Star Wars-themed observance on May 4 since 2011
"May the 4th" redirects here. For general information for this date, see
May 4 .
Star Wars Day
Lucasfilm's official marketing logo
Observed by
Star Wars fansType
Secular Significance Celebrating Star Wars Date
May 4 Next time May 4, 2025 (2025-05-04 ) Frequency Annual First time 2011 Related to
Geek Pride Day
Star Wars Day is an informal
commemorative day observed annually on May 4 to celebrate the
Star Wars
media franchise created by filmmaker
George Lucas .
[1] Observance of the day spread quickly through media and
grassroots celebrations since the franchise began in 1977.
[2]
[3]
The date originated from the
pun "
May the Fourth be with you", from the Star Wars
catchphrase "May
the Force be with you."
[1] Even though the holiday was not created or declared by
Lucasfilm , many Star Wars fans have chosen to celebrate the holiday.
[4] It has since been embraced by Lucasfilm and
the Walt Disney Company as an annual celebration of Star Wars .
The release date of the original
Star Wars movie, May 25, 1977, is celebrated by some as
Geek Pride Day .
[5]
History
The first recorded reference of the phrase being used was on May 4, 1979, the day after
Margaret Thatcher
was elected as
Prime Minister of the
United Kingdom . Her political party, the
Conservatives , placed a congratulatory advertisement in the
Evening News saying "May the Fourth Be with You, Maggie. Congratulations."
[6]
[7]
[8] [
dubious –
discuss ]
In the 1988 episode of
Count Duckula , "The Vampire Strikes Back", a space-faring superhero, Tremendous Terrance, asks Duckula the date and is told, "May the Fourth". As Terrance departs, he tells all below, "May the Fourth be with you."
[9]
[10]
The phrase was used in a
UK Parliament defence debate on May 4, 1994.
[11]
Astrophysicist and author
Jeanne Cavelos used the saying on page 94 of her 1999 book
The Science of Star Wars .
[12]
In 2008, the first Facebook groups appeared, celebrating Luke Skywalker Day, with the same catchphrase.
[13]
In 2011, the first organized celebration of Star Wars Day took place in
Toronto ,
Ontario ,
Canada at the Toronto Underground Cinema. Produced by Sean Ward and Alice Quinn, festivities included an original trilogy trivia game show; a costume contest with celebrity judges; and the web's best tribute films, mash-ups, parodies, and remixes on the big screen. The second annual edition took place on Friday, May 4, 2012.
[14]
[15]
[16]
Fans (including government officials, such as
Boris Johnson
[17] ) have celebrated Star Wars in a variety of ways in social media and on television.
Major League Baseball , association football, and
college sports teams have paid tribute to Star Wars in different ways.
[18]
[19]
Minor League Baseball teams such as the
Toledo Mud Hens
[20] and the
Durham Bulls
[21] have worn special uniforms as part of Star Wars Day promotions.
On Star Wars Day 2015, astronauts in the
International Space Station watched Star Wars .
[22] Also in 2015, the carillon bells inside the
Peace Tower on
Parliament Hill in
Ottawa ,
Canada played "
The Imperial March " theme from Star Wars , among other space-related tunes.
[23]
In June 2021, it was announced that
Carrie Fisher would receive a star on the
Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2022. She received the star on Star Wars Day, May 4, 2023.
[24]
[25]
Disney
Since 2013,
The Walt Disney Company has officially observed the holiday with several
Star Wars events and festivities at
Disneyland and
Walt Disney World .
[26]
[27] Disney had purchased Lucasfilm, including the rights to Star Wars , in late 2012.
[28]
The finale of
The Clone Wars was made available on
Disney+ on May 4, 2020.
[29]
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker , as well as the documentary series
Disney Gallery: The Mandalorian , were also made available on Disney+ the same day.
[30]
[31] On Star Wars Day 2021, the animated series
Star Wars: The Bad Batch also premiered on Disney+, along with the short film
Maggie Simpson in "The Force Awakens from Its Nap" .
[32]
[33] The second trailer for
Obi-Wan Kenobi was released on May 4, 2022, as well as
Disney Gallery: The Book of Boba Fett . The second volume of
Star Wars: Visions , the short film
Maggie Simpson in "Rogue Not Quite One" and
Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures were all released May 4, 2023, on Disney+.
[34]
[35]
[36] The second installment of
Star Wars: Tales , titled Tales of the Empire , premiered on May 4, 2024.
