If you're a Harry Potter fan, you have multiple reasons to celebrate the upcoming weekend. Not only does July 31 mark the birthday of one Harry J. Potter, but this weekend is also the premiere of the West End production of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, as well as the release of the script book for the 8th story in J.K. Rowling's beloved magical series. What's more, a marathon of Harry Potter movies will air this weekend.
We'll get to the marathon first, as that's going to be accessible to anyone with a basic cable package that includes Freeform. Formerly known as ABC Family, Freeform has seven of the eight Harry Potter movies lined up to air this weekend, beginning on Friday with Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (or Philosopher's Stone, if you prefer the U.K. title.). The schedule for airings is as follows:
Friday, July 29
2:00 p.m. EST Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (HP1)
5:45 p.m. EST Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (HP2)
Saturday, July 30
6:00 a.m. EST Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (HP1)
9:45 a.m. EST Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (HP2)
2:15 p.m. EST Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (HP3)
5:30 p.m. EST Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (HP4)
9:15 p.m. EST Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (HP6)
Sunday, July 31
6:00 a.m. EST Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (HP3)
9:00 a.m. EST Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (HP4)
12:30 p.m. EST Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (HP6)
4:00 p.m. EST Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (HP7)
7:45 p.m. EST Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (HP7.5)
Maybe you noticed that we missed a movie in that listing. Freeform makes no mention of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix in their schedule, or the press release on the marathon, so it seems like we're on our own for that one. Kind of a bummer, though Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is Harry at what is arguably his most angsty. He's not a happy camper in Phoenix. Still, it's the fifth installment in the series, and its absence does make this marathon a tad incomplete. If you have HBO Now, Order of the Phoenix is available streaming there.
Moving on, there's the premiere of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. The stage production has been in previews in London since June, and it's official open will take place on Saturday, July 30. After which, just in time for Harry to celebrate his 36th birthday, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child's script book will become available.
It's not too late to pre-order Cursed Child, especially if you're looking to have it delivered via Kindle. Kind of takes the fun out of those midnight release parties, but having the book appear instantly on your Kindle once it's available is as close to magic as we're likely to get outside our (and J.K. Rowling's) imaginations.
Finally, though we still have months to wait for our formal introduction to Newt Scamander, Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them did drop us an early Harry Potter birthday present in the form of a trailer at Comic-Con this past weekend. Check that out here.
