Driving into downtown Anaheim I had no idea what to expect. I was finally off work and needed a convention fix before SDCC. What better way to get said fix, than to feed my inner Star Wars fanatic.
Having never been to Star Wars Celebration I wasn’t sure to expect. SWC is a smaller convention with anything a Star Wars fan could want. Panels ranged from comics to Lego building and cosplay. More than any other gathering of this sort, the number of family friendly events was very impressive. The third floor housed an impressive exhibit of props from Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
The exhibit floor had a little something for everyone. Artists Alley was a treat, with artists providing original renditions of the Star Wars universe. Lightsabers were of course popular with custom lightsabers being made available. One very unique feature of the celebration were tattoos. There were approximately 12 tattoo artists that were given the stamp of approval through Lucasfilms as being certified Star Wars tattoo artists.
With all the good there were a couple of difficulties. The Star Wars celebration store was the only place to go for officially licensed celebration merchandise. It became apparent early on that the powers that be were not prepared for the demand, as the majority of special edition t-shirts were sold out by the second day. A new batch of t-shirts were ordered and flown in, so by late Saturday there was limited availability. The store was small and because of the demand the wait ranged from 30 min. to a couple of hours to get in to the store. The wait to check out could be up to an hour.
Even with the logistical difficulties, the overall atmosphere remained fun and positive in what was a difficult situation. This was by far the most family-friendly convention I’ve attended. The fans were more polite than any other event I’ve been too, and even the support staff (security, cashiers, volunteers, etc..) were friendly. I look forward to attending Star Wars Celebration in the future, but not for awhile. It was announced that the event will be held overseas for the next two years. Who knows? Maybe a trip across the pond is in order.
