Star Wars Celebration

History

The first Star Wars Celebration took place from April 30 to May 2, 1999, at the Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum in Denver, Colorado, just three weeks before The Phantom Menace hit theaters. Billed as an event created by and for fans, it was held in the hometown of the Official Star Wars Fan Club, which was run by Dan Madsen. Madsen explained that since the fan club was based in Denver, it made sense to host the Celebration there. It marked the first official Star Wars convention since 1987.

Attendees could enjoy actor panels, THX theater demonstrations, behind-the-scenes footage from Episode I, and the global debut of the "Duel of the Fates" music video. The venue included a vendors tent, and the museum displayed props from the LucasFilm archives, such as a full-scale model of Anakin Skywalker's podracer and a life-size X-wing model—a 3/4 scale replica built in 1996 for the Special Edition release, which still remains at the museum.

Celebration II ran from May 3 to 5, 2002, to mark the upcoming release of Attack of the Clones and the 25th anniversary of the first Star Wars film. The convention relocated to Indianapolis, Indiana, to take advantage of the larger Indiana Convention Center. Downtown Indianapolis was swarmed with Star Wars fans. Advance ticket sales had predicted 15,000 to 20,000 people each day, but actual attendance far exceeded that, reaching a peak on Saturday.

The final estimate was over 75,000 attendees across the three days. The most crowded areas were the Fan Club store and the autograph section, especially for Carrie Fisher. Key attractions included the Rick McCallum Spectacular and the Star Wars 25th Anniversary Concert on Saturday night, performed by the Philharmonic Orchestra of Indianapolis.