[37]
Additional dates
Revenge of the Fifth/Sixth
Some recognize the day after, May 5, as "Revenge of the Fifth ", a play on
Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith and celebrate the
Sith Lords and other villainous
characters from the Star Wars series rather than the
Jedi .
[38] Others celebrate this one day later, on May 6, citing "Revenge of the Sixth " as a better pun on "
Sith ", while others refer to the 6th as "Return of the 6th" as a play on
Return of the Jedi and the
trilogy aspect of the
Star Wars films .
[39]
[40]
[41]
May 25
In honor of the 30th anniversary release date of Star Wars on May 25, 1977, the
Los Angeles City Council declared May 25, 2007, as Star Wars Day.
[42] A separate initiative for observing
Geek Pride Day on May 25 is based on the Star Wars connection along with ties to
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (
Towel Day ) and
Discworld .
[5]
[43]
Solo: A Star Wars Story was also released on May 25, 2018, 41 years after the original Star Wars .
[44]
See also
References
^
a
b Deb, Sopan (May 3, 2024).
"How Rebel 'Star Wars' Fans Saved the Original Movies" .
The New York Times .
Archived from the original on May 3, 2024. Retrieved May 4, 2024 . George Lucas wants them to fade into oblivion. But some fans spent more than a decade digitally restoring the original 'Star Wars' trilogy, preserving the movies as they were shown in theaters.
^ Painter, Alicia Gray (May 4, 2009).
"May the Fourth Be With You" . NBCUniversalMedia, LLC. Retrieved May 4, 2015 .
^
"Star Wars day: May the 4th be with you" . My Fox Chattanooga . May 4, 2010. Archived from
the original on May 8, 2010. Retrieved May 8, 2013 .
^
"Star Wars Day: May the 4th" . Starwars.com . Retrieved May 3, 2015 .
^
a
b Lauren Orsini (May 23, 2013).
"Geek Pride Day Is May 25: Here's How To Celebrate" . Say Media, Inc. Retrieved May 4, 2014 .
^ Whalen, Andrew (May 3, 2019).
"Star Wars Day 2019: How Margaret Thatcher Launched 'May the Fourth Be With You' Holiday" . Newsweek . Retrieved May 4, 2021 .
^ Chan, Tim; Anderson, Sage (April 30, 2020).
"May the 4th Be With You: The Best Merch, Toys and Collectibles for 'Star Wars' Fans" . Rolling Stone . Retrieved May 5, 2021 .
^ Iervolino, Stephen (May 4, 2017).
"May the Fourth be with you: Everything you need to know about 'Star Wars' Day" . ABC News . Retrieved May 4, 2021 .
^ "The Vampire Strikes Back".
Count Duckula . Season 1. Episode 14. December 6, 1988.
ITV .
^ "Vampire that hates the sight of blood!". Derby Daily Telegraph . August 26, 1988. p. 16. Count Duckula is in the tradition of the brilliant one-liners. In The Vampire Strikes Back in which he himself and Nanny lost in space and he asks someone for the date. On being told: 'May the fourth' he replies: 'May the fourth be with you.' The programme will go out on Tuesdays at 4.45 pm starting from September 6.
^
"Hansard, Column 786" . UK Parliament Hansard, Column 784 . May 4, 1994.
^ Jeanne Cavelos (2000).
The science of Star Wars . Macmillan.
ISBN
978-0312263874 .
^ Dylan Bates (April 30, 2008).
"Luke Skywalker Day: May the Fourth" .
Facebook . Retrieved May 4, 2017 .
^ Evan Annett (May 4, 2015).
"Star Wars Day: What's going on today in a galaxy not so far, far away" .
The Globe and Mail .
^
"May the Fourth Be With You" . Global News .
^ O'Rourke, Patrick (May 4, 2013).
"Today is May the 4th and this means it's international Star Wars day! | canada.com" . Archived from
the original on May 8, 2020. Retrieved May 21, 2022 .
^
"Boris Johnson's acceptance speech in full" . ITV News. May 5, 2012. Retrieved May 8, 2013 .
^
"May the Fourth Be With You: Sports teams and stars celebrate Star Wars Day" . ESPN.com . May 4, 2022.
^ Share (May 4, 2022).
"Star Wars Day: BYU Football Celebrates With Stormtrooper Helmet" . Kslsports.com. Retrieved May 5, 2022 .
^
"Toledo Mud Hens will wear Chewbacca uniforms for 'Star Wars' weekend" . Daily News . New York. April 28, 2013. Retrieved May 3, 2014 .
