Harry Potter Convention in Havana: Wands Costing 3,000 Pesos and Books Priced Up to 12,000

This past Sunday, the fourth installment of the annual Harry Potter Convention took place, drawing numerous children dressed in costume to the Museum of Mural Painting in Old Havana. Although the entry and games were free of charge, the souvenirs on sale reached prices that were out of reach for most Cuban wallets, as reported by a firsthand account from 14ymedio.

Journalist Juan Diego Rodríguez explored the stalls of what was dubbed "Diagon Alley"—Havana's take on the famous shopping street from J.K. Rowling's universe—and discovered a magical wand priced at 3,000 Cuban pesos (CUP), handcrafted witches for 3,500 CUP, and books from the series selling between 10,000 and 12,000 CUP.

To put this in context, the minimum national salary in Cuba has been set at 3,210 CUP per month as of July, putting the cost of a wand nearly equal to a whole month's wages.

A high-end book from that price range is roughly equivalent to four monthly minimum wages. The report points out that such a price is "hard to justify in the budget of any family relying solely on state income."

For a mere 100 CUP, attendees had the option to don a Ravenclaw hat or headband and take photos—with their own phones—for a brief moment. This was the most affordable choice among the available items.

Participation in the event's activities came at no cost. Many children, clad in capes, ties, and uniforms inspired by characters from the films, competed in games to earn points for their Hogwarts houses while the soundtracks from the series played over the speakers in the colonial space.

The atmosphere was meticulously crafted: posters of Sirius Black's wanted notice, nods to Platform 9¾, and a ghostly figure hanging from the ceiling transformed the museum galleries into a kind of magic school.

The booths weren't limited to Rowling's universe alone. Among the merchandise were Japanese manga and anime figures, Yu-Gi-Oh! cards, Star Wars ships, and collectibles from other franchises. Informal copies of Harry Potter films and their computer games were also available, a practice that has been widespread in Cuba for decades; the reporter noted no intervention from authorities.

The event, marketed as free for all audiences, garnered support from the Office of the Historian of the City of Havana and was organized, as in previous years, by Joel Arturo Salazar, known in the fan community as SteamLord.

This edition aimed to bridge the world of Hogwarts with Cuban colonial mythology and heritage, leveraging the setting of the Museum of Mural Painting, which opened in 2006 in a 16th-century building.

In a city where paid recreational options for families are increasingly limited due to the economic crisis, free-entry events like this one offer a rare alternative. Recent cultural fairs have been criticized for prices deemed unattainable for most Cubans, and private parks like Jalisco Park charged 1,000 CUP per person just for entry last July.

As summed up by the 14ymedio report: "A book could cost almost four salaries, but earning points for Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff, or Ravenclaw remained free."