Owlery & Wizarding Express
Meet the owls of Woodie’s Wings Rescue Centre, make potions, and ride the Ecclesbourne Valley Wizarding Express.
Wirksworth Station · 10am–4pm
Wirksworth · Derbyshire
Wirksworth
Wizarding Day A town full of magic, one day a year
Thank you! 4 October 2026 was wonderful — we’re back on Sunday 3 October 2027.
- 2018first Wizarding Day
- 2,000visitors each year
- £10,000+raised for good causes
- 19activities in 2026
Sunday 4 October 2026
Thank you, witches & wizards!
Harry Potter fans of all ages gather every year in the Peak District town of Wirksworth for a day of magical activities. It is a wonderful day full of smiling wizarding faces, young and old.
We celebrate our love of the wizarding world, share our knowledge and passion for the stories, and our creativity with fantastic costumes and displays. Building on the success of previous years, the day welcomes around 2,000 visitors and has become the largest independent Harry Potter fan event in the UK — run by fans, for fans. We are inclusive.
We collaborate with local groups and organisations across Wirksworth: see who’s involved.
Wizarding Day is a fan-created, non-profit event put on by our community for the community of Harry Potter fans. Warner Bros. Entertainment and J.K. Rowling are not associated with or responsible for the day in any way.
What happens on the day
The whole town turns magical
Activities fill Wirksworth from 9am to 5pm, with owls, steam trains, a costume parade and a magical market. Here’s a taste of 2026; see all twenty-one activities. The programme for Sunday 3 October 2027 will appear here nearer the time.
Snakes & Dragons
Meet and handle some fantastic reptilian beasts, including some very big snakes. Can you talk Parseltongue?
Royal Oak Barn · 10am–4pm
Costume Contest & Parade
Enter the Hall of Selection, then join the Parade of Witches, Wizards, Professors and Magical Creatures.
St Mary’s Church · 3pm, parade 3:30pm
Quizzadry
Attempt the Triwizarding Tournament, set by the master sorcerers of the Wirksworth Twinning Association.
Gothic Hall · 11am, 1pm & 3pm
Magical Markets
Stalls of wizarding wares by the Memorial Hall, plus Wirksworth Wizarding Supplies at No. 9¾ Old Market Place, the only seller of officially licensed merchandise.
Memorial Hall & Gardens, Market Place
Magical Making Cavern
Make wands, puppets, charm bracelets and candles, print your own spirit animal, or build a banner for the parade.
The Maltings
Phone Box, Anglia & Bus
The magical red phone box, a Ford Anglia, and rides on a Routemaster bus through town.
Around town
The Curse-Breaker’s Trail
A treasure hunt around the shops and cafés of Wirksworth, played on your phone with the Wayward Map.
Start at any Info Stall
When
Next: Sunday 3 October 2027, 9am–5pm in the town centre.
Info Stalls
One on the Old Market Place, one on the Market Place by the Memorial Hall. Programmes, questions and trail entry.
Lost children
Wirksworth Fire Station, just past the Co-op.
First aid
In the Market Place, outside Jasmine Nails.
Most of the town is free to explore. Some activities are ticketed — book ahead on TicketSource, or pay on the door.
Wizarding Day online
Magic you can carry in your pocket
Three enchantments built for the day. The quiz is open all year; the map and the trail wake up on Wizarding Day itself.
Play now
Wizard Test Revision
Two papers to sit: the O.W.L. for the whole family, and the N.E.W.T. for devoted fans. With leaderboards.
Take the test →On the day
The Wayward Map
A live map of Wirksworth that shows every wizard walking the town on the day, footsteps and all.
Peek at the map →On the day
The Curse-Breaker’s Trail
Hunt for cursed objects hidden at eleven places around the town, and break the curse.
About the trail →Every galleon counts
A day of fun for good causes
Wizarding Day has raised over £10,000 for local causes since 2018. Thank you to everyone who came, bought a programme or held a snake for a donation.
Wirksworth Pre-School Group
Wirksworth Colts FC
The Fire Fighters Charity
Josh Stockell Skatepark
Aquabox
Our park & ride is only possible thanks to Haarlem Mill, TDP, Technolog Limited, Willow Direct and Peter Harrington. On the day, a London Routemaster bus carries visitors between the car parks at each edge of town. Wirksworth Colts run the Ravenstor end (Technolog, Willow Direct and Peter Harrington), and Wirksworth Pre-School Group run the Haarlem end (Haarlem Mill and TDP). Thank you all!
Haarlem Mill
TDP
Technolog
Willow DirectGetting to Wirksworth
Leave the muggle carriage at home
Parking in the town centre is very limited on Wizarding Day. Come by bus or by train, or book a park & ride space before you set off.
By trainThe Wizarding Express from Duffield
By busThe Sixes, 110/111 and the X17
Park & rideBook your space ahead…one of the Peak District’s biggest and friendliest family events.
Kindly supported by
With thanks to Haarlem Mill, Ravenstor, TDP, Technolog, Willow Direct and Peter Harrington for park & ride car parks, and to every business that advertised in the programme.