Disney's Star Wars Weekends is my favorite annual Star Wars themed event that I have been attending ever since I was really young. The first time I ever personally met an actor from the Star Wars films was back in 2009 at Star Wars Weekends. Ever since then, I have been one of "those people" that waits in line overnight to get an autograph ticket. I've also had the privilege of marching in the daily parade with the 501st Legion. This event is such a great place to make new friends and celebrate Star Wars fandom with people who are just like you! There are daily shows with celebrities, a parade featuring the celebrities and members of the 501st Legion, and nightly fireworks for this event. Not to mention plenty of meet-and-greet opportunities with some of the best Star Wars characters, both good guys and bad! For first time SWW goers, I have some tips for you. Like I said previously, I've been going to this event since I was a toddler so I know how stressful it can be for someone to do everything at SWW in just a few days. Here are my tips:
-Bring a backpack of snacks and water. Fuel your body and stay hydrated while you're waiting in line for shows or waiting to meet a character. Florida is very hot and you'll definitely need to hydrate regularly throughout the day.
-If you want to get an autograph ticket/fastpass to meet a specific celebrity guest, get to the park at least 3 hours prior to park opening. Depending on the celebrity, you may be able to get there later or you may have to arrive even earlier than that. Autograph passes are very limited so you want to make sure you are there early to get your wristband and fastpass. Bring a camping chair to sit in while you wait. There will be tons of other fellow Star Wars fans to talk to while you are waiting. It's a fun experience! I will be doing a more in depth post later in the month with more details about the autograph process because it gets more complex if you want to meet multiple celebrities in the same day. Stay tuned!
-If you want limited edition merchandise, go to the merchandise store as soon as the park opens. Before anything sells out or the line gets too long, buy everything in the store that you want...especially limited edition items. They will go fast!
-For the various shows like Stars of the Saga, get there at least 30 minutes prior to the show time. If you show up 5 minutes before the show starts, you will probably be sitting in the very back of the theater or not get a seat at all.
-Don't miss the parade! This is a fun way to take pictures of various characters and all the celebrities that will be attending for the weekend. Plus, if you're there on a Sunday, you'll get to see me in my Shadow Scout costume (see photo below). Who doesn't want to miss that, right?! You will also need to stake out a spot for the parade at least 30 minutes in advance as well. I suggest sitting on a curb somewhere before the Chinese Theater to get a good view and nice lighting for photos.
I think that's about it! Keep checking back for more posts about Star Wars Weekends. I will write a more detailed article about getting autographs at the event. For now, Disney has released the celebrity guest list for SWW 2015 and it's a good one! Here's the full list:
Weekend 1: May 15 to 17, 2015
- Ian McDiarmid (Emperor Palpatine – Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace; Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones; Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith; Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back; and Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi)
- Ashley Eckstein (Voice of Ahsoka Tano – Star Wars: The Clone Wars)
- Tiya Sircar (Voice of Sabine Wren – Star Wars Rebels)
- Amy Allen (Aayla Secura – Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones; Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith)
- Warwick Davis (Wald – Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace; and Wicket the Ewok – Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi)
- Ashley Eckstein (Voice of Ahsoka Tano – Star Wars: The Clone Wars)
- Vanessa Marshall (Voice of Hera Syndulla – Star Wars Rebels)
- Silas Carson (Ki-Adi-Mundi, Nute Gunray – Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace; Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones; Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith)
- Warwick Davis (Wald – Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace; and Wicket the Ewok – Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi)
- Ashley Eckstein (Voice of Ahsoka Tano – Star Wars: The Clone Wars)
- Steve Blum (Voice of Zeb Orrelios – Star Wars Rebels)
- Daniel Logan (Boba Fett – Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones)
- Ray Park (Darth Maul – Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace)
- Jeremy Bulloch (Boba Fett – Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back and Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi)
- Ashley Eckstein (Voice of Ashoka Tano – Star Wars Rebels)
Weekend 5: June 12 to 14, 2015
- Frank Oz (Voice of Yoda - Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace; Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones; Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith; Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back; and Star Wars: Episode VI: Return of the Jedi)
- Ray Park (Darth Maul – Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace)
- Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca – Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith; Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope; Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back; and Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi)
- Taylor Gray (Voice of Ezra – Star Wars Rebels)
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