. And there were people dressed to the nines as characters they knew and loved.

But then.... but then it was time for HIM to arrive.

None other than Lord Voldemort himself.

From there on, we walked around in several processions, declaring the ultimate love of the Dark Lord. Some people gasped, some people ran away, and a few asked to join us. Everyone had so much fun and it was smiles for days. Unfortunately, we did make a little girl cry, but I'm sure she was just overwhelmed by the glory of the Dark Lord. (Hail Voldemort.)

Of course, we all took our work VERY seriously and didn't do anything immature... Like Dabbing. I mean come on, how old is that meme?

Our day wrapped up with a change of outfits and a fun dinner at one of the local restaurants that worked with the Wizarding Weekend to accommodate attendees. Smiles, giggles, and food were shared all around with more than our share of memes. However, it's always important to remember to be respectful of other patrons when you go out in costumes. Often times you serve as an example for all of us cosplay folk, so try to be on your best behavior!

All in all, I cannot recommend this event enough for Harry Potter fans. It truly is a pure hearted escape from real life. And for anyone interested in joining the freeform acting group, feel free to message Focsee cosplay for more details!

And as if you needed any other reason to go, Ithaca Wizarding weekend is doggo friendly. Behold, just some of the beautiful creatures I got to pet! I hope to see you all next year!