Quidditch will be returning to its roots on Sunday, Oct 16 at Middlebury College in Vermont, the school where the sport was founded. The event is being hosted in honor of the sixth birthday of real-life quidditch, at the exact field where it all began.

The Middlebury Classic will be an all-day tournament with exact times to be announced closer to the event. Organizers are hoping to “bring a little of the whimsy back to quidditch,” according to Andy Hyatt, one of the commissioners of Middlebury Quidditch. It will take place where the original World Cups were held, at the central quad on campus known as Battell Beach.*

The college is expecting to host about 10-15 teams. Unlike many other tournaments, however, it is not restricted to just one team from each school. Instead, universities can field multiple teams for this tournament, and bring a bigger delegation.

Teams Sign Up HERE

Teams will be asked to provide snitches if possible, and other volunteers could help with set-up, refereeing, and selling merchandise.

The focus of this tournament is not on intense competition — though it should still be taken seriously — but rather on building a community between the teams who attend, and creating a more lighthearted atmosphere. Quidditch is, after all, based off a fictional sport in a book.

Hyatt explained that the goal is for this to be a more playful and spirited competition, with an emphasis on fun and entertainment, a sentiment echoed in the tournament’s tagline: “Quidditch Comes Home.”

Middlebury Quidditch can be contacted for more information at quidditch@middlebury.edu.

*Sand, ocean, and drinks with little umbrellas in them not included.