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 get to 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 being somewhere at the right time. The schedule is an outline for me but I have to say that I have 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 a future Harry Potter convention whether it be something like MISTI or perhaps even Leviosa or CONjuration.
Check out my recap for Days 1 and 2 and Day 3.
DAY 4: SUNDAY, JULY 21, 2019
The last full day of MISTI-Con! Although it's bittersweet, we all made the best of it. Jess and I woke up early despite the Founders's Ball running into late hours the night before. We wanted to see the
Puffs Play: Watch Party since there was a Puffs panel later that day. Unfortunately, I couldn't see Puffs live on Wednesday before the Con so this is the next best thing. It was extremely hilarious despite me being super tired. I was eating my breakfast and drinking my coffee during the watch party since it was at 8:00 am in the morning.
Afterward, I went to the
History of Magic of New York panel which was fabulous. I don't know too much about paranormal lore in New York so it was interesting to learn about it with some New Yorkers.
The Puffs: The Original Trio Reunion panel started around 11:00. Jess and I saw my sister in the crowd and sat next to her. Unfortunately, Langston couldn't attend the event to do something at SDCC. However, Julie Ann and Zac were in conversation with Clay being the moderator. I am so glad that this panel happened because it was very insightful to hear from the actors about their experience being in the Puffs and also to ask questions. Jess and I didn't know they were doing photos after the panel so we ended up missing that.
Jess and I went to the Common Room and hung out with a lot of people including Dariti and Nessie. There were free snacks there and it was a good time to unwind and catch up with people before more programming for the afternoon and evening. I love how Walburga Black and a Howler ended up visiting the Common Room. I was fortunate enough to have recorded some video of both Mrs. Black and the Howler having a shouting match. It was hilarious!
Jess and I wandered up to the Grand Pre-North hallway and saw Nigel playing acoustic guitar and singing near the Evercrumbly and Witch hat display. There was a nice group of people enjoying time away from the craziness of the con. Jess and I were trying on hats and fascinators as well. I love Evercrumbly's millinery but it can be quite pricey. However, they are all top quality hats and fascinators. I own one Evercrumbly hat but am looking for another hat or fascinator that calls to me. Just like wands, the hat chooses the wizard. We went outside to take some photos briefly. My phone actually animated some of the photos I took of Jess and I. The animation with Jess looked awesome because it really looked like she was battling it out with her wand.
Jess and I parted ways and I attended the
Herbology: The Darker Side of Herbs panel where we learned a lot about herbs that are poisonous but also about protection herbs. All attendees were able to make protection amulets at the end of the panel which I thought is a unique addition to the programming. I bumped into Seamus at that panel and we chatted for a bit while waiting in the amulet line.
I met up with Jess after the Herbology panel and we both attended the
SLUG Club Meet-Up (Special Lego Users Group) which was pretty much a Lego meetup. We talked about what collections we have and which ones we want. Jill was asking me about the Lego Harry Potter games so we discussed that for a bit too. Jill had a block building contests where a volunteer will have to build a Harry Potter item within an allotted amount of time. We had two people build the Burrow and one person who built Buckbeak. Ni had their
Button Pin Swap Meetup which was awesome because we got to see Ni's fabulous pin duster with so many pins! It was nice to chat about pins with other pin enthusiasts.
I ended up going back to the room since Jess and I had time prior to the
Closing Ceremonies and Feast. Since we were hungry, we ended up snacking on some food before heading to the Grand Ballroom. The food was delicious with some of the best mashed potatoes I've had in a long time. I know Jess even went up for seconds for the mashed potatoes. They had really good cheesecake too. We ended up sitting with Kira, Kira's mom, Jenny and a few other people. The entertainment MISTI had that night was fabulous! GeekLifeRules had a wonderful Cosplay Cabaret where performers got into character and sung in character. We were graced with the presences of Umbridge, Lily, a 1920's speakeasy singer, Ginny and Moaning Myrtle. There was even an interpretative dance by someone representing a Thestral. Moaning Myrtle was freaking hilarious and probably one of my favorites of the show. Of course, Lawrence was up on stage serenading us.
During the Closing Ceremonies and Feast, the staff mentioned they are taking a much-needed break and they are not sure when the next MISTI will occur. They didn't want rumors spreading about how this is the last MISTI since things like that spread like wildfire on social media. However, they are taking a hiatus for now. It was bittersweet. A lot of people were very understanding but I know some people were teary-eyed. MISTI is a second family for most and it means so much to them. MISTI is a place where you can escape the Muggle world and you can embrace the magic within with other liked-minded people. MISTI is where your forge friendships and your bonds between old friendships grow stronger. MISTI helps you believe in yourself when you struggle in the Muggle world. MISTI is what a lot of people say is some of the best days of their lives. It's is euphoria!
Afterparties occurred once we were dismissed from the Closing Ceremonies and Feast. There were
Disney and Broadway singalongs in the Westchester,
Karaoke in the Ballroom,
board games in the Common Room and people just hung out and had a good time while enjoying the last night of MISTI Everyone wanted to make the best out of the situation of not knowing if this is the last MISTI.
Jess and I stopped by the Disney and Broadway singalong first before taking photos near the Mirror of Erised. We saw Kira and a few people playing board games in the Common Room and watched Golden Snitch, Snitch Snatcher: The Quidditch Game play in action. We spotted a Badger puppet poking into the doorway of the Common Room and being the Hufflepuff she is, Jess went to greet the badger. Afterward, Jess and I then played a few rounds of Harry Potter Guess Who before heading to the Karaoke. We ended up bumping into a lot of people at the Grand Ballroom and the Multifunction room. Jill convinced Jess to sign up for a duet for the Karaoke but the line was so long. I don't think they sang until 1:00 am and they were the second to last act for the night. During the waiting period, I met up with Caroline, who I met earlier at the con, and we chatted for a bit while she was waiting for a ride. Kira, Jenny and I did a
Wizard's Unite fortress battle or two outside of the Doubletree. It was a great night full of memories. Everyone was reminiscing over the amazing moments of the con but they wanted to hold on to every fiber of magic possible before returning to the Muggle world.
DAY 5: MONDAY, JULY 22, 2019
So today isn't really the fifth day of the con but it is leaving day for most people. People were tired while they were rolling out their luggage to the lobby. I saw people nodding at each other and we all knew that meant we are tired but the con was worth the sleep deprivation. We hugged and said our goodbyes before hopping into our Uber to head to the train station to head back to Boston. Jess and I went our separate ways once we got to South Station.
Overall, we both had a fabulous time at MISTI-Con. It's always a magical long weekend to escape from the Muggle world. I also have some posts on Instagram under #NicoleAtMISTICon if you want to check that out. I will cherish all the memories I made with old friends and new ones too! MISTI-Con was an unforgettable experience! If you love the Harry Potter fandom, I highly suggest you attend a Harry Potter convention or at least attend Harry Potter themed events. They invoke happiness like Felix Felicis! You won't regret your time at a Harry Potter convention.
