''Star Wars'' Day is an informal commemorative day observed annually on May4 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 ...

media franchise A media franchise, also known as a multimedia franchise, is a collection of related media in which several derivative works have been produced from an original creative work of fiction, such as a film, a work of literature, a television program, o ...

created by filmmaker George Lucas. Observance of the day spread quickly through media and

grassroots A grassroots movement is one that uses the people in a given district, region or community as the basis for a political or continent movement. Grassroots movements and organizations use collective action from volunteers at the local level to imp ...

celebrations since the franchise began in 1977. The date originated from the pun "'' May the Fourth'' be with you", from the ''Star Wars''

catchphrase A catchphrase (alternatively spelled catch phrase) is a phrase or expression recognized by its repeated utterance. Such phrases often originate in popular culture and in the arts, and typically spread through word of mouth and a variety of mass ...

"May

the Force The Force is a Metaphysics, metaphysical, mysterious, and Energy (esotericism), ubiquitous power in the ''Star Wars'' Universe of Star Wars, fictional universe. Characters refer to the Force as an energy that interconnects all things in the univer ...

be with you." Even though the holiday was not created or declared by Lucasfilm, many ''Star Wars'' fans have chosen to celebrate the holiday. It has since been embraced by Lucasfilm and

the Walt Disney Company The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was founded on October 16 ...

as an annual celebration of ''Star Wars''. The release date of the original ''

'' movie, May 25, 1977, is celebrated by some as Geek Pride Day.

History

The first recorded reference of the phrase being used was on Thursday May 3, 1979, the day of the 1979 UK General Election in which

Margaret Thatcher Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher (; 13 October 19258 April 2013), was a British stateswoman who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of th ...

was elected as

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of the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. To express their support before the votes were counted, her political party, the Conservatives, purchased a half-page advertisement on page 13 of the '' London Evening News'' reading "Dear Maggie, May the Fourth Be with You. Your Party Workers." In the 1988 episode of '' Count Duckula'', "The Vampire Strikes Back", a space-faring superhero, Tremendous Terrance, asks Duckula the date and is told, "May the Fourth". As Terrance departs, he tells all below, "May the Fourth be with you." The phrase was used in a

UK Parliament The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, and may also legislate for the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace of ...

defence debate on May 4, 1994. Astrophysicist and author Jeanne Cavelos used the saying on page 94 of her 1999 book '' The Science of Star Wars''. In 2008, the first Facebook groups appeared, celebrating Luke Skywalker Day, with the same catchphrase. In 2011, the first organized celebration of ''Star Wars'' Day took place in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

, Ontario, Canada at the Toronto Underground Cinema. Produced by Sean Ward and Alice Quinn, festivities included an original trilogy trivia game show; a costume contest with celebrity judges; and the web's best tribute films, mash-ups, parodies, and remixes on the big screen. The second annual edition took place on Friday, May 4, 2012. Fans (including government officials, such as

Boris Johnson Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (born 19 June 1964) is a British politician and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party from 2019 to 2022. He wa ...

) have celebrated ''Star Wars'' in a variety of ways in social media and on television.

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

, association football, and college sports teams have paid tribute to ''Star Wars'' in different ways.

Minor League Baseball Minor League Baseball (MiLB) is a professional baseball organization below Major League Baseball (MLB), constituted of teams affiliated with MLB clubs. It was founded on September 5, 1901, in response to the growing dominance of the National Le ...

teams such as the Toledo Mud Hens and the Durham Bulls have worn special uniforms as part of ''Star Wars'' Day promotions. On ''Star Wars'' Day 2015, astronauts in the

International Space Station The International Space Station (ISS) is a large space station that was Assembly of the International Space Station, assembled and is maintained in low Earth orbit by a collaboration of five space agencies and their contractors: NASA (United ...

watched ''Star Wars''. Also in 2015, the carillon bells inside the Peace Tower on

Parliament Hill Parliament Hill (), colloquially known as The Hill, is an area of Crown land on the southern bank of the Ottawa River that houses the Parliament of Canada in downtown Ottawa, Ontario. It accommodates a suite of Gothic revival buildings whose ...

Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

, Canada played " The Imperial March" theme from ''Star Wars'', among other space-related tunes. In June 2021, it was announced that

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 ...

would receive a star on the

Hollywood Walk of Fame The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a landmark which consists of 2,813 five-pointed terrazzo-and-brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in the Hollywood, Los Angeles, Hollywood dist ...

in 2022. She received the star on ''Star Wars'' Day, May 4, 2023.

Disney

Since 2013,

The Walt Disney Company The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was founded on October 16 ...

has officially observed the holiday with several ''

'' events and festivities at

Disneyland Disneyland is a amusement park, theme park at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California. It was the first theme park opened by the Walt Disney Company and the only one designed and constructed under the direct supervision of Walt Disney, ...

and

Walt Disney World The Walt Disney World Resort is an destination resort, entertainment resort complex located about southwest of Orlando, Florida, United States. Opened on October 1, 1971, the resort is operated by Disney Experiences, a division of the Wa ...

. Disney had purchased Lucasfilm, including the rights to ''Star Wars'', in late 2012. The finale of '' The Clone Wars'' was made available on

Disney+ The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...

on May 4, 2020. '' Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker'', as well as the documentary series '' Disney Gallery: The Mandalorian'', were also made available on Disney+ the same day. On ''Star Wars'' Day 2021, the animated series '' Star Wars: The Bad Batch'' also premiered on Disney+, along with the short film '' Maggie Simpson in "The Force Awakens from Its Nap"''. The second trailer for ''

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 ...

'' was released on May 4, 2022, as well as '' Disney Gallery: The Book of Boba Fett''. The second volume of '' Star Wars: Visions'', the short film '' Maggie Simpson in "Rogue Not Quite One"'' and '' Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures'' were all released May 4, 2023, on Disney+. The second installment of '' Star Wars: Tales'', titled ''Tales of the Empire'', premiered on May 4, 2024. Its follow-up, ''Tales from the Underworld'', aired exactly a year later.

Additional dates

Revenge of the Fifth/Sixth

Some recognize the day after, May 5, as "Revenge of the Fifth", a play on '' Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith'' and celebrate the Sith Lords and other villainous characters from the ''Star Wars'' series rather than the Jedi. Others celebrate this one day later, on May 6, citing "Revenge of the Sixth" as a better pun on " Sith". The 6th of May is commonly known as "Return of the 6th" as a play on '' Return of the Jedi'' and the trilogy aspect of the ''Star Wars'' films.

May 25

In honor of the 30th anniversary release date of ''Star Wars'' on May 25, 1977, the Los Angeles City Council declared May 25, 2007, as ''Star Wars'' Day. A separate initiative for observing Geek Pride Day on May 25 is based on the ''Star Wars'' connection along with ties to ''

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'' is a Science fiction comedy, comedy science fiction franchise created by Douglas Adams. Originally a The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (radio series), radio sitcom broadcast over two series on BBC ...

'' ( Towel Day) and '' Discworld''. '' Solo: A Star Wars Story'' was also released on May 25, 2018, 41 years after the original ''Star Wars''.

References

External links

* * {{authority control Unofficial observances Star Wars fandom Puns May observances Recurring events established in 2011 2011 establishments in Ontario