There’s a Harry Potter-Inspired Pop-Up Complete With Wands

Beer that pours with the wave of a wand, pictures that move in their frames and cocktails that change color in the glass—it all sounds like a fantasy world. But it’s not, it’s the magic-inspired pop-up cocktail bar called the Cauldron Pub.

In March 2018, lovers of all things fantasy will be able to embark on the Cauldron Magical Cocktail Experience in London. It’s a full “immersion class in London where guests wield working magic wands and molecular mixology to brew drinkable elixirs,” according to the website.

In short, it’s the drinking adventure that every adult who grew up reading Harry Potter has wanted since realizing that nostalgia plus cocktails equals happiness.

People who take the hour-and-45-minute cocktail class will be given a robe and a wand as soon as they walk into the space. A witchcraft-inspired craft beer from Fourpure Brewing Co. is the first order of business, followed by a walk-through on how to make two cocktails that bubble, smoke and change color. A warm enchanted feeling like you just downed a couple pints of butterbeer surely follows.

Yet while it looks and feels like something out of J.K. Rowling’s world, multiple disclaimers posted on the Cauldron’s website assure that it’s not endorsed by or affiliated with Harry Potter or any other fantasy story. “We are but geeks,” the disclaimer humbly states.

The Cauldron Magical Cocktail Experience was created by Matthew Cortland, a former reading teacher and tech entrepreneur. His love of all things geeky plus his experience with connected devices and the Internet of Things gave him the ideal background for making a magic-inspired playland come to life. Cortland told Business Insider that the wands use a technology similar to car key fobs with voice and movement activation. Magnets and smart devices handle the rest, putting technology and science behind every magical moment.

Cortland originally planned on making a full-on Cauldron Pub and tried to raise funding in June 2017. His Kickstarter had a goal to raise $500,000, but fell short with just under $40,000 from 266 people. Still, Cortland wasn’t ready to give up. He sold his possessions, moved from Dublin to London and downsized his dream to a more modest pop-up that he’s bootstrapping with help from a $6,000 GoFundMe drive.

Alohomora, Cortland’s plans were unlocked. With the help of cocktail experience designer David Duckworth, a version of the Cauldron Pub is finally happening.

“We have the chance to let people feel like the fantasy worlds that they have been reading about since childhood are real,” Cortland said in a press release. Accio tickets please.

You can buy presale tickets on the Cauldron Pub’s website for around $40.