MISTI-Con 2019: Day 1 and Day 2 Recap

I am finally back from a long but fun and eventful Harry Potter convention called MISTI-Con. All I can say is that I had a fantastic time! The Wizarding Though the Ages theme was perfect for this year. Despite the location and date change from previous MISTIs, the magic is always there! I always look forward to reuniting with old friends and making new friends. We all step away from the Muggle world and we embrace the magic around us at MISTI-Con. The con provides a safe and judge-free environment for fans to geek and nerd out about fandom. Everyone dressed up as witches and wizards or even magical creatures or bring life to inanimate magical objects. I saw some very creative cosplays like a howler who was shouting about with Mrs. Black to the renfaire like Luna Lovegood.

I will be recapping the convention in a few posts. I always make a schedule prior to each MISTI with programming I would like to attend but I like to be flexible since most of the best moments are not scheduled. It's always about being somewhere at the right time. The schedule is an outline for me but I have to say that I had some programming that I made sure I attended.

This is my 4th MISTI-Con and I hope to attend future ones. If you have never attended a Harry Potter convention, I am hoping you will in the future if you are a huge Potterhead. You will make long-lasting memories of a lifetime! Maybe I will see you at a future Harry Potter convention whether it be something like MISTI or perhaps even Leviosa, LeakyCon or CONjuration.

DAY 1: THURSDAY, JULY 18, 2019

Jess and I met up at South Station to wait for our train (aka Hogwarts Express). It was Jess's first time on the Amtrak and it was definitely a relaxing ride. The train really felt like we were actually taking the Hogwarts Express to Hogwarts. When we arrived at New Rochelle, we hailed an Uber to Tarrytown which is where MISTI-Con took place. The Doubletree at Hilton was perfect for the convention. The hotel has a beautiful lobby, a Mirror of Erised and even stone walls that made the venue perfect for photoshoots. The courtyard area with the gazebo was gorgeous but it was too hot for photos and gatherings due to the heatwave. We experienced temps in the high 90's which meant most of us stayed inside for the con.

When Jess and I arrived at the hotel, we checked into our room and picked up our badges. Jess had a panel shortly after we checked in so I took this opportunity to wander around the hotel so I can explore every crevice. Frankly, I didn't want to get lost since the Doubletree is a new venue. I managed to bump into Kira, Kira's mom, Seamus, Dave, Alyse and a few other people while I was wandering around.

I found some Whomping Willows in the courtyard, scouted out some nice photoshoot areas and I even found a Mirror of Erised. The Margate cannot be replaced but I didn't mind the Doubletree at all. It worked out very well. I just wish the air circulation was a little bit more even. The Plaza rooms were freezing but the main floor had pockets of warm air in certain parts of the hallway and in certain rooms. The Grand Ballroom definitely needed more AC since everyone was packed in that half where Salon 1, 2 and 3 are.


Jess and I ended going to Capri, which is a short walk from the hotel, for a slice of pizza to tie us over until the Opening Ceremonies and Feast. We also had time to pick up some groceries from the market and a few things at the CVS in the same plaza. After getting back to Doubletree, we hung out in the main lobby for a bit where there was a small Gryffindor photoshoot near one of the fireplaces. Jess and I also visited the Owlery to check out on some of the cool Owl Post Gift Exchange receptacles. Some people were super creative with decorating their receptacles. Jess and I decided to particpate in the Owl Post Gift Exhange this year due to hearing about it at the last MISTI. Thank you to Dylan for organizing it!

The Opening Ceremonies and Feast was fantastic! It's always a nice way to start a con by having everyone congregate in the same area with their bellies full and their body, mind, and soul entertained. Lawrence Neals was the MC for the next four days and I am so happy he was back to entertain us this year. He is a great singer and he knows how to keep a show moving. It was nice meeting new people. Jess and I met Matt, who is a friend of Irvin, and we also met Katherine. Both Matt and Katherine have never been to a MISTI-Con before. I know they had a great time at their first MISTI-Con. Yay to new Harry Potter friends!

Staff at the Opening Ceremonies and Feast

Jess and I bumped into Krissy at the Owlery again and we also scouted out the Common Room to see what was going on for the night. I saw some of the WROCK (wizard rock) bands at the Westchester for sometime. I believe I saw a couple of bands but Hawthorne and Holly was debuting a new song which was pretty exciting.

I actually don't remember what I did that night because I know I missed the Potter Movie Jumble because I was having so much fun reuniting with old friends and meeting new ones. I did wander the halls a bit and saw that Evercrumbly and Witch were setting up their displays for their wonderful hats. I can't believe they were able to make it. They were supposed to be at another event but decided last minute to eat the deposit so they can come to MISTI-Con! I am glad they were able to make it to MISTI because everyone always enjoys their company.

