Midnight release of new Harry Potter book at local Chapters stores

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN – Tonight, the boy who lived gets new life with "potterheads" worldwide.

When the clock strikes midnight on July 31, 2016, a new book in the wildly popular Harry Potter series hits the shelves.

"Harry Potter and the Cursed Child – Parts One and Two," is a script book, a new play by Jack Thorne based on an original story by J.K Rowling, Jack Thorne, and John Tiffany. 

The book begins with Harry in a drastically new role, as a father. 

Indigo Chapters stores in the Thompson-Okanagan have been prepping for this literary event for a long time.

In order to accommodate the number of fans, stores will staff as needed at each location. Some of the staff members are fans themselves, and are well aware of the hype and excitement that follows the Harry Potter series.

Krishna Nikhil, Indigo’s EVP of Print and Strategy explained that while rare, midnight launches do happen and events of this size are "usually only saved for very special books."

The last midnight launch at Indigo Chapters stores was in 2007 for the last Harry Potter book.

"This is such a monumental event, not just in the publishing world but for Harry Potter fans everywhere. No one expected an eighth story, so we knew we wanted to give fans the opportunity to get their hands on the book first. We thought there was no better way to celebrate than with magical events and Harry Potter fans at all our stores across the country. We expect many will be finished the script book by the time morning comes around," Nikhil said.

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