''Star Wars'' Celebration is a large fan convention held to celebrate the ''

Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera media franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and Cultural impact of Star Wars, quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop cu ...

'' franchise. The event is usually held every one to three years in varying locations around the world, and commonly features a host of ''Star Wars'' project announcements,

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s featuring actors, producers and writers, screenings, exhibits, cosplay and merchandise sales. It began in 1999, when

Lucasfilm Lucasfilm Ltd. LLC is an American film and television production company founded by filmmaker George Lucas in December 10, 1971 in San Rafael, California, and later moved to San Francisco in 2005. It is best known for creating and producing th ...

held the first ''Star Wars'' Celebration in

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to celebrate the upcoming release of '' Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace''.

History

Star Wars Celebration

Celebration I

The ''Star Wars'' Celebration was held from April 30 to May 2, 1999, at the Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum in Denver, Colorado, just three weeks before the release of ''

The Phantom Menace ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The ...

''. An event "for the fans, by the fans," the event took place in the hometown of the Official ''Star Wars'' Fan Club, headed by Dan Madsen. "The Fan Club is based here in Denver," says Madsen, "so we thought it would only be appropriate that the Celebration be held here." The first ''Star Wars'' convention since 1987, the Celebration held activities including actor panels, THX theater demonstrations, behind the scenes footage from ''Episode I'', and the world premiere of the " Duel of the Fates" music video. The grounds boasted a vendors tent, and the museum hosted an exhibition consisting of props from the official

LucasFilm Lucasfilm Ltd. LLC is an American film and television production company founded by filmmaker George Lucas in December 10, 1971 in San Rafael, California, and later moved to San Francisco in 2005. It is best known for creating and producing th ...

archives, including a full-scale model of Anakin Skywalker's podracer and a life-size X-wing model (a 3/4 scale replica made in 1996 for the Special Edition release, and still residing at Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum).

Celebration II

From May 3 to 5, 2002, Celebration II was held to celebrate the upcoming release of ''

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'' and the 25th anniversary of the first theatrically released ''Star Wars'' film. The convention was moved to

Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...

, to make use of the larger Indiana Convention Center. Downtown Indianapolis was invaded by multitudes of ''Star Wars'' fans. The initial projection of 15–20,000 people per day based on advance ticket sales was well surpassed and reached critical mass on Saturday. The estimated final tally was a little over 75,000 people for the three-day event. The two busiest spots were the Fan Club store and the autograph section, specifically for

Carrie Fisher Carrie Frances Fisher (October 21, 1956 – December 27, 2016) was an American actress and writer. She played Princess Leia in the Star Wars original trilogy, original ''Star Wars'' films (1977–1983) and reprised the role in'' Star Wars: The F ...

. Highlights of the event included the '' Rick McCallum Spectacular'' and the ''Star Wars'' 25th Anniversary Concert on Saturday night, performed by the Philharmonic Orchestra of Indianapolis.

Celebration III

The ''Star Wars'' Celebration returned to Indianapolis from April 21 to 24, 2005, to commemorate the release of what was then thought to be the final film in the saga, ''

Revenge of the Sith Revenge is defined as committing a harmful action against a person or group in response to a grievance, be it real or perceived. Vengeful forms of justice, such as primitive justice or retributive justice, are often differentiated from more fo ...

''. With over 34,000 fans in attendance over the course of four days, Celebration III brought actor panels, costume contests, fan films, and diorama building to the Indiana Convention Center. The Lucasfilm archive provided many important props and costumes for display. One of this Celebration's most noteworthy events was the unprecedented Q&A session with ''Star Wars'' creator

George Lucas George Walton Lucas Jr. (born May 14, 1944) is an American filmmaker and philanthropist. He created the ''Star Wars'' and ''Indiana Jones'' franchises and founded Lucasfilm, LucasArts, Industrial Light & Magic and THX. He served as chairman ...

, his first such appearance since the ''Star Wars'' 10th Anniversary Convention in 1987. With approximately 10,000 fans in attendance (over the course of 3 half-hour sessions), Lucas personally answered several dozen fans' questions about the saga.

