Leviosa Recap: Day 3 and Day 4

I recently came back from Las Vegas and I am sharing my experience at Leviosa. For those who don't know what Leviosa is, Leviosa is Harry Potter and YA Lit convention that took place earlier this month. I shared my recap for Day 1 and Day 2  a couple of days ago. Check out the second half of my journey below.

Day 3

The second day of full programming was chock full of fun activities. I ended up skipping my first panel of the day because I wanted to sleep in for a little bit. My first panel of the day was Teaching Harry Potter in the College Classrom. Gareth, who is a good friend of David and Alyse, led the panel and he delved into his curriculum for his course, "Fantasy and Social Values," which he taught to undergraduate honor students this past semester. Not only was the panel fascinating but I loved how Gareth gave each attendee a copy of his curriculum. He has some good pointers about how to incorporate Harry Potter and other fantasy stories into a class curriculum.

I spent a couple few hours wandering the Vendor Room, catching up with friends in the Common Room, eating lunch and also playing some Harry Potter games such as Harry Potter Guess Who. I stayed for part of the MISTI-Con meet up before wandering back to the room to rest for a bit. I also donated about eight books to those who are in need within the Nevada area.

MISTI-Con postcard

At 4:00 I attended Has the Sorting Hat Been Wrong which was a very interesting panel. The presenters discuses multiple characters and whether they should have been sorted into another house. This panel was open to the audience to discuss what they thought about the sorting and whether certain characters were properly sorted. It was a very in depth discussion about whether the hat really chooses the best house for the witch or wizard or does it pick the house the person sees themselves in. I plan to recap this event at a later time in more detail.

Afterwards, I attended Snape and Sirius in Canon which is a reading by Lorrie Kim. I also was able to get by Snape: A Definitive Reading by Lorrie Kim signed! She's pretty amazing and I love her personalizations. I see Lorrie all the time at Harry Potter conventions and it was lovely to see her every day at Leviosa. Her insightful discussions about Snape is something I look forward to at every convention.

Snape is currently at the pool! 😃 Thanks Lorrie for signing my book!!!! #LorrieKim #SnapeADefinitiveReading #Snape #SeverusSnape #NicoleAtLeviosa

A photo posted by Nicole Moy (@nicolecmoy) on Jul 10, 2016 at 4:05pm PDT

I visited the the Craft Faire which is small but there were a lot of amazing artists. Kaci sold bracelets and bookmarks. I eventually bought a bookmark from her on Sunday. Davina of Popsiclesticks sold handmade cards and wonderfully smelling candles. I ended up buying a few candles in the following scents: Dumbledore, Knight Bus and Voldemort. Davina's special touches with the twine and charms are perfect.

Harry Potter Book Cake

I went back to the East Tower to meet up with Kristina for dinner. We ended up meeting up with Kaci and Danielle for a bit and then got ready for the ball. The Magical Ball had a cash bar with some Harry Potter specialty drinks. I got a Ravenclaw Tower but unfortunately, mine was made too strong and I couldn't finish the rest of it. However, the ball was a great event to see wonderful outfits and to meet new people. The decorative Harry Potter book cake was a must see as well!

Day 4

Sunday was a half day for most people. Programming and events ended around 2:00 p.m. and most people were spending the rest of the vacation with old and new friends before they depart for the Muggle world. Unfortunately, this was my last day in Vegas before going home.

My first panel of the day was at 9:00. I have attended many panels by David Martin in the past. This year, he had a panel called Material Culture in the Wizarding World. He opened up the panel with observing objects in the Muggle world to make sure we feel comfortable. He then brought up why the Wizarding World is very old fashioned. Objects play a big part of the setting for Harry Potter. I might recap the panel at a later date as well. I found the subject fascinating.

Inspired by Potter was a must go to panel with Natalie Simpson, Victoria Aveyard, Alexandra Bracken, Lindsay Cummings, Stephanie Diaz and Tobie Easton. It's always fun to hear about how authors are influenced by another author's book. Not only did I find out about all the authors' houses but I got to hear what they thought about Harry Potter. They discussed what they learned from Harry Potter and how Harry Potter helped shape their writing. I love how the authors who attended Leviosa are huge Potterheads. This panel will definitely be recapped at a later date.

I ended up skipping two panels that I was planning to attend on the Sunday but I ended up catching up with Sidney from the House of Wormwood. Not only was I able to purchase amazing soappes from her but it was interesting to learn the millinery process and also about her lines of soappes and how she decided to expand her Harry Potter soappe collection. Since I already missed a couple of panels, I decided to purchase a few gifts for friends.

I had a lot of time before my flight departed so I took advantage of relaxing in the framed rectangle lounges. Kristina and I agreed that they were so comfy. Look how amazing these lounges are! They are perfect to kick back and relax. Grab a drink or a book and soak up the view while staying cool in the shade!

After relaxing near the pool, I ended up back in my room to pack my bags for my red eye flight. Since my flight got delayed, I ended up hanging out with Leviosa staff and we went to Primarily Prime Rib for some of the best prime rib that I have ever tasted. It was so juicy and the flavor was fantastic! They also served sourdough bread with butter when we got there. I had a delicious spinach salad with peaches, dried cranberries and candied pecans in a fruity vinaigrette. My sour cream & chive potato was the perfect side to my prime rib. I was fortunate to be able to join such a lovely group of people for dinner before departing to the airport. Of course, my flight was delayed again but got home safely!

Even though Leviosa is over, I cannot wait until my next venture to a Harry Potter convention. I am not sure when I will be able to visit Las Vegas but I had an amazing unforgettable time and I am glad I made memories that will last a life time.

I know a lot of people have read Harry Potter books and watched the films but attending a Harry Potter convention is a different experience that you do not want to miss. You will find your people at a Harry Potter convention. Unite with all the Potterheads! 

If you are planning to attend a Harry Potter convention in the future, I highly suggest attending Leviosa or MISTI-Con. 

Thank you for reading about my adventures with Harry Potter and YA literature. You can also check some of the Instagram photos and tweets under the hashtag #NicoleAtLeviosa.