^ Andrew Kenney (March 25, 2014).
"Durham Bulls to dress as R2-D2 from 'Star Wars' on May 4" .
The News & Observer . Retrieved May 3, 2014 .
^ Jeffrey Kluger (May 5, 2015).
"A Week on the Space Station: Tacos, 'Star Wars' and Mice" . TIME.com . Retrieved May 6, 2015 .
^
"Star Wars music played on Parliament Hill carillon bells" . Retrieved May 4, 2019 .
^ Prudom, Laura (May 4, 2023).
"A Force to Be Remembered: Mark Hamill Praises Carrie Fisher's 'Star Wars' Legacy Ahead of Walk of Fame Honor" .
^ Diaz, Eric (June 17, 2021).
"Carrie Fisher to Receive Hollywood Walk of Fame Star" . Yahoo!. Retrieved June 18, 2021 .
^
"May the 4th Be with You!" . Disney Parks Blog . Retrieved April 28, 2013 .
^
"May the Fourth Be With You! Two New Star Wars-Themed Character Dining Experiences May 4 – June 15 at Disney's Hollywood Studios" . Disney Parks Blog . March 28, 2014. Retrieved April 28, 2014 .
^
"How Disney Bought Lucasfilm—and Its Plans for Star Wars " .
Bloomberg Businessweek . March 8, 2013. Archived from
the original on March 8, 2013. Retrieved April 28, 2014 .
^
"Star Wars: The Clone Wars Finale Coming To Disney+ Early On Star Wars Day!" . What's On Disney Plus . April 15, 2020. Retrieved April 15, 2020 .
^ Watercutter, Angela (April 27, 2020).
"Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Is Coming to Disney+ May 4" .
Wired . Retrieved May 3, 2021 .
^
"Go Behind the Scenes in the New Disney+ Series Disney Gallery: The Mandalorian " .
StarWars.com . April 15, 2020.
Archived from the original on April 15, 2020. Retrieved April 15, 2020 .
^ Ramos, Dino-Ray (February 24, 2021).
"Disney+ Sets Premiere Dates For 'Star Wars: The Bad Batch' And Marvel Studios' 'Loki' " .
Deadline Hollywood .
Archived from the original on February 24, 2021. Retrieved February 24, 2021 .
^ Earl, William (May 3, 2021).
" 'The Simpsons' Meets 'Star Wars' in First Look at Disney Plus Short 'The Force Awakens From Its Nap' " . Variety . Retrieved May 4, 2023 .
^ Team, StarWars com.
"Star Wars: Visions Volume 2 Release Date, Studios Revealed" . StarWars.com . Retrieved May 2, 2023 .
^ Peralta, Diego (May 2, 2023).
" 'Rogue Not Quite One' Poster Puts Maggie Simpson in a Star Wars Adventure" . Collider . Retrieved May 4, 2023 .
^ Leite, Marcelo (March 18, 2023).
"Disney Bumps Up Star Wars Animated Series Release Date" . ScreenRant . Retrieved May 4, 2023 .
^ Complex, Valerie (April 4, 2024).
" 'Star Wars: Tales Of The Empire' Trailer: Disney+ Unveils Dave Filoni's Animated Follow-Up To 'Star Wars: Tales Of The Jedi' " .
Deadline Hollywood .
Archived from the original on April 4, 2024. Retrieved April 4, 2024 .
^ Alex Zalben (May 4, 2017).
"A Brief History of 'Star Wars' Celebration May The Fourth" .
MTV News .
^ Levine, Daniel S. (May 6, 2017).
"Revenge of the Sixth 2017: See the Best Funny Sith Memes" . Retrieved May 6, 2017 .
^
"Brainiac wants to get nerdy with you for 'Star Wars' and free comic books" . Orange County Register . April 28, 2017. Retrieved May 6, 2017 .
^
" 'A New Hope.' Jon Ossoff backers embrace 'Star Wars' attack ad" . Political Insider blog . Retrieved May 6, 2017 .
^ Jan Perry (May 1, 2007).
"Resolution: Star Wars" . Los Angeles City Council.
^
"Geek Pride Day" . ThinkGeek, Inc. Retrieved May 4, 2014 .
^ Riesman, Abraham (February 5, 2018).
"Breaking Down the Fast, Furious Solo: A Star Wars Story Trailer" .
Vulture.com . Retrieved May 3, 2021 .
Further reading
External links