Star Wars Day

Next Star Wars Day Saturday, 4 May 2024

All Star Wars fans gear up for Star Wars Day on May 4! The day commemorates George Lucas' Star Wars movies set in a galaxy far, far away.

Fans chose May the Fourth as the date to celebrate their favorite movies because 'May the Fourth be with you' is a pun on the famous catchphrase from the franchise. This catchphrase, said by Obi-Wan Kenobi to a young Luke Skywalker, is 'May the Force be with you'.

Star Wars Day is only a fun observance, and as such, it is not a national holiday.

A stormtrooper in white looks at the camera, holding a science fiction gun in a street parade — Star Wars Parades have even taken place due to the modern popularity of Star Wars

May the Fourth: A Journey from Political Adverts to Global Festivities

Funnily enough, the first known instance of someone making the pun happened two years after the release of the first Star Wars film in 1979, when Margaret Thatcher was elected Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, on May 4. Conservative supporters of Thatcher placed an advert in a London newspaper that featured the tagline "May the Fourth Be with You, Maggie. Congratulations."

Fans of the movies only held their first celebration of Star Wars Day on May the 4th in 2011, at the Toronto Underground Cinema. The event was a commemoration of all aspects of the franchise, and it featured things such as trivia games, the best costume contest, and a competition for the best fan-made parodies, mash-ups, and remixes of the original movies.

In 2013, Lucasfilm and the rights to Star Wars were purchased by Disney, who took the opportunity to make Star Wars Day an official holiday for fans around the globe. Every year, Disney organizes big events and festivities in their theme parks.

May The Force be with you

Sure Obi-Wan Kenobi saying those immortal words may be the most famous and well-known version, but actually many characters say the line, so here are a few more examples of times when we hear "May the Force be with you":

Obi-Wan Kenobi is not the first character to echo these words in the film franchise. That honor is actually given to the minor character General Dodonna who uses those words when preparing the rebels for battle and to 'man their ships' in A New Hope.
Luke Skywalker says "May the Force be with you" on the radio to Lando Calrissian before traveling to rescue Hans Solo from Jabba the Hutt in Return of the Jedi.
Han Solo, despite showing continued skepticism towards the idea of The Force, still says "May the Force be with you" to Luke Skywalker as he sets off on his mission to destroy the Death Star in A New Hope.
Admiral Ackbar says "May The Force be with us" in episode VI: Return of the Jedi, during the second Death Star battle.
While Anakin Skywalker is sitting in his podracer on Tatooine, Qui-Gon Jinn says those famous words as a way of wishing him good luck in his race during Episode I: The Phantom Menace.

How to Celebrate Star Wars Day

What better way to spend this day than watching or re-watching all of the Star Wars Movies? Watching only the original trilogy will take 6 hours and 17 minutes. However, for hardcore fans, doing a marathon of every movie in the franchise takes 1 day and 1 hour, or 25 hours!

Many fans choose to throw a party to observe Star Wars Day, and the official Star Wars website has many recipes inspired by the foods from the movie, such as blue milk, and porg rice balls.

Since 2013, thousands of people flock to the Disney theme parks on May 4, to be at the heart of the celebrations.