of people of all ages fully decked out in costume with big smiles on their faces , enjoying every bit of it . I don ’ t think you could pull this off just anywhere . It ’ s amazing to witness all this magic right here in our town that is a magical place on its own .”
Above all , Stover enjoys introducing people to the Fayetteville area .
Photo by Mariah Harrison .
“ I get to live in this magical place and know how special it is and how wonderful our people are — I have the privilege of seeing it daily ,” she says . “ When visitors discover the magic , they keep coming back .”
“ Cathedral Café serves butterbeer , and there are themed drinks at the Southside Junction Tap House ,” she says . “ Many of our shops sell wizard-themed merchandise , and some offer special activities . Many of the shop owners dress in character to add to the fun .”
Photo by Jay Young .
Fayetteville ’ s 2023 Wizard Weekend has expanded even further into town with the Love Hope Center for the Arts offering a gallery on folk magic during the festival .
“ I love witnessing all the little magic moments and seeing our community come together to make this happen ,” Stover says . “ It seems unreal to walk through town in January with snow on the ground and see hundreds
Charleston Wizarding Weekend
After attending several wizarding events — including the one in Fayetteville — Candice Maxwell and Leah Rafferty knew the Capital City would be the perfect place to host this type of magical celebration .
A dedicated committee spent over a year planning the inaugural event , which took place in October of 2022 .
“ For our first year , we pulled off a lot ,” says Maxwell , who headed up the committee . “ Most of this was made possible by the Charleston Creativity Connections mini grant we received , but we also had a handful of fantastic sponsors .”
The festival included more than 20 artisan vendors at the Capitol Market , including a local face painter , Alto , and three free class tables for kids : a coloring table , potions / STEM table and herbology arts table .
Photo by Corey Zinn .
“ Another big part of our event was the scavenger hunt ,” Maxwell says . “ We paid local artist Denean Ayers to make little sculptures for attendees to find . Those that completed the scavenger hunt were entered into a cauldron , and we drew one to win a bag of local goodies and art supplies .”
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