From the moment we entered the Franklin Institute's main lobby at 7 pm, I knew it was going to be a fun night.
There were so many activities going on, and only three hours, so I had to make my choices carefully.
Only a few days before the event, Science After Hours revealed an added surprise, Harry and the Potters would be performing in the Planetarium. I've always regretted never seeing a Wizard Rock band play live when Wizard Rock was at the height of popularity, so I was ecstatic over the idea that I would get to see the most famous of Wizard Rock bands play.
Before entering the Planetarium, we grabbed a beverage. Science After Hours is a 21+ only event. There are bars set up around the museum.
Pumpkin Juice - Juice + Butter Beer - Butter = Pumpkin Beer
There were also at least two places with free alcohol tastings, but the lines were super long, so we skipped them.
Seasonally approved beers in hand, we stepped into the Planetarium. It was already very cool, and the concert hadn't even started yet.
The Franklin Institute really knows how to throw an event.
They changed the ceiling a few times during the concert. The moon was especially fitting during the My Teacher is a Werewolf song.
The concert was amazing! They are really good musicians.
Harry Potter, Harry Potter, and the ghost of Cedric Diggory had a ton of energy and really knew how to work a crowd.
There was quite a bit of running through the audience and a little audience participation as well.
I was so excited and had so much fun. Seeing Harry and the Potters live = Life Goal Complete.
I saw people during the concert holding up their light up wands. I knew making a wand was what I wanted to do next. Unfortunately wand making proved to be so popular that they quickly ran out of supplies, so no wand for me.
Since I wore my Hogwarts Express outfit, I wanted to get a picture in Franklin Institute's train room.
The entrance was decorated.
It was the perfect place to get a picture.
I still feel strange about asking people if I can take a photo of them, but I did manage to get a few.
It was an extra cloudy night, but we were still able to see the star Vega with the telescope. It was neat.
After the telescope, there was only a little time left before the big finale, so we wandered into the Quidditch room, but all of the matches were over. There were tables where you could make origami snitches, but it looked a little too involved for the time that we had left.
We did have time to try the dragon's breath. It involved graham crackers in liquid nitrogen.
We were instructed to chew the graham crackers quickly and to not let them adhere to our tongues or to the inside of our mouths. The effect was a lot of fun.
The big finale took place in the lobby. Everyone gathered, and with wands held high (those who were able to make their wands before the unfortunate wand shortage that is) began the count down,
then a shout of INCENDIO!!!
The finale was spectacular. The fireball could have burned the eyebrows off of at least fifty Seamus Finnigans.
It was a great night. I was extremely impressed by how organized the event was and by how many activities there were. Small touches and details really made the night. It was well worth the $15.00 admission.
The Franklin Institute in Philadelphia hosts Science After Hours events every month. Each has its own, unique theme. I can't wait to attend another one. They sent me a survey and in the comments I suggested a Doctor Who night, fingers crossed.
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