Celebration IV

On May 26, 2006, StarWars.com announced ''Star Wars'' Celebration IV (C4) to be held from May 24 to 28, 2007, to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the first ''Star Wars'' film. C4 was located at the

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, where most E3 events were held. The convention offered a record number of celebrities in the autograph hall, multiple exhibitors, a ''Star Wars'' art show, a

Darth Vader Darth Vader () is a fictional character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. He was first introduced in the original film trilogy as the primary antagonist and one of the leaders of the Galactic Empire. He has become one of the most iconic villain ...

helmet and Lucasfilm archive exhibits and many fan oriented activities. In addition, there were collector and costuming panels, including sneak peeks of the upcoming ''Clone Wars'' animated series. Fans were the first to see the footage of this series on Sunday morning as well. Other highlights included conversations with

and Billy Dee Williams, a visit from

Seth MacFarlane Seth Woodbury MacFarlane (; born October 26, 1973) is an American actor, animator, writer, producer, director, comedian, and singer. He is best known as the creator and star of the television series ''Family Guy'' (since 1999) and ''The Orvill ...

and Seth Green for special ''Star Wars'' episodes of ''

Family Guy ''Family Guy'' is an American animated sitcom created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series premiered on January 31, 1999, following Super Bowl XXXIII, with the rest of the first season airing from April 11, 1999. Th ...

'' and ''

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'' respectively, and an efficiently organized Celebration Store. An estimated 35,000 people walked through the doors for Celebration IV over the Memorial Day weekend. After the event, Lucasfilm sued the hosting entity, GenCon, for a variety of reasons, forcing GenCon into Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

Celebration V

Lucasfilm announced in 2008 that a US-based four-day ''Star Wars'' convention called "Celebration V" would be held in the summer of 2010. In July 2008, Steve Sansweet, director of content management and head of fan relations for Lucasfilm, announced that

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, Indianapolis, Los Angeles,

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, and

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were competing to host this event. Organizers anticipated that 30,000 ''Star Wars'' fans would attend no matter which city was selected.

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and Lucasfilm announced on December 3, 2009, that Orlando would host the event. Celebration V took place at the

Orange County Convention Center The Orange County Convention Center is a convention center located in Orlando, Florida. Opened in 1983 as the Orange County Convention and Civic Center, it is the primary public convention center for the Central Florida region and the second-lar ...

from August 12 to 15, 2010. The convention celebrated the 30th anniversary of the second ''Star Wars'' movie, ''

The Empire Strikes Back ''The Empire Strikes Back'' (also known as ''Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back'') is a 1980 American epic film, epic space opera film directed by Irvin Kershner from a screenplay by Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan, based o ...

''. It also included many features of previous Celebrations (such as ''Star Wars'' celebrity appearances, costume contests, and other fan events) as well as a special one-hour interview between Jon Stewart and George Lucas called "The Main Event". Celebration V marked the first American Celebration appearance for

Mark Hamill Mark Richard Hamill (; born September 25, 1951) is an American actor. He is best known for starring as Luke Skywalker in the ''Star Wars'' franchise, and the Joker (character), Joker in various animated DC Comics projects, starting with ''Batm ...

(

Luke Skywalker Luke Skywalker is a fictional character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. He was introduced in the original film trilogy as the main protagonist and also appears in the sequel trilogy. Raised as a poor moisture farmer on the desert planet Tat ...

) and the last American appearance for

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(Mon Mothma). Attendance was estimated at 32,000. Lucas also made an appearance at the nearby

Disney's Hollywood Studios Disney's Hollywood Studios is a theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida, near Orlando. It is owned and operated by the Walt Disney Company through its Experiences division. Based on a concept by Marty Sklar, Randy Br ...

to take part in the " Last Tour to Endor Event", which provided special entertainment for those individuals who attended "Celebration V".

Celebration VI

StarWarsCelebration.com announced on June 2, 2011, that Celebration VI would be held in Orlando, FL at the Orange County Convention Center (OCCC) from August 16 to 19, 2012. The event was later delayed by a week. The convention was held in the same hall of the OCCC as was Celebration V, with a very similar format. Several celebrities returned for appearances at this Celebration (including Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, and Anthony Daniels), and this event marked the first American Celebration attended by Ian McDiarmid. George Lucas had not been scheduled to attend, but made a "surprise" appearance. The event hosted the announcement of '' Star Wars Detours''. Attendance was estimated at 35,000 people.

Star Wars Celebration Europe

Celebration Europe

On September 25, 2006, StarWars.com announced ''Star Wars'' Celebration Europe (CE) to be held from July 13 to 15, 2007, to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the first ''Star Wars'' film. CE was to be located at Earls Court in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. But on November 22, 2006, StarWars.com announced due to Advance interest in Celebration Europe the event would be moved to the larger venue located at the ExCeL Exhibition Centre in London. The event also had on display some of the largest restored ''Star Wars'' Arcade collection, estimated at around 30 to 40 machines, many of them now rarely seen in the USA or in other parts of Europe. An estimated 30,000 people attended this convention.

