By Riley McCoy
The Register-Herald
FAYETTEVILLE — Amid falling snowflakes and frosted sidewalks, a blue-bearded paper artist dazzled visitors with the magic of his persona during a fantastical annual event in Fayetteville.
The artist known only as Blue Beard was one of dozens of performers, volunteers and costumed visitors who shaped Fayetteville’s sixth annual Wizard Weekend. The event unfolded Friday through Sunday across the city despite frigid temperatures and winter weather warnings. Organized by the Fayetteville Visitor Center, the annual weekend placed activities, pop-up events and themed programming across downtown to bolster activity during the slowest part of the winter tourism season.
“How do you make the magic in your backyard and at a time of year where there’s not as much to do?” Angela Sundstrom, a volunteer with the wand-making station, said. “We have adults and kids of all ages embracing magic and just being able to do that is the big driving force.”
Further down the station, Stevenson echoed Sundstrom’s perspective and added that the goal for the weekend was simple.
“We’re not doing it as a business and we’re not doing it as an organization,” Stevenson said. “We’re just here to help kids have a good time and spread a little magic.”
Traditionally based at Town Hall, the station relocated this year due to logistics but is expected to return to its original home at future events. Stevenson said the wand-making effort operated independently, with volunteers offering the experience simply to give children and families something creative to do during the winter months.
The wand station also connected to the weekend’s broader structure, which encouraged visitors to move between themed locations. Among them was the Forbidden Forest, a multi-stop trail experience assembled by volunteers. “It’s a trail of 14 stops,” Stevenson said.
As the weekend continued, costumed visitors navigated downtown in freezing temperatures, blending fandom with endurance. Nate Adams, a Cunard resident who reportedly has attended Wizard Weekend for several years, said he dressed as Mad-Eye Moody to celebrate. “Wizard Weekend’s fun. We’re big Harry Potter fans,” Adams said. “We actually have the Harry Potter Airbnb in town.”
“We did the enchanted forest last night,” Adams said. “It was fantastic.” Cold followed them through the experience, with temperatures dipping into the teens. “We were outside in 10-degree weather, underdressed,” he said.
Blue Beard, a paper artist participating in a January art residency at a local yoga studio, said the weekend reflected creativity as a shared experience rather than a product. “It’s a thing you can’t explain or have a use for it but you can’t be without it either,” he said.
Wizard Weekend closed with steady foot traffic downtown despite freezing temperatures, as families, volunteers and performers continued to move between events throughout the weekend. Organizers said the turnout and participants’ willingness to brave the cold underscored the event’s staying power during one of the slowest months of the year.
Read more magic at The Register-Herald