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15,000 would-be wizards celebrate Harry Potter in Chestnut Hill

On Saturday morning, centaurs, witches, and giants stormed the streets of Chestnut Hill. After a year of planning by the Chestnut Hill Business District, Germantown Avenue turned into Hogsmeade, the lively village from the magical world of Harry Potter.

Celess Leblanc, 22 of Queens, NY, poses inside St. Joseph Hall at Chestnut Hill College during  Harry Potter Festival in Philadelphia, PA on October 22, 2016. The two day event in Chestnut Hill featured a Quidditch Tournament, a School of Wizardry and Witchcraft and lots of butter beer.
Celess Leblanc, 22 of Queens, NY, poses inside St. Joseph Hall at Chestnut Hill College during Harry Potter Festival in Philadelphia, PA on October 22, 2016. The two day event in Chestnut Hill featured a Quidditch Tournament, a School of Wizardry and Witchcraft and lots of butter beer.Read moreDAVID MAIALETTI / Staff Photographer

On Saturday morning, centaurs, witches, and giants stormed the streets of Chestnut Hill.

After a year of planning by the Chestnut Hill Business District, Germantown Avenue turned into Hogsmeade, the lively village from the magical world of Harry Potter.

The sixth annual Chestnut Hill Harry Potter Festival drew an estimated 15,000 people with Harry Potter-themed shopping and activities, including face painting, create-your-own owl postcards and golden snitches, and ice-sculpting. Most of those who attended wore costumes, which ranged from traditional Hogwarts student robes to scarier outfits, including dementors and mythical creatures.

Neighborhood businesses also took part. The Chestnut Hill Local issued a special report called "The Local Prophet: The Wizarding World's Tabloid Choice," while stores chose alternative identities as famous wizarding world locations, such as the Chamber of Secrets and the Room of Requirement. Some restaurants and bars even offered Harry Potter-themed food and drink menus.

The weekend featured the Brotherly Love Cup Quidditch Tournament, a Harry Potter-themed pub crawl, and a Harry Potter academic conference hosted by Chestnut Hill College. This year introduced interactive activities, including a Defense Against the Dark Arts class, a traditional Hogwarts course, and a "Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare" rally.

SEPTA also resumed its annual role in the festival, re-creating the famous platform 9 and 3/4 and operating a "Hogwarts Express" on its normal Saturday train to Chestnut Hill. SEPTA spokesman Andrew Busch said that according to initial reports, "trains were operating close to capacity, well over ridership on a normal Saturday." At Jefferson Station, children and adults in costumes packed the platform. At 10 a.m., the line for SEPTA train tickets wrapped through and around the concourse with hundreds of potential riders.

Greg Melo, 22 of Egg Harbor, N.J., attended the Harry Potter weekend specifically to attend and play in the Chestnut Hill Quidditch Tournament. "I got involved in Quidditch freshman year. It was something that seemed like an interesting thing to do," he said. "Coming here is now a tradition. We do it every year."

For Martha Sharkey, executive director of Chestnut Hill Business District, planning the Chestnut Hill Harry Potter Festival has been an opportunity to explore the wizarding world.

She said the event started as an addition to Chestnut Hill College's annual Quidditch tournament.

"I think it's been amazing learning about Harry Potter, and how the fans are of all ages. It's young people, and older generations," she said. "It's also grown every year."