Celebration Europe II

It was announced at the Closing Ceremonies of Celebration VI (and confirmed on StarWarsCelebration.com) that Celebration Europe II would be held in Essen, Germany, at the Messe Essen fair venue from July 26 to 28, 2013. Major panels were Kathleen Kennedy's inaugural ''Star Wars'' Celebration appearance and the first look at '' Star Wars Rebels''. Over 20,000 people attended the event from 40 different countries. The convention celebrated the 30th anniversary of the third ''Star Wars'' movie, ''

Return of The Jedi ''Return of the Jedi'' (also known as ''Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi'' is a 1983 American epic space opera film directed by Richard Marquand from a screenplay by Lawrence Kasdan and George Lucas. The sequel to '' The Empire ...

''.

Celebration Europe 2016

The eleventh ''Star Wars'' Celebration took place from July 15 to 17, 2016, at the ExCel center in London, England (the second Celebration at the venue). The convention celebrated the upcoming film '' Rogue One: A Star Wars Story''. Directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller and actor

Alden Ehrenreich Alden Caleb Ehrenreich (; born November 22, 1989) is an American actor. He began his career by appearing in the television series ''Supernatural'' (2005), and in Francis Ford Coppola's films '' Tetro'' (2009) and '' Twixt'' (2011). Following supp ...

also attended the event to promote the film '' Solo: A Star Wars Story''. "Jedi Master VIP Tickets" sold out immediately. Original trilogy stars Kenny Baker and

died in 2016.

Celebration Europe 2023

The fifteenth ''Star Wars'' Celebration was held at the ExCel Centre in London, England (the third Celebration at the venue) from April 7 to 10, 2023, which was part of The Walt Disney Company's centennial celebration. This celebration promoted several new

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series including '' Ahsoka'', '' The Acolyte'' and '' Skeleton Crew'', and upcoming video game sequel, '' Jedi: Survivor''. ''

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny ''Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny'' is a 2023 American action-adventure film directed by James Mangold and written by Mangold, David Koepp, Jez Butterworth, Jez and John-Henry Butterworth. It is the fifth and final installment in Indiana_ ...

'' was also promoted, and it was announced that '' Tales of the Jedi'' would return for a second season, and three new ''Star Wars'' films were in development after a long film hiatus, including a film set 15 years after the events of '' The Rise of Skywalker'' with Daisy Ridley returning as Rey. Additionally, the celebration commemorated the 40th anniversary of ''

Return of the Jedi ''Return of the Jedi'' (also known as ''Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi'' is a 1983 American epic space opera film directed by Richard Marquand from a screenplay by Lawrence Kasdan and George Lucas. The sequel to '' The Empire ...

'', with the film receiving a limited theatrical rerelease from April 28 to May 1 (in the United Kingdom) and from April 28 to May 4 (in the United States).

Star Wars Celebration Japan

Celebration Japan

On February 23, 2008, Lucasfilm Ltd. and the Lewis Daniel Group announced a three-day event known as "Celebration Japan", to be held at the Makuhari Messe Convention Center near Tokyo from July 19 to 21. The convention celebrated the 30th anniversary of the June 24, 1978, Japanese premiere of ''Star Wars''. Celebration Japan included live entertainment, ''Star Wars'' celebrities, exclusive merchandise, special presentations, unique ''Star Wars'' exhibits, costume contests, and other activities.

Celebration Japan 2025

It was announced on April 10, 2023 during the Celebration Europe 2023 closing ceremony that there would be no event in 2024. Instead, the next Celebration would be held in Japan in 2025. This three-day event was held at the Makuhari Messe Convention Center near Tokyo from April 18 to 20. During the first day,

Shawn Levy Shawn Adam Levy (; born July 23, 1968) is a Canadian and American filmmaker and actor. He is the founder of 21 Laps Entertainment. His work has spanned numerous genres, and his films as a director have grossed a collective $3.5 billion worldwid ...

's ''Star Wars: Starfighter'' was announced with

Ryan Gosling Ryan Thomas Gosling ( ; born November 12, 1980) is a Canadian actor. His work includes both independent films and major studio features, and his accolades include a Golden Globe Award, in addition to nominations for three Academy Awards, a ...

set to star.

Star Wars Celebration Anaheim

Celebration Anaheim 2015

It was announced at the closing ceremonies of Celebration Europe II that Celebration Anaheim would be held in Anaheim, California, at the

Anaheim Convention Center The Anaheim Convention Center is a major convention center in Anaheim, California, and is the largest exhibition facility on the West Coast of the United States. It is located across from the Disneyland Resort on Katella Avenue. The original co ...

