Among butter beer, hors d’oeuvres and candlelit decor, nearly 800 guests danced to a bewitching mix of hits Friday night at the Yule Ball on the University of Minnesota campus.

Made popular by author J.K. Rowling and her “Harry Potter” series, the Yule Ball is a formal event that takes place during the Triwizard Tournament in the fourth book, “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.” It is a night of camaraderie and enchantment during the fierce competition for the Triwizard Cup.

No competition preceded the U’s event, held in the DQ Club room at TCF Bank Stadium, but it was a night of friendly encounters and holiday spirit, all planned and coordinated by the university’s Quidditch League.

“It’s just a fun event,” said Sara Gapp, a sophomore at the U and manager for the team, which was founded in fall 2010. “During finals, it’s nice to dress up, look pretty and have fun.”

The quaffle-hurling, snitch-grabbing sport from the Harry Potter books and movies known as Quidditch, was started by “muggles” – the term wizards and witches give to nonmagical folk – in 2005 at Middlebury College in Vermont. Today, there are hundreds of teams registered through the International Quidditch Association.

“People are very accepting of (Quidditch) on campus,” Gapp said. “They are really excited about it, and they find it interesting. Our numbers show that.”

With nearly 200 athletes, the U’s Quidditch League is the second-largest IQA registered team in the world. Since forming, the league has grown to consist of 11 intramural teams and one competitive team that travels the United States, playing other colleges.

In November, the team competed for the World Cup in New York and made it to the Final Four of the 94 teams before losing to the University of Southern Florida. Middlebury College, in Vermont, won this year’s title.

To offset the costs of traveling to competitions, the team relies on fundraisers like the Yule Ball. Tickets for Friday’s event raised about $12,000. When tickets first went on sale at the end of September, a line formed, wrapping around a corner, within minutes.

“A friend and I saw a flier for the event, and we thought it sounded like a lot of fun,” said Kyle Brandt, a junior at the U. “Harry Potter was one of the major (series) we grew up with.”

The ball drew attention from Harry Potter and Quidditch enthusiasts from around the country. In attendance at Friday’s event were fans from Iowa, Wisconsin, Oklahoma and Virginia.

“They were 11 when the books came out, and it was a childhood dream,” Gapp explained of the popularity of Harry Potter among college-age students – what Gapp calls the “true” Harry Potter generation. “It’s exciting when an idea in someone else’s head becomes tangible.”

With Christmas trees, fireplaces and an opening dance by the U’s Quidditch board members – following suit with the dance of the champions at the Yule Ball in “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” – a winter wonderland theme similar to the book and movie was the goal.

“The event is about Harry Potter, but at the same time, it’s also about trying to promote muggle Quidditch,” said Gapp, who hopes this will turn into an annual event. “You have to have that Harry Potter magical love in you.”

Taylor Selcke can be reached at 651-265-2486.