I have to say that the Doubletree at Hilton is a pretty good venue in terms of photoshoot locations and the layout for the most part. Too bad it was too hot to utilize the outdoor areas for long periods of time but the hotel lobby is gorgeous!

DAY 2: FRIDAY, JULY 19, 2019

Rise and shine for an early morning at MISTI! Jess and I went to the Volunteer Coordination Meeting first thing in the morning since we volunteered for a few shifts to help the staff out at MISTI. My first panel of the day was A History of Magic Wands which was amazing since Carol makes some of the most wonderful wands and she has a lot of knowledge about wandlore and wands in general. It was definitely a great start to this year's con.

I ended up skipping the How to Plant a Harry Potter Themed Garden since I bumped into my sister at the Owlery and she forgot her list for the exchange. I was assisting her with delivering the gifts since I was able to pull the spreadsheet on my phone. I volunteered to assist with the keynote presentation called Evanesco Representation, Accio Inclusion: Diversity in Harry Potter, which was fantastic by the way. I helped out prior to the keynote with microphone checks and taping down wires. After I helped out with ticket collecting, I was able to grab a plate of food for lunch before returning back to my post at the door to monitor who was coming into the panel and who was leaving to run to the rest room. Not only was I able to help out MISTI with my volunteer service, but I was also able to get a pretty decent lunch and I got to hear a wonderful and insightful conversation.

Evanesco Representation, Accio Inclusion: Diversity in Harry Potter Keynote

Afterward, I went to The Foreshadowing of Borgin & Burkes panel in which Irvin was presenting. Irvin always has some pretty thought-provoking panels. This one entailed about connecting things found in Borgin and Burkes in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets with Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. He also mentioned about how some Borgin and Burke's items have a Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes counterpart.

I bumped into Jill around 3:30ish and she needed someone to watch the registration desk while she practiced for the lip-sync battle so I quickly grabbed items for Madam Malkin's Clearance Rack so I can tag them when I was at the registration desk. At 5:00ish, I found my sister, Krissy, at the Madam Malkin's drop off as Triwizard Harry Potter. For those who don't know, the Madam Malkin's event is a consignment shop that MISTI has during every con. Participants bring their fandom T-shirts, costumes, memorabilia, etc to sell. Ten percent of the proceeds go to MISTI. Madam Malkin's took place the following day during the Bewitching Bazaar aka craft faire and author alley. I ended up bumping into Dave, Alyse, Jenny and Gareth in the lobby and they were trying to figure out dinner plans. We ventured out to downtown Tarrytown in search of food. The cafe was too busy and only had outside sitting. Because it was in the high 90's, we went to a Greek restaurant for dinner since we could eat inside. The Pasticcio I ordered was delicious and I even had some leftovers for lunch for the next day.

I was able to catch the remaining half of Albus & Scorpius's Excellent Adventure: A Musical Parody. There was an intermission after the parody since staff were setting up for the lip-sync battle and the Merlies. In the hallway near the Grand Ballroom, I bumped into Dariti and Krissy with a few others so we took a lot of photos near the train station photoshoot backdrop. I even spotted Dave who was dressed up as a Chinese Fireball Dragon. I was delighted that the hotel was serving Butterbeer that night since the night before they had other rotating drinks. Unfortunately, the Butterbeer they served had a base of rootbeer. Rootbeer!! Why? At least use cream soda if you are making Butterbeer.



During the lip-sync, there were some pretty hilarious acts. Let's say that Baby Shark will not be the same anymore. I found it hilarious how Viktor Krum recruited some friends to sing the Baby Shark song in his Triwizard second task swim outfit with a shark hat on his head. The Merlies is a showcase of fashionable outfits. I really liked someone's interpretation of Luna's huge lion's hat. Her version had an eagle which is very fitting since Luna is a Ravenclaw. Go Claws! Also, the phoenix cosplay is freaking amazing. I heard she was able to get the wings commissioned and they are hand-painted! How stunningly beautiful!

MISTI had a 90's dance party called the Rave 'N' Claw that started around 10:30 and ended at 1:30. I only stayed for part of the time since I was so tired and I needed to get up early in the morning. I caught the first half. Let's say the Rave 'N' Claw went way pass 1:30. I only know because my roomie was showering when I needed to pee so I walked down the hall to where a public bathroom is located in the Owlery. The dance party was right across from it and it was still bumping along.

The photo above left is one of my many outfits for the day. This one was for the beginning of the night. I ended up switching the pin for the blue light up one for the Rave 'N' Claw dance party. I also have been carrying my wand in between my Harry Potter luggage purse which has been so helpful! During the day, I wore the same shoes, socks, tie and white button down shirt but I had a Harry Potter Ravenclaw sweater and a gray skirt instead of the vest and printed skirt.

Crazy how two days of MISTI flew by super fast. My recaps for Days 3 and 4 will be up later this week. Make sure to check it out. I also have some posts on Instagram under #NicoleAtMISTICon.