Elizabeth BoatmanThe Anaheim Star Wars Celebration was scheduled for 2020, and of course, my daughter and I had tickets. Alas, Covid interrupted our plans. After years of waiting, Memorial Day weekend 2022 arrived, and we finally drove to Anaheim for our eighth Star Wars Celebration.
Health and Safety
One of the first tasks for every attendee was to stop by the Marriott and show proof of vaccination. Once we had our blue wrist bands, we were set for the next four days.
While we tried to avoid the crowding in Hall E, there were a couple of times when we couldn’t. The image above illustrates just how cozy we were. Thankfully, most fans followed the mask policy. You can even see a few blue wristbands!
Attack of the Clones
Twenty years ago, Halley and I attended our first Celebration. The latest Star Wars movie back then was Attack of the Clones. I didn’t know much about conventions and certainly nothing about using a film camera. Still, I attempted some shots. Most of the photos are terrible, but the memories are priceless.
Halley and I managed to get balcony seats for the Attack of the Clones panel. Way down there on that Stage are Tem and Daniel (both in white).
After all these years, the panel felt like we were getting together with old friends.
Star Wars Costumes
Winning a lottery panel is a rare event, so one finds other attractions. Admiring the costumes is always inspiring.
As you can see, Star Wars has room for all kinds of creativity. I especially like the George Lucas fellow.
Favorites
The music panel presented by David Collins was at the top of my must-see list. My daughter and I attended his 2019 panel about the music of The Phantom Menace. It was brilliant!
We were lucky to find seats at the Galaxy Stage, but a fire alarm sounded shortly after Mr. Collins began! We all exited down three flights of stairs. Just as we neared the convention center doors, we heard the all-clear. Whew, we made our way back to listen to the rest of the presentation. It’s incredible how John Williams mixes motifs from his love themes into Anakin’s creepy moments!
Until the next Star Wars Celebration
I’ve tried to keep this post short. Star Wars Celebration is an extravaganza, and I can’t mention everything in this short space. I will let you in on the dates for the next event. Star Wars Celebration Europe takes place at the Excel Center, London, in April 2023. Wow, that’s less than a year away. If you’re interested, start saving your money and get your tickets! Celebration is always fun.
To see more of my images from Anaheim, please click here.
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