The British Council Bangladesh has hosted Harry Potter Festival to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Bloomsbury publishing Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. Harry Potter Festival was hosted in three different phases through five libraries in Dhaka, Chittagong, Sylhet, Khulna and Rajshahi as part of its collaboration with a British Council project called Libraries Unlimited. Libraries Unlimited is currently being implemented by the British Council across Bangladesh in partnership with the Ministry of Cultural Affairs and supported by the Department of Public Libraries. This collaboration aims to engage communities using the public library network to build public awareness of and access to library and information services through different events and activities.
Harry Potter is a series of fantasy novels written by British author J. K. Rowling. The Harry Potter series started a global phenomenon on 26 June 1997. It has sold over 450 million copies worldwide in 79 languages, inspired a major movie franchise, a spellbinding theatre production and captivated readers of all ages for twenty years.
The British Council marked this magical moment with an amazing celebration with different events and activities for the kids, teens and adults. The first phase of the celebration was hosted in Dhaka from 15-19 October at the British Council library. Around 2000 Harry Potter fans celebrated the magical eve with an array of activities, like, panel discussion, art competition, treasure hunt, quizzes and games. To connect the Harry Potter fans with a world of magic, a workshop named ‘Wizards Classroom’ was arranged followed by a magic show by the famous magician, Jewel Aich. The second phase was hosted in Rajshai on 21 October 2017 and the third phase took place in Chittagong, Sylhet and Khulna on 28 October 2017. The British Council celebrated this magical moment with amazing events and activities for the kids, teens and adults across Bangladesh.
Harry Potter stories are set in an English background with an imaging plot and translated in Bangla as well. The stories reflect friendship, love, wit, sarcasm and amazing humour that appealed to children and adults alike. This collaborative celebration in Bangladesh aimed to engage communities using the public library network to build public awareness of and access to library and information services. Moreover, the British Council Cultural Centre aims to attract the brightest creative entrepreneurs and cultural leaders with a wider audience through the multi-dimensional use of library space. It gives the artists a space to 'reinvent'.