Roads closed as thousands descend on Kensington for Harry Potter-themed day

Plenty of muggles, witches and wizards descended on Kensington on Sunday to take in a Harry Potter-themed day. There was so manythat roads into the area were eventually shut down to accommodate them all.

Calgary Transit was forced to implement detours as police closed roads into the area around 1 p.m. whilethousands waited in long lines for chocolate owls, butterbeer and more.

The promotion, turning Kensington into Diagon Alley from the popular series, was timed to Harry Potter's birthday andthe release of a new Harry Potter playthat readers can purchase in book form.

That meant a busy day at Pages in Kensington, which opened at midnight for the launch and faced long lines for books throughout the day.

Born into fandom

So what's Diagon Alley?

"It's where people go to buy their school supplies and there's a lot of really cool restaurants," explained Liam Born.

His family has a strong connection to the series.

"I'm here because it's Harry Potter and I've pretty much grown up with it," said his sister Isabel."My mom, like, went into labour with me when she went to see the first movie, so we actually have a T-shirt of it. I was pretty much born being a Harry Potter fan."

The series has maintained a strong following, every since the first book was released in 1997.

"It's really creative and it's about magic and it's fun thinking about all the magical things you can do that you can't really do in real life," said Charlotte Fursier, explaining the lasting impact of the stories.

Overcrowded

While many were enjoying being dressed up and celebrating the series, the crowds were a bit much for others.

"Crazy. Absurd. We lined up. Everywhere you go there's a line and people are lining up, and lining up for hours at a time to get in to see nothing, really," said NikkiShibou.

"It's incredible to me how many people can be dressed up and waiting in line for nothing."

There is no word when the roads will reopen in the area, with police saying at 1:30 p.m. that it will happen when the crowds disperse.

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