#SATURDATE Recap: Hogwarts, Christmas in July, and the Grapevine Railroad
- princesspartyof1
- Jul 15
- 3 min read
A few weeks back, I saw a Facebook ad for a free Harry Potter summer movie marathon in Grapevine, a DFW town known for its vineyards and lively Main Street. Since I'm local to the area and in Grapevine quite a bit, of course I grabbed my wand and Ravenclaw ball cap to head over to Hotel Vin (sadly NOT by way of a Nimbus 3000).
It was an unusually cool and breezy July afternoon when I arrived at Harvest Hall, a really fun dining hall adjacent to the hotel with nearly a dozen food stalls and bars to order from. Before going inside, I took advantage of the nice weather to walk around the Grapevine Vintage Railroad station as several families ate and played out in the Hall's lawn area - complete with a GIANT bubble and foam machine running for the kiddos. The train vibes and the overall railroad-themed design of Harvest Hall kind of lent a Hogwarts Express level of excitement as people started gathering in anticipation of the film.
I went inside to peruse a few menus and ultimately ordered at the Arepa stand. Then it was time to head into Third Rail, a separate bar and event space inside Harvest Hall, to get a seat for the show... and I was NOT prepared for what I was about to find!
If you don't know, Grapevine hails itself as the "Christmas Capital of Texas" - and while everything is still sunshine and sunflowers outdoors, Third Rail has gotten a head start with a complete transformation to celebrate Christmas in July. Y'all know I love a theme, and I was super impressed by all of the decorations... It wasn't just Christmas, it was Christmas by way of Santa on surfboards and holly-jolly pool floats, flamingos hanging stockings and nutcrackers in swim trunks. Christmas music was blasting, and there were twinkling lights and special touches at every table.
I'll be honest, as I sat there eating my nachos and jamming to Jingle Bell Rock, I thought, "Wow - I didn't realize how much I actually kind of needed this!" Everyone who came in took a few minutes to walk around, snap pics, and take it all in. Third Rail truly felt like a respite from everything happening in the world - and the people were here for it.
Before long, it was time for the movie to begin. This "marathon" is actually taking place over several weeks, with a few non-movie Muggle nights thrown in for extra fun - popcorn included! I opted to attend for Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix because it's my favorite Potter film. (Prisoner of Azkaban is my favorite book, just in case anyone needs to know ;) ) I just think the direction and the tension, how you really feel a pivotal shift in the tone of the story throughout Order of the Phoenix, and how deftly it captures the rise of an authoritarian power is compelling... if, unfortunately, timely.
It doesn't hurt that we first see the Ministry of Magic in this movie, and after just visiting the new Epic Universe theme park in May I was craving a good look at the movie version to compare. And WOW, did Universal knock it out of the park. There were so many little touches that I had forgotten were shown in the film, and it made me appreciate even more the look and overall execution of the new Battle at the Ministry attraction at Epic Universe. If you have the chance to visit, definitely do a re-watch of this movie before you go!
In all, the movie night was a perfect summer #Saturdate. It was a great blend of families and adults, the location was perfect, and it's always fun being surrounded by fellow fans of a franchise you love. I hope you'll check it out for yourself, and maybe host your own movie marathon to get up to speed at home before attending. There are three more films plus a comedy night on the calendar, with Christmas in July running through the 31st. Plan your visit at the link below, and let me know if you go!
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