This Family Recreated Diagon Alley for Halloween and It’s Magical

Many Harry Potter fans are still hoping for their letter from Hogwarts. But for the last three years on Halloween, one couple has been bringing the magic of the wizarding world to their own front lawn, and for the sweetest reason.

Austin-based couple Joel and Amanda Pace are Harry Potter fans through and through. The two have been hanging floating lights similar to the ones at Hogwarts for the past three Halloweens. But when his wife had to undergo treatment for cancer in 2017, Joel decided to double his efforts and built the Weasley’s flying car, crashed into a tree, to cheer her up, reports INSIDER.

It worked, so he and his son added a few more items from the wizarding world to the lawn—and wound up attracting a lot of attention from the neighbors. What started as a sweet endeavor quickly turned into a community event. With Amanda in recovery, the family decided to go all out for 2018.

Last year, with help from their family, friends, neighbors and artists in the community, the Pace family transformed their front yard into Diagon Alley. The display included big ticket features, such as Florean’s Ice Cream Shop, Weasley’s Wizards Wheezes, the Quidditch store and even the Hogwarts express, which Joel told INSIDER took two months to create. But to make the experience just a little more magical, the construction team threw in small details, such as the flood of Hogwarts letters Harry receives in the Sorcerer’s Stone, flying brooms in trees and hidden Death Eater dark marks sprinkled throughout.

The display brought in thousands of visitors, and this year the family is hoping to top it by adding a rolling Knight Bus and the fire-breathing dragon that guards Gringotts. Visitors can expect the dragon’s eyes to light up in purple and smoke to pour out of its mouth, Joel told INSIDER.

With the undertaking, not only has the Pace family built a real community with their neighbors, but they’ve also made Halloween a holiday full of magic.

“I think it lets everyone escape for a few minutes into this wonderful world J.K. Rowling created…So many connect with the story and characters, and it reaches so many different generations. Harry Potter fans are next level in the dedication,” Joel told INSIDER, adding, “Everyone is welcome here.”