Harry Potter's Midnight Magic and Madness

20070721_HarryPotter.jpg
Only for Harry Potter will you see a couple thousand kids and adults line up at midnight for a book launch. Bay Street south of Bloor was closed off from 8pm until midnight last night for Indigo Books' "Midnight Magic," the much anticipated launch of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the seventh and final novel in the J.K. Rowling series.

Charu Dhavalikar, 18, is the first to snag a copy. I ask him how long he'd been in line and he says since seven. "Wow!" I say in amazement. "That's five hours!" Then he corrects me. "I lined up at 7am, a full hour-and-a-half before the next person." That's 17 hours prior to the official release of the book!

Dhavalikar and his brother Om, 14 (pictured above) came to Toronto from Plainsboro, New Jersey with their parents, who were here for a conference. What else would a couple of out-of-town teenagers do on a Friday night in this city?

How much magic can you have in one night? More photos and stories after the jump...

Before we can get into the book store there's plenty to keep us entertained, as a block of Bay Street is converted into Diagon Alley for a few hours: a bouncy castle, a magic show, fire juggling and Juno award-winning band The Satellites.

20070721_HarryPotter2.jpg(From left) Thomas, 4, Haley, 11 and Abigail, 9 and their dad Ted Rath stay awake with little sugar tubes, just outside Indigo Books during the Midnight Magic event.

Haley, wearing her Harry Potter glasses, says she's the biggest fan in this family. "My dad started reading the first book (in the series) to me when I was about six," she explains. She now reads the books herself, but also enjoys the movies. "I especially liked Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, when Professor Umbridge is taken away by the Centaurs."

Once inside, we are sectioned off into groups according to pre-assigned coloured wristbands. People young and old fill the book aisles. Some kill time playing Super Scrabble while others just try to stay awake.

20070721_HarryPotter3.jpgDino Spadafora and his son Lucas, 7, drove in from Windsor, Ontario for the book launch.

In the moments before midnight I feel the anxious anticipation mounting due to the top secret nature surrounding the launch. Posters that decorated the store for the event are raffled off and the crowd gets denser in front of the cashiers.

20070721_HarryPotter4.jpgAfter Dhavalikar -- the first in line -- pays for his new Harry Potter novel, he's still basking in his 15 minutes of fame. "I'm running on adrenaline right now," he says. "I can't wait to go back to the hotel and start reading this."

Photos by Roger Cullman.

Reader Reviews and Comments

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To be honest, I had the urge to go to Bay Street for the festivities, but I wanted to be the first person I know to finish reading the book.  If I went downtown, that would mean waiting in line and then making the trek back home to start.

Instead, I went to the local Shopper's Drug Mart around the corner and was 15th in line. Had the book in my hand and in my bed by 12:11, and finished it just before 6am.  Then, I went to sleep.

Just woke up now, and I'm contemplating a second reading.  I'm a nut.  Luckily, I know I'm not the only one.

Posted by: Sameer Vasta at July 21, 2007 2:32 PM

My girlfriend and I wandered over to a packed bay and bloor Indigo around 10. After hanging around for a bit, unsure of how or where a line was, we decided to not bother waiting for it.

Instead we walked home, stopping at Book City on bloor street instead. We hung around the store for about 40 mintues, while a line for pre-ordered customers grew increasinly larger. At 11:55, we walked over to the cash register during the confusion (I was wrongfully standing in the line for pre-orders) and at 12:00 were second in line at one of the registers. We had our book by 12:01 when we walked out and saw just how big the line had gotten outside (though I wonder how many actually knew that line was for pre-orders?)

Posted by: Kayin at July 21, 2007 2:38 PM

I went with my daughter about 8 and we took in some of the festivites but that crowd was getting a wee bit crazy by 10 so we caught the subway home and I still had my book at 12:09 and for FREE too thanks Shoppers!

Posted by: Hollie Pollard at July 21, 2007 2:42 PM

Not to gloat ... but I'm in Ireland at the moment and was able to snag a copy at 12:12am, UK time - a full 5 hours before Toronto. I'm a Torontonian - just on holidays - but it felt kinda cool to have it before my friends did back home. ;)

Posted by: Blair at July 22, 2007 3:05 PM

I preordered at the Indigo at Yonge & Eglinton. Wish I coulda been at the Bay/Bloor one but the YE store did a fine job nonetheless, and it's where I've bought my last three books anyway.

Posted by: Matt at July 22, 2007 3:20 PM

I went to the event at Harbourfront with friends. We didn't get there until 11 pm, but had our books and were gone by 12:08 am. That scene on Bay and Bloor looked like fun, but there were way too many people.

 Cheapest price I've seen is an independent video store in the High Park area selling copies for $24 plus tax. 

Posted by: M at July 22, 2007 10:28 PM

I picked mine up on opening night for $22 plus tax.  Check out Shoppers Drug Mart.  Not sure if the price is still the same, but it was on release night.

Posted by: Sameer Vasta at July 23, 2007 12:54 AM

I don't know if Walmart exists in Canada, or if it's just American, but if it does then I'd like to know what they're charging. It's sister company in England, Asda, sold it for £5. It's insanely cheap, and came to happen after a fight with the publishers where they accused them of stealing money from children at that price.

Posted by: Emma at July 23, 2007 8:58 AM

Emma, I was at Walmart yesterday and saw it on sale for $34.99.

I'm surprised there hasn't been more coverage around the web over Scholastic's edition that they released over in the US.  Not only was the cover much less expressive of the book than the international cover (which was printed in Canada by Raincoast Books), but Scholastic only claims to have been "enviro-friendly" in their printing while Raincoast printed on 100% post-consumer recycled paper and is ancient-tree friendly. 

Posted by: Sameer Vasta at July 23, 2007 9:50 AM

Just want to say how proud I am of the tons of parents who attended. Many of them were extremely good sports, patient, and also considerate when it came to tending to their children in a crowded public place. I've gone to too many more private events only to encounter selfish parents who let their kids run wild and unsupervised.  

Somehow my friends and I managed to line up behind the one rude clown (who cut in) with his daughter, but we were backed up by a super friendly mom with hers.

Posted by: Gloria at July 25, 2007 9:02 AM

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