Let The Butterbeer Flow & Get Ready For An Epic 'Harry Potter' Thanksgiving Marathon
If it's time for the holidays, then it's time for magic. The Harry Potter films were not initially conceived as Christmas movies, nor were they made with that in mind. But the early stories do have significant "Christmas Holidays" episodes as part of the Hogwarts year, and therefore are seen as "holiday classics." Naturally, fans are wondering will there be a Harry Potter marathon on Thanksgiving? The good news is, yes, Wizarding World Weekend is on.
This used to be known as "Harry Potter Weekend." During the first years after the films ended, Disney/ABC had the distribution rights to most of the movies, and would marathon them over nearly every three-day weekend on ABC Family. When the channel was relabeled Freeform, the "Harry Potter Weekends" became a serious draw.
But just recently, the rights moved from ABC to NBC, who happens to own channels like SyFy and USA. Putting a Harry Potter marathon on SyFy feels like a natural marriage. But the now redubbed "Wizarding World Weekends" are just as much a staple of the USA network.
Sometimes Wizarding World Weekend simulcasts across both channels, but not this year. This Thanksgiving, the Harry Potter marathon (plus Fantastic Beasts & Where To Find Them) will only air on USA, starting on Thanksgiving morning, and running until Sunday.
The USA network will air the films in chronological order. That means the first film will be Newt Scamander's first adventure, Fantastic Beasts & Where To Find Them, followed by the first three Harry Potter films, the adaptations based on the trilogy known collectively as the "thin books."
Friday will see the marathon pick back up bright and early, starting with the second Harry Potter film, Chamber of Secrets. Friday will end with the sixth film, Harry Potter & The Half-Blood Prince. Saturday begins later in the morning, and covers the final four films, from Order of the Phoenix through to Parts 1 and 2 of The Deathly Hallows.
The full schedule is below. (All times listed are eastern standard.)
Thursday, Nov. 28:
- 9 a.m. Fantastic Beasts & Where To Find Them
- 11:52 a.m. Harry Potter & The Sorcerer's Stone
- 3:19 p.m. Harry Potter & The Chamber of Secrets
- 7 p.m. Harry Potter & The Prisoner of Azkaban
Friday, Nov. 29:
- 6:30 a.m. Harry Potter & The Chamber of Secrets
- 10:11 a.m. Harry Potter & The Prisoner of Azkaban
- 1:10 p.m. Harry Potter & The Goblet of Fire
- 4:35 p.m. Harry Potter & The Order of the Phoenix
- 7:35 p.m. Harry Potter & The Half-Blood Prince
Saturday, Nov. 30:
- 10:30 a.m. Harry Potter & The Order of the Phoenix
- 1:31 p.m. Harry Potter & The Half-Blood Prince
- 4:48 p.m. Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows, Part 1
- 8:10 p.m. Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows, Part 2
