Wands up if you are a Harry Potter fan, as the Wizarding World is coming to Okotoks in all of its magical glory.

For a day in October fans will be able to catch a ride on a magical portkey and end up in Diagon Alley for the day, while those misbehaving might spend some time in Azkaban.

Katie Fournell, Chair for the Wizarding World of Okotoks event also sits on the board for the Okotoks Arts Council, and she says they created this festival to bring tourists to Okotoks and get our arts community noticed.

"We are here to educate, inspire and connect people to the Okotoks Arts community and we feel like, if we're putting on events of this magnitude than people will start to see us and take us as a serious body to start pushing for more arts and tourism in Okotoks."

A similar event in Kensington brings in nearly 10,000 visitors who dress up as their favourite characters and treat themselves to a famed Butterbeer or a chocolate frog while attending many magical activities.

Fournell says the Wizarding World of Okotoks will be more involved and have some activities that even Kensington didn't, as local businesses get on board, and they're excited!

"The businesses here are very excited to decorate more then the Kensington festival was known too. Many of them who went to Kensington are saying 'We need to completely transform our store!' so hopefully that will happen." Fournell adds "The other thing that we have that's quite different, is that we are more intimate than Kensington, because we are Okotoks and we have that small town feel."

Businesses like Home Ground, Take the Cake and many others have already announced their excitement to part of the big day.

Some of the big events, Fournell says, will include quidditch tournaments, Themed foods and decor, and even one more infamous attraction.

"There will be a whole quidditch tournament that people can just sign up for.  We're going to have Diagon Alley which will be all of the participating businesses along Elma St. and Elizabeth St. We're also going to have Azkaban where participants can pay $1 per minute to arrest their friends."

Azkaban is the Harry Potter world's famous wizarding jail where some of the darkest witches and wizards known to man are said to be housed.

Plans for the Festival are moving along quickly, and Fournell says she needs volunteers from the community, whether its as an actor in costume to roam the streets, or helping to control the crowds, right now they're looking for everything.

Fournell says anyone interested in participating or volunteering just needs to contact her at k.fournell@okotoksartscouncil.ca

Team sign up for the quidditch tournament will be open soon.

If you're interested in following updates for the Wizarding World of Okotoks event, you can follow their Facebook page, by clicking here.

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