Disney’s Star Wars Weekends Dates Announced!

If you’re looking for a great way to celebrate Star Wars with thousands of other fans, you’ll have a few options next year. The biggest Star Wars party ever will undoubtedly be Star Wars Celebration Anaheim in April but if you’re unable to make that, consider traveling to Orlando, FL for Disney’s Star Wars Weekends.

As a native and permanent resident of the Orlando area, I can personally speak to the enormity of this event. SWW have always been a unique experience but ever since Disney purchased Lucasfilm in October of 2012, the bar has been raised.

The event which was held for five straight weekends this past summer was an absolutely cathartic experience for me, one which has only been rivaled by watching the prequels in theaters for the first time and of course, Star Wars Celebration itself.

With the arrival of Star Wars: The Force Awakens in theaters next Christmas, you can bet your bottom dollar that fandom will be at a fever pitch by the time that SWW rolls around.

Yesterday afternoon, Jennifer Fickley-Baker of Disney Parks Blog confirmed the dates for next year’s event at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Orlando, FL.

From Disney Parks Blog:

"Star Wars Weekends will be held every weekend (Friday, Saturday and Sunday) from May 15-June 14, 2015.Weekend I: May 15-17, 2015"

"Weekend II: May 22-24, 2015"

"Weekend III: May 29-31, 2015"

"Weekend IV: June 5-7, 2015"

"Weekend V: June 12-14, 2015"

Though the special guests have yet to be announced, it’s a good bet that we’ll see at least a few stars from the forthcoming J.J. Abrams film.

2014’s SWW guests included Billy Dee Wiliiams, Mark Hamill, Dee Bradley Baker, Stephen Blum, Ashley Eckstein, James Arnold Taylor, Ahmed Best, Peter Mayhew, Matt Lanter, Tom Kane, Catherine Taber, Vanessa Marshall, Taylor Gray, Tiya Sircar, John Ratzenberger, Jeremy Bulloch, Ray Park and Warwick Davis.

Disney’s SWW are a great place to meet beloved characters and make new friends!

.

The real reason that you don’t want to miss this event, is the opportunity to meet fellow Star Wars fans.

This past year, my fiance and I ran into the incredible power couple of Sarah Woloski and her husband Richard Woloski. This nerdy husband and wife duo host a wildly popular weekly podcast called Skywalking Through Neverland. The show covers all things both Disney and Star Wars. It’s as perfect a pairing as these two are in life. Now, we are all friends and it’s just the greatest. If not for Star Wars Weekends, we may not have met at all!

You never know who you may run into during Disney’s SWW!

The Woloski’s weren’t the only Star Wars podcasters that we met while at this year’s Star Wars Weekends. The charismatic co-host of the infamous Rebel Force Radio, Jimmy “Mac” McInerney met with dozens of fans during the very first ever official RFR “listener meetup”. There were Little Debbie snack cakes. It was a party.

Many Star Wars celebrities attend the annual event at Disney’s Hollywood Studios!

Among the great Star Wars actors that we were able to meet this past summer, Warwick Davis was a highlight. The man who portrayed the brave Ewok warrior Wicket W. Warrick was on hand once again this year at SWW. Not only did Davis take plenty of time to talk with fans, his stage show titled An Ewok’s Tale was hilarity on an epic scale.

The real party is at Star Wars Weekends. You don’t want to miss it!

We’ll have plenty more information on next year’s Star Wars Weekends event as it comes along! Stay tuned to DSOTF and MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU!!!