, from April 16 to 19, 2015, with an anticipated turnout of about 50,000 fans. This event was one of the most anticipated due to the December 2015 release of '' Star Wars: The Force Awakens'' with most news and info on the film being kept secretive prior to the event. The entire celebration was broadcast live online free via www.starwars.com and the ''Star Wars'''

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channel. The long-awaited second teaser trailer for the '' Star Wars: The Force Awakens'' premiered on April 16, 2015, during the opening panel of the event which also included many of the stars of the upcoming film, new and old, director J. J. Abrams along with producer and president of

, Kathleen Kennedy. The following day, fans were treated to the trailer for the upcoming videogame, '' Star Wars: Battlefront'' while on the third day the trailer for the second season of '' Star Wars Rebels'' made its debut. The Celebration closed out its fourth and final day with fans being shown an exclusive teaser trailer for '' Rogue One'', which was released in December 2016. This is the first of two anthology films, which are also known as the stand-alone or origin story films.

Celebration Anaheim 2022

It was announced on April 15, 2019, the last day of Celebration Chicago 2019, that in 2020, the next ''Star Wars'' Celebration would be held for the second time at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California. On June 15, 2020, it was announced that the 2020 Celebration had been cancelled due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, with the next event scheduled to be held from August 18 to 21, 2022. The event was later moved forward by three months. Several new

-exclusive ''Star Wars'' series were promoted, including '' Young Jedi Adventures'', '' Tales of the Jedi'', ''

Obi-Wan Kenobi Obi-Wan "Ben" Kenobi () is a character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. In the original film trilogy, he is a Jedi Master who trains Luke Skywalker in the ways of the Force. In the prequel trilogy, he mentors Luke's father, Anakin Skywalke ...

'', '' Andor'' and '' Ahsoka''.

Star Wars Celebration Orlando

Celebration Orlando 2017

Celebration Orlando took place from April 13 to 16, 2017, in Orlando, Florida. The convention celebrated the 40th Anniversary of '' Star Wars: A New Hope'' and the upcoming film, '' Star Wars: The Last Jedi''. This was the first ''Star Wars'' Celebration that

Harrison Ford Harrison Ford (born July 13, 1942) is an American actor. Regarded as a cinematic cultural icon, he has starred in Harrison Ford filmography, many notable films over seven decades, and is one of List of highest-grossing actors, the highest-gr ...

attended. He made an appearance during the opening panel celebrating the 40 years of ''

'' held on April 13 which also included other stars and people important to the franchise including Kathleen Kennedy (president of

) and a surprise appearance by

and

John Williams John Towner Williams (born February 8, 1932)Nylund, Rob (November 15, 2022)Classic Connection review, ''WBOI'' ("For the second time this year, the Fort Wayne Philharmonic honored American composer, conductor, and arranger John Williams, who w ...

with the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra, who performed parts of the soundtrack. A special tribute to

was held by

on Friday, April 14. A teaser trailer of '' Star Wars: The Last Jedi'' premiered on Friday, April 14. On Saturday, April 15 it was announced that season 4 of '' Star Wars Rebels'' would be the last season of the series. The celebration was once again streamed live and free via StarWars.com and the ''Star Wars''

channel.

Star Wars Celebration Chicago

Celebration Chicago 2019

The thirteenth ''Star Wars'' Celebration was held from April 11 to 15, 2019 inside

McCormick Place McCormick Place is a convention center in Chicago. It is the largest convention center in North America. It consists of four interconnected buildings and one indoor arena sited on and near the shore of Lake Michigan, about south of the Chicago ...

. A teaser trailer and title reveal for '' Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker'' occurred on April 12; a franchise mural including art from the upcoming film was also unveiled. A trailer for the upcoming game '' Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order'' was also showcased as well as teaser reels for '' The Clone Wars'' Season 7 and the new

exclusive show, ''

The Mandalorian ''The Mandalorian'' is an American space Western television series created by Jon Favreau for the streaming service Disney+. It is the first live-action series in the ''Star Wars'' franchise and begins five years after the events of the fil ...

''. It was announced in June 2019 that Celebration Chicago drew an estimated 65,000 fans. Also during ''Star Wars'' Celebration Chicago, Lucasfilm sound editor Matthew Wood teased that there would be a new ''Lego Star Wars'' game.

Star Wars Celebration Los Angeles

Celebration Los Angeles 2027

It was announced on April 20, 2025 during the Celebration Japan 2025 closing ceremony that there would be no event in 2026. Instead the next Celebration would be held in

in 2027. This four-day event will be held at the

from April 1 to 4 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the first ''Star Wars'' film.

Overview of Events

References

External links

Official ''Star Wars'' Celebration websiteOfficial ''Star Wars'' Celebration Europe websiteLucasfilm's ''Star Wars'' Celebration website
{{Star Wars Star Wars fandom Recurring events established in 1999 Science fiction conventions in the United States