So it’s been over a month since I got back from this year’s Star Wars Celebration which was hosted in Anaheim, California and I thought it would be fun to make a post about my experience and highlights. So, here are my favorite moments from Day 1!
Being my first day at Star Wars Celebration, and having never attended any previous Celebrations, I felt a bit lost at the beginning. I didn’t do my COVID check the previous day because I was at Disneyland, so I did spend a while in line for that. But by the time I had that all sorted out and was inside the convention center I didn’t even know where to start. Like the rookie I was, I hadn’t even glanced at the schedule beforehand. However, I did notice, right as I walked in, a swarm of people RUNNING from the first floor to the next floor up. And, assuming it was something exciting, I joined in.
Turns out the line was for the Twin Suns stage broadcasting the first panel of the day which was the Lucasfilm Studio Showcase. I stood in line for about 45 minutes and some of that time included while the actual panel was happening. The line dwindled as people gave up waiting and eventually I was about 15th in line. AND THEN security came up to the line and handed out wristbands to the first 30 or so people in line. I made it into the panel! So, I got to see trailers for upcoming Lucasfilm projects including the next season of The Mandalorian AND got to see John Williams conduct a few songs including the never-before-heard Kenobi theme. It was so amazing. And the best part was, that everyone who had a wristband for the showcase was invited back that night to the world premiere early showing of Obi-Wan Kenobi!
I think, after the panel, I just walked around in a daze, not really doing anything at all – completely stunned by the Lucasfilm Showcase Panel. I ended up at Subway (?? lollll) and rested in my Hotel room for a few hours to recharge.
Later that evening, I headed back to the convention center to get in line for the Kenobi screening, hoping to get a good seat toward the front. It just so happened that my friend showed up at the same time as I did and we got to hang out in line together!
Seeing the first two episodes of Obi-Wan Kenobi with hundreds of other Star Wars fans was such a unique and special experience. Everyone gasped, cheered, and cried at all the same moments and it was so cool to not only see the show early but see it with other fans. After the Kenobi premiere, Silver and I met up with our other book club friend, Jennie! I only met Silver just over a year ago because of a Star Wars book club she started last February, but that book club has resulted in so many new friends and was a big influence in my decision to go to Celebration!
All in all, day one was a whirlwind of a day. If all of Celebration had consisted of just day one I would have been content and happy, but there were still three more days to go.
Going into Celebration I had no concrete expectations or plans and by the time the day was over, I had more of an idea of what to expect for the rest of the weekend and I was hyped!
My initial plan for Celebration was the cosplay (or, Star Wars bound, I guess would be a more accurate term) for each day and release a Spotify playlist I made that was inspired by my outfit. I ended up only dressing up for two days, but I still plan on sharing the playlists here on my blog, so keep an eye out for that, if you’re interested.
Extra photos from the day:
