Harry Potter fans at ASU can look forward to the upcoming Yule Ball on campus this weekend.
ASU’s Dumbledore’s Army will be hosting its annual Yule Ball celebration on Nov. 18 at 6 p.m. in the Memorial Union Cochise Ballroom — costumes are encouraged but not required.
The event will serve as a fun, and magical, end of the semester celebration and will feature free food, a photo booth, dancing and more, according to its Facebook page.
The annual Yule Ball is also open to all members of the ASU community, including alumni, faculty and staff, according to the event's Facebook page. Attendees are also welcome to bring other guests.
Griffin Guzaitis, a sophomore studying economics, is the club historian and photographer for Dumbledore's Army, an all-inclusive club dedicated to celebrating Harry Potter and bringing the wizarding world to life.
Guzaitis said the Yule Ball is a chance for members of Dumbledore’s Army to come together, meet new people and have a night of fun.
Almost 50 people have RSVP'd for the Yule Ball, but more are expected to attend, said Kimberly Terasaki, a junior studying creative writing and the club’s treasurer.
In the club's meetings on Fridays at 5:30 p.m. in the Life Sciences building on the Tempe campus, members make wands, duel, create arts and crafts and more.
Terasaki said she joined the club out of curiosity her freshman year.
“This just seemed like a really great way to make friends and get out there,” she said. “Having this community based around something we all love appreciate and in some ways may have changed our lives — it’s something really special.”
Terasaki said that while Dumbledore’s Army is a club that’s allowed her to share in love for the Harry Potter series, it has also given her a second family.
“First year at ASU was a little bit difficult for me … There were times where I felt very lonely,” she said. “But ASU’s Dumbledore’s Army gave me a place to have fun and make friends and now it’s provided me with great leadership opportunities and allowed me to make other people happy and give them that sense of community.”
She said the club has helped her grow as a person more than anything.
“I personally can say that I would probably would not be who I am today without this club,” Terasaki said.
Guzaitis said he’s also been involved in the club since his freshman year.
“It was definitely a great chance to get involved with people that I knew would share a lot of my interests,” he said. “It felt really enjoyable during my freshman year to have that outlet for creativity.”
Guzaitis said Dumbledore’s Army has also given him an outlet to express himself.
“Dumbledore’s Army is something that really helped me grow in my first year at Arizona State,” he said. “It’s my hope that as we leave this club in the years ahead, we can give that opportunity to as many people as possible and give them the best possible experience that we’re capable of.”
Taylor Worth, a sophomore studying kinesiology, said that even though she isn't involved with Dumbledore's Army, the club and the idea of a Yule Ball event are great ideas.
Worth, also a Harry Potter fan, said she admires the dedication and passion that goes with running a Harry Potter club and its events throughout the school year.
"If people are that passionate, that's great," she said. "It's good that they're doing something they really enjoy. I think a lot of people would be a little bit scared to do something like that."
Reach the reporter at Kimberly.Rapanut@asu or follow @kimrapanut on Twitter.
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