May the 4th is Star Wars DayStar Wars fans have been celebrating May 4th as Star Wars Day for decades! It’s a pun, “May the 4th be with you” instead of “May the Force be with you”. If you’ve followed Disney Over 50 for a while, you know that I’m a huge Star Wars fan, I have been since 1977 when I first saw Star Wars in the theater with my sisters. Back then it was just called Star Wars, according to StarWars.com Episode IV: A New Hope wasn’t added until 1981.
The use of “May the 4th be with you” goes back to 1978, a year after Star Wars was released. According to StarWars.com once again, it was a gimmick from newspaper writers. The phrase was used in 1979 in the United Kingdom to celebrate Margaret Thatcher, Britain’s new Prime Minister.
While Star Wars Day has been around for decades, it’s gained popularity in recent years, probably because of the World Wide Web. Fans on Facebook are encouraged to add their favorite Star Wars related pictures, as well as a line of two from the franchise.
Star Wars Day is celebrated at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, but it’s not a huge event. This year May the 4th will see the debut of some new PhotoPass opportunities. There is usually special merchandise, but not really all that much. I’ll be there tomorrow afternoon to see what is going on.
If you can’t celebrate Star Wars Day on Batuu, all is not lost. StarWars.com has compiled a great list of ways to celebrate from home. If you subscribe to Disney+, May the 4th will see the release of Disney Gallery: The Book of Boba Fett. That’s the only new Star Wars Day release, but Disney+ has more Star Wars content than you’ll be able to watch in 24 hours! It’s a good thing that May the 4th is followed by Revenge of the Fifth…
May the 4th be with you!!!