Sold out Harry Potter fan festival moving from Goderich to Blyth

A Harry Potter fan festival set to take place in Goderich this October is moving to Blyth and changing its name.

All tickets sold to theTransfigured Town: Goderichevent Oct. 14-15 will be honoured for theFestival of Wizardry, organizers said.

Nathan Swartz, president of the group Transfigured Town Inc. which runs the festival, says the new site in Blyth will offer more than 40 acres of space for the festival and is just 15 minutes away from Goderich.

• Ontario Harry Potter festival tickets sell out 9 months in advance

Blythwas a back-up venue for the festival,Swartzsaid in a release, adding it was known as their "Room of Requirement," which is a reference to the Harry Potter books.

Questions about the future of the festivalwhich sold out in January after the festival went viralstarted swirling this week afterGoderichtowncouncil discussed the matter during a closed door session Monday.

There were reportsGoderichcouncil had pulled itssupportfor the festival, althoughGoderichMayor KevinMorrisonsaid that was inaccurate.

The town council discussed the festival during a closed door meeting on Monday.

"When council rose from closed session, no motion was made," Morrison told CBC News.

"There is an agreement in place between the town and the organizer and not all conditions have been fulfilled on the part of the organizer."

'Amazing space for witches and wizards'

Morrison said he has been told the organizers of Transfigured Town made a presentation to the Municipality of North Huron Monday night as well.Swartz confirmed that in his release and said North Huron council unanimously approved a motion for organizers "to move forward with municipal staff."

• Rare $44K Harry Potter prequel stolen in British burglary
• Harry Potter play works magic with 9 wins at Olivier Awards
• The Harry Potter generation can't let go of 'The Boy Who Lived'

The Harry Potter-themed festival is set for Oct.13 to 15. The festival's website includes a number of activities including Quidditch games, live entertainment, writing workshops, wizard classes, and a large scavenger hunt.

The opening ceremonies will not be held Friday night, but a VIP dinner is still moving forward, Swartz said.

"We are taking the money that was to be used for the opening ceremonies and putting it into our Saturday and Sunday festivities, so everyone will still get their money'sworth," Swartz said in an email to CBC News.

Moving will mean savings for the organizers, Swartz said.

"Most importantly, there will be anamazing space for witches and wizards to gather from across the land," the release said, adding that there's a possibility of addingmore entertainment.

It's actually the second year for the event, but it went viral late last year. Tickets for the event sold out in January and nearly 10,000 people are expected to attend. The festival is a fundraiser for the Huron Food Action Network and another yet-to-be named charity.

For people who have already planned to stay in Goderich for the festival, organizers said they will be issuing free parking passes and running shuttles.

He has previously told CBC the festival "will immerse people into an world where Quidditch is more popular than football, where brooms are your primary mode of transportation and wands are in more hands than cellphones."