A Star Wars Celebration!

Star Wars Celebration does exactly what it says on the tin, celebrates the massive, and so well-loved, world of Star Wars, (not just the films; the tv series, animated shows, video games and more!).

The event took over London’s ExCel Centre in the east of the city for a 4-day extravaganza over the Easter bank holiday, bringing together fans of tv series, animated shows, video games and of course the films from all over the world for its third run in the UK.

I’ve been to so many different comic, anime, and gaming conventions across the country over the last decade (you can read about them here!) and can honestly say this one was a completely different beast. The pure number of celebrity guests was astounding, from huge Star Wars stars such as Ewan McGregor (Obi Wan Kenobi) and Hayden Christensen (Anakin Skywalker) to droid handlers, writers, and voice actors as well. A Star Wars Celebration was stuffed full of opportunities to get autographs, photos, and watch the Live Stage interviews and announcements with loads of famous faces and thousands of cheering light sabre waving fans.

These are not the droids you’re looking for

Anyone who has been to conventions before knows that the main area of attraction is the show floor. This is where you can find merchandise, fan exhibits, art, collectibles, and a whole host of opportunities to empty your bank account. Wandering the show floor, I found a huge area off an made droids, all set out in a line. The majority of these were life size but my favourite had to be a stunning rainbow version of fan favourite R2-D2.There were so many life-sized props around the halls including an AT-ST Walker and a TIE fighter, and although they were very popular for selfies, we managed to muscle in and grab a few pictures.

Star Wars Celebration was also home to the Bounty Hunt, an interactive event where you had to search the show floor for twelve QR codes, scan them and answer a question correctly to win a badge. If you collected all the badges, you could pick up a free poster. Unfortunately, we were unaware of this until much later in the weekend and didn’t have enough time to complete it, which was a shame as I’m always up for a fun challenge. Note to organisers–please advertise that more widely next time!

Coming soon to a screen near you

The announcements were by far my favourite part of the event! Throughout the weekend, special guests took to the stage to inform all of us hungry fans of what will be next for Star Wars. Some of these were updates, such as the release date for the previously announced Ahsoka series, and new trailers for the game Jedi: Survivor which will be released at the end of April. But the most exciting announcement was from the mouth of the current face of the film series, Daisy Ridley, who informed thousands of screaming fans(I was definitely one of them!) that a brand-new trilogy of films are in the works at Disney. Being in that crowd in those amazing few minutes and hearing the entire venue erupt in cheers of pure joy and excitement around me is a feeling I will never forget.

Return of the Cosplayers

These events might be put on by corporations, but they are entirely brought to life by the fans that attend, and this event was no different, if anything it was multiplied! There were cosplayers everywhere you looked: Mandalorians, Jedi, Sith, Imperials, droids, and all manners of weird and wacky races you can find in the Star Wars universe. Whilst cosplaying was not mandatory, so many others opted for themed outfits, t-shirts of their favourite character, or themed make-up. Everyone was very welcoming and, as my group were cosplaying, we often got stopped on the show floor for photos with other fans or a chat about the characters we’d dressed up as. I have absolutely made some great new life-long friends all over the world from this event alone.

May the 4th Be With You and The Fans Strike Back

Star Wars Day (May 4th) is almost upon us with lots of UK bars and clubs putting on celebratory events. My local pub is putting on a quiz and costume competition, although I’m not sure it’s fair to enter with one of my higher end costumes, as I am a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to cosplay!

If those whet your appetite, book in for another headline expo event. The Fans Strike Back runs through summer London’s South Kensington. The Fans Strike Back, is the ultimate in fandom love, with a huge collection of fan-made items, from outfits to art, droids, star ships and much more. Bookings are now opens and you don’t want to miss out. The force is strong with this one!

Type image caption here (optional)