The Witching Hour

After countless sleepless nights of anticipation and longing, the seventh and (sigh) final Harry Potter thriller, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, will be released on July 21st. What better way to celebrate the subsequent three-day read-a-thon than to bask in Harry Potter madness at the magical Big Blue Marble Bookstore? Kids and enthusiastic adults should come dressed to the wizarding nines to compete in the homemade costume contest starting at 7:30 p.m. for a chance to win a free copy of what promises to be a veritable brick of a book. Of course, even the Muggle-dressed can still party Potter style as The Marauders amp up the vibe with their "wizrock" jams. Even though we're sure you won't, don't forget to preorder your book — and try not to wear yourself out, because the book won't be released until the stroke of midnight.

7 p.m., July 20th and July 21st, Free, at the Big Blue Marble Bookstore, 551 Carpenter Lane; bigbluemarblebooks.com