Registration is still open [6] for the first-ever bookseller/publisher quidditch match, taking place at the seventh ABC Children’s Institute [7] (Ci7) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and remains open for full-day and half-day bookstore tours of the city as well.

Booksellers and publishers are invited to take part in the match, and attendees will be coached by members of the Steel City Quidditch Club [8], an internationally recognized quidditch club team, then get into a scrimmage with other players.

Quidditch is a fully gender-inclusive sport that originally became popular due to its origin in the Harry Potter books and movies. Teams of booksellers from different regions of the country are currently forming, so participants can look forward to a healthy regional rivalry.

Children’s Institute takes place June 26–28 at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Pittsburgh–Green Tree in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The game will be played on Wednesday, June 26, from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the air-conditioned Sports Dome Meeting Room at the DoubleTree Hotel.

Players must bring appropriate clothing and shoes to play, though brooms will be provided. While quidditch can be played for fun or competitively, Ci7 attendees will be taught the “middle school rules,” meaning no full-body contact. Booksellers can register here to play quidditch [6]. 

Registration is also still open for Pittsburgh bookstore tours, which are open to both booksellers and publishers. Tours will be held on Wednesday, June 26, prior to Ci7’s First-Timer Orientation & Mentor-Mentee Meetup and the Welcome Reception and Costume Party at the DoubleTree Hotel.

The Downtown Pittsburgh Full-day Bookstore Tour, which costs $30 per person, will depart from the hotel at 9:45 a.m. on Wednesday and will stop at Mystery Lovers Bookshop [9], Spark Books [10], City of Asylum [11], White Whale Bookstore [12], and Classic Lines Bookstore [13], which will feature a performance with Drag Queen Story Hour.

The North Pittsburgh Half-day Bookstore Tour, which costs $20 per person, departs from the hotel at 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday and will stop at Riverstone Books [14], The Tiny Bookstore [15], and Penguin Bookshop [16].

Booksellers and publishers may begin boarding the buses at the DoubleTree Hotel 30 minutes prior to the scheduled departure time; both buses will return to the hotel by 4:15 p.m.  

Registration for the tours will close when they reach capacity; space is available on a first-come, first-served basis. Register for a full or half-day tour here [6]. While the quidditch match does conflict with the full-day tour, booksellers who plan to watch or participate in the game will have enough time to attend the afternoon half-day tour.