The force is
strong in Orlando as Star Wars Weekend kicks off at Disney's Hollywood Studios
on May 16th. If you've never been, Star Wars Weekends is a festival held annually usually for four weekends.
However, this year they've expanded it to include five weekends of
fun. Included with park admission, the event takes place on Friday,
Saturday and Sunday in May and June and features appearances by cast and
crewmembers from Disney's Star Wars franchise created by George Lucas. Many
original Disney characters also appear dressed as Star Wars characters,
such as Jedi Mickey, Leia Minnie, Stormtrooper Donald, and Darth Goofy.
Celebrity appearances
for the opening weekend include: James Arnold Taylor (Voice of Obi-Wan Kenobi
in Star Wars: The Clone Wars) , Ashley Eckstein (Voice of Ahsoka Tano in Star
Wars: The Clone Wars), Ahmed Best (Voice of Jar Jar Binks), Vanessa Marshall
(Voice of Hera Syndulla in Star Wars Rebels), and Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca).
For
kids under 12 years of age, they can either train their lightsaber skills at
the Jedi Training Academy or their knowledge of the force before the Jedi
Council in the Padawan Mind Challenge. They may even have to challenge Darth
Vader and Darth Maul and the power of the Dark Side.
A
new nighttime show has also been added to Star Wars Weekends. The
new nighttime show, "Symphony in the Stars Fireworks," will
feature music from both trilogies accompanied by fireworks. Another first this
year is Star Wars Dine-In Galactic Breakfast at the Sci-Fi Dine-In and Jedi
Mickey's Star Wars Dine at Hollywood and Vine. Both locations are table service
restaurants transformed into character dining. It's a great way to get some
interactions with characters while enjoying delicious Disney food we
all know and love.
If you’re a
fan of Star Wars but have never been to this event, it is highly imperative
that you go. These weekends are some of my favorite time to visit the parks and
the memories you make will last a lifetime. Contrary to what Admiral Ackbar
says, this is not a trap.
