The prolonged silence on whether Star Wars Celebration 2020, which was to be held in Anaheim, California, was finally broken as the convention’s postponement was announced today. Not to anyone’s surprise, Celebration will be set on the back burner for a few years and was canceled out of COVID-19 fears.
Star Wars Celebration will not return to the Anaheim Convention Center in 2020, but in 2022, and was last held at the venue in 2015. The convention, encapsulating all things and everything Star Wars-related, had hosted past five-day events in Chicago, London, and Orlando. Typically, the convention is held near a Disney property in an attempt to boost their ticket sales for their parks.
Celebration’s history runs deep, as the convention has embraced Star Wars fans to the fullest extreme for over twenty years ago. The first Celebration kicked off in Denver, Colorado, in 1999, and has embarked on a world tour ever since. From Chiba, Japan, Essen, Germany, or even more domestic as Indianapolis, Indiana, Star Wars fans around the globe have come together to monumentalize the iconic sci-fi series.
Although anticipatory con-goers may experience the disappointment of Celebration’s cancellation, it wasn’t exactly much to anyone’s surprise that the announcement would come sooner rather than later as the event grew closer. Lucasfilm may they be in the right for calling their decision, released a statement regarding their choices:
"At Star Wars Celebration, the health and safety of our fans, attendees, exhibitors, guests, and staff is always our number one priority. Due to the global impact of the COVID-19 virus and in speaking with local and state authorities on the latest public health guidelines related to indoor conventions, we have made the decision to cancel Star Wars Celebration for 2020. While this news is disappointing, we are happy to announce that Star Wars Celebration will return to the Anaheim Convention Center on August 18-21, 2022."
Star Wars Celebration may be taking a bow and stepping back from the convection forefront for a couple of years, that doesn’t mean Disney nor Lucasfilm have any intention to reign in their brand. D23 Expo, the trademark Disney convention, will return in 2021; bringing plenty of Star Wars announcements along with it.
With a second season of The Mandalorian to arrive on Disney+ this October, it looks like Lucasfilm and Disney may have to find new means of promotion as fans gear up to see what Jon Favreau has in store. With Rosario Dawson’s debut as Ahsoka Tano and the return of Temura Morrison’s Boba Fett on the way, Disney will need to act fast in making up for Celebration’s lost announcements.
Story by: Annie Banks
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