Star Wars Celebration is an official
Star Wars convention held during banner years of the franchise. Beginning in May 1999,
Lucasfilm held a Star Wars convention in
Denver, Colorado to celebrate the release of
Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace.
Celebration II
From May 3-5, 2002, Star Wars Celebration II was held to celebrate the upcoming release of
Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones. The convention was moved to
Indianapolis, Indiana to make use of the larger convention center.
Downtown Indianapolis was invaded by multitudes of Star Wars fans. The initial projection of 15-20,000 people per day based on advanced 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 places that received the most traffic were the Fan Club store and the autograph section, specifically for Carrie Fisher. Highlights of the event included the Rick McCallum Spectacular and Saturday nights Star Wars 25th Anniversary Concert, performed by the Indianapolis Philharmonic Orchestra.
Celebration III
For the release of the final film in the saga
Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, Star Wars Celebration III was held in Indianapolis. With over 30,000 fans in attendance over the course of four days (April 21-24, 2005) Celebration III (C3) brought actor panels, costume contests and diorama building to the Indianapolis 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, 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 May 24-28, 2007 to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the first
Star Wars film. C4 was located at the
Los Angeles Convention Center in
Los Angeles, California. Taking place on May 24 through May 28, the convention offered a record number of celebrities in the autograph hall, multiple exhibitors, a
Star Wars art show, a Darth Vader 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 Carrie Fisher and Billy Dee Williams, a visit from Seth McFarlane and Seth Green for special
Star Wars episodes of
Family Guy and
Robot Chicken respectively, and an efficiently organized Celebration Store. An estimated 35,000 people walked through the doors for Celebration IV over the Memorial Day weekend.
Celebration Europe
On
September 25,
2006 StarWars.com announced Star Wars Celebration Europe (CE) to be held July 13-15, 2007 to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the first
Star Wars film. CE was to be located at
Earls Court in
London. 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 Japan
On
February 23,
2008, Lucasfilm Ltd. and the Lewis Daniel Group announced a three-day event known as "Celebration Japan", was held at the Makuhari-Messe Convention Center near Tokyo on 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 V
Lucasfilm has announced that a US-based four-day
Star Wars convention called "Celebration V" will be held in either Spring 2009 or Spring 2010.
Steve Sansweet, director of content management and head of fan relations for Lucasfilm, announced that
Baltimore,
Minneapolis,
Chicago,
Indianapolis, and
Orlando, Florida are competing to host this event. Organizers anticipate that 30,000
Star Wars fans would attend no matter which city was selected.
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