There is nothing better to get you ready for Star Wars Weekends (SWW) than spending Star Wars Day at Hollywood Studios, home of Star Wars Weekends! It’s even better when spent with friends! So with that in mind, today my friend Robbie and I, along with our families, took off to Disney and celebrated May the 4th along with thousands of other Star Wars fans at Hollywood Studios.
I was uncertain what to expect, especially since I had not heard a peep from Disney or any Disney fan sites about anything that was happening at the parks to celebrate Star Wars Day, but we headed out anyway. Boy, what a day it turned out to be!
The main stage under the Fantasia hat was already set up for Star Wars Weekends and it was definitely being used right! Several times throughout the day, a short stage show would take place. The host, whose name I kept missing, was joined by Jedi Mickey and Princess Leia Minnie and a trivia contest would be held. Star Wars prizes were of course being given away. Star Wars Weekends was heavily discussed. From the special Star Wars dining plans, which are running now through the end of SWW, to the celebrity guests who are to be in attendance, including the hype around Mark Hamill’s first SWW appearance. His visit is even more important since the casting announcement last week. Having 2 members of the new movie’s cast (Hamill for week 4 and Peter Mayhew for week 1) is going to be incredible! We then had a pre-recorded video message from SWW host, James Arnold Taylor, who wished us all a happy Star Wars day and, of course, in the voice of Obi-Wan, “May the Force be with you.” Then the discussion turned to Rebels. Nothing we didn’t already know was mentioned, they even highlighted the stars of Rebels being in attendance for the upcoming SWW. The wrap up was watching the full 60 second trailer for Rebels that was released on StarWars.com earlier that morning. Seeing it on the big screen there was SO much better than seeing it earlier on my iPhone. It received a huge pop from the crowd.
We hit a small version of Darth Mall to pickup the days special. Disney did release some pins and t-shirts commemorating May the 4th, along with Revenge of the Fifth. Great looking pins which actually interact with one another to make a larger scene. The May the 4th pin featured Jedi Mickey with his lightsaber ignited. The Revenge of the Fifth pin features Donald Duck as Darth Maul with his double-bladed saber as well. Put them together and it looks like they are engaged in combat. The design for the pins and t-shirts were very similar to a comic book as you can see in the pic below.
Photo of pins taken by Robbie Marcano
Of course, what’s Disney without rides or shows??? To get my Star Wars Weekends preview in full swing, Star Tours was a must! Along with a visit with everyone’s favorite archeologist, Indiana Jones! Wrapping up the day with my daughter’s favorite: Toy Story Mania. With all the activity going on, it was quite the enjoyable family day.
May the 4th was a great preview of what to expect when Star Wars Weekends rolls around! Star Wars Day was just a tease of what’s to come and it has left me longing for more! I sincerely hope you are planning to make it out here. The more the merrier!
If you have any questions about Star Wars Weekends or anything else Disney related, let me know! Drop me an email at aharris@coffeewithkenobi.com.
Til then…may the Force be with you…always.
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