‘Celebration’ is the official Star Wars fan convention. The multiple day mega event circles around the world, with past editions taking place the US, UK, Japan and Germany.
It was first held in Spring 1999 ahead of Star Wars’ return to cinema after 16 years with The Phantom Menace. Celebration was described as being “for the fans, by the fans” and was hosted in Denver, Colorado, the base location of the official Star Wars fan club. Lucasfilm tasked fan club president Dan Madsen with creating the event.
Cosplayers at Celebration (1999) – Photo credit: Robert Deslongchamps
Let loose on the internet in the early 2000s, I remember visiting starwars.com and being struck by the marketing for ‘Celebration II’ in Indianapolis, which followed suit being held ahead of the next cinema release Attack of the Clones in 2002. I’m not sure my 14 year old brain totally comprehend what it was, but it looked cool!
The lull in my Star Wars fandom that followed in my later teens and into my twenties (I wrote about that here) meant I missed the UK debut of Celebration in July 2007, I’m not sure I even knew it was happening.
I was able to course correct for the second event held in London, on the Saturday of Celebration Europe 2016. After that, there was no question that I’d be there from start to finish when it returned for a third time in 2023 (other than us being successful in purchasing tickets!).
With Rey’s speeder in 2016 and at the Falcon ‘Dejarik’ board in 2023
Since Disney’s purchase of Lucasfilm in 2012, Celebration has evolved even further from being something closer to the fan conventions of old, to a Death Star sized marketing event. It has become the place for announcements of new Star Wars productions, publishing and merchandise.
I can only describe our experience of attending in 2023 as feeling as if you’d crawled inside the Star Wars corner of the internet, in the best possible way of course. An unlimited stream of every aspect of the saga and fandom you could possibly imagine, set across the sprawling corridor and halls of the Excel centre.
At Celebration, everything is a collectable, from your entry badge onwards.
Much of the event can feel like an impenetrable fortress to access, even once you’ve finally made it into the venue. The biggest panels, in rooms where A list stars appear and flagship announcements are made, are run by lottery systems, or advance online reservations. So is entry to the ‘official’ event store.
Giant Chewbacca Funko Pop (left, ofc), life sized Lego Rey and BB-8
Many of the other licensee booths on the show floor now also experience lengthy queues to see the latest or upcoming items on display and lay your hands on limited releases. In 2023 I didn’t get anywhere near the Funko or Lego stands and there were lines of people waiting to get in across all four days of the event.
Fortunately there’s a bounty of other traders on site, so you’ll never go without the opportunity to browse and purchase Star Wars collectables, from the pocket money friendly swag, to multi million pound items scheduled for auction, via an army of action figures with, occasionally, eye watering prices.
Screen used items for auction via Propstore including Threepio’s head and Leia’s Yavin IV dress
Given that the stand price is likely to be far higher at Celebration versus Echo Base, Farthest From or regional toy fairs and conventions, some of that cost will inevitably pass on to you as a buyer. If you’re mulling over an item you think you might be able to pick up elsewhere, your money may be better spent on alternative options at this event.
A flip side perspective is the international exhibitors Celebration attracts, selling items that aren’t easily available on home turf. You may be able to buy from them directly online, but that will incur shipping costs and potential customs charges that you can avoid by taking the opportunity while you’re there in person at their booth.
It certainly helps to have some knowledge of what items are worth so that you can make that verdict in the heat of the moment. Longtime collectors will generally be pretty savvy in this respect, but if you’re new to collecting, or starting a new collection you may be a little in at the deep end at when browsing at these larger events. Researching prices in advance could definitely save you a few quid.
Whatever your collecting focus, the show exclusive items, if you can get near them are a safe bet purchase. In most cases this will be the least you’ll ever pay, even when compared to local events where they’re likely to only increase in value on the secondary market.
One of the staples of collecting at Celebration is the set of pin badges released each year, featuring a variety of characters from the franchise in a stylised form. These are available at various points across the event and show floor. Some are sold in ‘blind box’ form, making it harder to complete a set. Though this may mean multiple purchases, the chance for ‘doubles’ encourages trading and fosters community among collectors.
What’s also surprising about Celebration is the amount of collectables you’ll pick up for free. Vendors will often have giveaways and the generosity of the fan community is unmatched. Folks create easy to distribute items such as patches, badges, postcards or stickers that feature their original artwork, or podcast logo say, to hand out across the weekend. As I was leaving in 2023, slightly glum that it was all over, a kind lady handed me a pin badge featuring one of my favourite characters and I was won over by the magic as if it were Day 1 of the convention again.
The sheer range of things to see and do under the Star Wars banner at Celebration creates a blurred line between tangible and experience based collecting. The photo ops and signing sessions with the stars from the wars are examples of this. You’ll often spot attendees walking around with large, heavy duty poster tubes slung over their shoulders, protecting film posters or other artwork that they’ve been working over time to add new autographs to.
In many ways the people and their creativity become the collectable. Whether that’s looking out for a particular cosplay, or the coming together of clubs like the ‘R2D2 Builders’ with their phenomenal craftsmanship, building replica droids and astromechs.
Now in its 26th year, Celebration has become a collection of its own traditions. Few more iconic than ‘the running of the Willrow Hoods’. Willrow is a background character who can be seen escaping Cloud City in The Empire Strikes Back carrying what looks like an ice cream maker (we now know it’s called a ‘camtono’). Each year, huge groups of fans dressed as Willrow congregate for a, now much anticipated, lap around the show floor.
A cosplay option with little requirement for accuracy
Star Wars Celebration returns in Los Angeles in April 2027 for the 50th anniversary of Star Wars: A New Hope.
Liam Toms 