Film Event: Star Wars Celebration Europe 2023

This month, I managed to achieve a major life goal and attend Star Wars Celebration at the Excel in London (SWCE23). In previous years Celebration has often been held in distant lands so you can imagine my excitement when it was announced it was finally coming to the UK for three days on April 7-10, 2023 - right in time for the 40th anniversary of Return of the Jedi.

For those of you who don't know, Star Wars Celebration is the largest fan convention held to celebrate all things within the Star Wars Universe. Since it began in 1999 (when Lucasfilm held the first Star Wars Celebration in Denver, Colorado to promote the release of Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace), Celebration has been showcased in varying locations around the world, and host of exclusive Star Wars project announcements, panel discussions with the stars and creators of the franchise, incredible Star Wars cosplay and a place to get your hands on some amazing merchandise.

For real Star Wars fans, it is an incredible opportunity to meet other fans within the community and bask in our love of all things from a galaxy far, far away. Of course, since the franchise became apart of the Disney family, there was even more to get excited about, including a glimpse at Indiana Jones: The Dial of Destiny and learn about up and coming Disney releases. Here's a little look at what we got up to during our time there - including getting to meet one of our all time favourite Disney Youtubers, Paging Mr Morrow. 

We certainly were not short of activities. There were quite literally hundreds of vendors selling unique pieces of Star Wars memorabilia old and new, as well as countless props, costumes and cosplayers to meet and greet. The incredible backdrops such as the lifesized X-Wing, Tie Fighter and AT-AT are all down to the craftsmanship of talented fans. 

To be expected, there were some amazingly gifted cosplayers at Star Wars Celebration. I didn't partake in cosplay (despite being very tempted to) and instead opted for Disney bounding instead with my Grogu ears which were a present from my hens on our trip to Disneyland Paris. I also found a dress that was almost the perfect Grogu green dress from ASOS so I felt the part.

We had already booked our tickets to attend SWCE23 but when we learnt that our favourite Youtuber, Nate (Mr Morrow), was attending alongside RSVLTS, we quite literally yelled out at our television screen. Nate was an absolute pleasure to talk to and such a lovely guy. It was quite a surreal experience to meet someone in person that you've watched every single day for years and feel like you've sort of gotten to know in someway. Huge thanks to Nate for being so friendly and allowing us to snap a photo. 

Star Wars Celebration is taking a break for 2024 but will be returning to Japan on April 18-20, 2025, at the Makuhari Messe, near Tokyo. This will give fans a bit of time to save up their pennies because it'll be a spenny one! 

A special thanks to my husband who, despite not being the biggest Star Wars fan historically, allowed me to drag him round all day and truly embraced the Star Wars nerdiness. Also to Loungefly Lovers who kindly gifted me the dreamiest Star Wars Loungefly Backpack* which got me so many compliments all day long. You can take a look at my video diary from the day on my Instagram here.

That's for another fan convention. Don't forget you can also check out my recent adventures to the Mandalorian season three press event here. 

Until next time fellow Star Wars fans, 

*Disclaimer: This product was provided to me on a gifted basis. I was under no obligation to post and, as always, all opinions are my own and do not reflect those of the brand.