The Force is Strong in Los Angeles

Whether it's May the Fourth (aka Star Wars Day) or any time of year, the Entertainment Capital of the World offers many ways for fans to celebrate Star Wars.

Every summer, the music of legendary film composer John Williams is performed by the LA Phil at the Hollywood Bowl, accompanied by clips from the Star Wars franchise and other classics. Featuring Williams and Gustavo Dudamel sharing the podium, the 2023 edition of Maestro of the Movies is taking place over three nights, July 7-9.

With the May 4th premiere of Star Wars: Visions Volume 2 on Disney+ and the upcoming live action Ahsoka series in August, try to contain your excitement - or as Yoda says, “Do. Or do not. There is no try.”

NOTE: All events take place on Thursday, May 4, 2023 unless otherwise noted.

These ARE the droids you're looking for at the spectacular Academy Museum of Motion Pictures (6067 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles 90036). Opened in September 2021, the museum houses more than 13 million objects in a 300,000 square-foot campus designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Renzo Piano.

Star Wars fans should head straight to Inventing Worlds and Characters, located on the third floor of the Stories of Cinema exhibit, where they can get up-close to a C-3PO suit and a remote-controlled R2-D2 unit. Other sci-fi icons on view include E.T. and artifacts from 2001: A Space Odyssey, Alien, Terminator 2, Jurassic Park and many more.

MAY THE 4TH CELEBRATION
The Academy Museum is hosting a May the 4th Celebration that includes a photo op with R2-D2, art activities, book signings and a 40th anniversary screening of Return of the Jedi. Be sure to dress up in your best Star Wars–inspired costumes!

SCHEDULE

• 1:30–3:30pm: Photos with R2-D2
• 1:30–5:30pm: Art-Making Activities - create buttons, origami paper Star Wars–inspired characters, and glow-in-the-dark galaxy slime
• 4:30–6:30pm: Photos with R2-D2
• 5–7pm: Book Signings - Paul Hirsch (film editor of Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope and Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back) and Howard Kazanjian (producer of Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi)
• 7:30pm: Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi 40th Anniversary screening

The late Carrie Fisher will be posthumously honored with the 2,754th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 11:30am on Star Wars Day. Billie Lourd will be accepting the star on behalf of her mother.

Fisher's star, in the category of Motion Pictures, will be unveiled at 6840 Hollywood Blvd. near the El Capitan Theatre and just a few feet from Mark Hammill's star (6834 Hollywood Blvd). Walk a few blocks east to Harrison Ford’s star on the northside of Hollywood Boulevard, in front of Musso & Frank Grill (6667 Hollywood Blvd).

Live out your dreams of hanging out in Mos Eisley at Scum & Villainy Cantina (6377 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles 90028), a replica of Tatooine's "wretched hive" situated in the heart of Hollywood.

Conspire in a corner booth, belly up for a genre-inspired cocktail, or flaunt your fandom during the Wednesday night "Trivia Quest" - questions written in-house by geeks, for geeks with categories such as "This Week in Geek," which tests your knowledge of the latest and greatest in nerd news and geek history in the making. Other weekly events include Twin Sun Taco Tuesday and Cosmic Karaoke on Thursdays. Cosplay is welcomed and encouraged, but as their FAQs states: “No projectiles!” – so no one shoots first.

MAY THE FOURTH CELEBRATION
Grab your lightsaber, jump in your speeder, and head over to Scum & Villainy for the May the Fourth Celebration! The blast doors will be open from 10am to 2am. No cover, no reservations, and you can’t win a table for the day in a game of sabacc. May the Fourth is a first-come, first-served event and seating can’t be guaranteed. Make sure your hyperdrive is working on that bucket of bolts, because early arrival is strongly recommended. The first 100 guests will receive a commemorative May the Fourth button (1 per person). 21 and over, RSVP at Eventbrite.

Trivia starts at noon and anyone caught using Jedi mind tricks will be eliminated immediately. Think you have what it takes? Great kid, don’t get cocky.

If you can’t make it because you’re busy fighting for the Rebellion, Scum & Villainy will be offering the infamous Blue Milk (Rum, Coco Lopez, Blue Curaçao, Pineapple) to go. Order from a bartender or from the staff on the patio (meaning you don’t have to wait in the entry line if you want to pick one up) and enjoy at your home base.

One of LA's most popular outdoor movie series, Rooftop Cinema Club offers a premier cinematic experience at ROW DTLA in the Arts District, LEVEL in Downtown LA, and in El Segundo.

To celebrate Star Wars Day, RCC presents Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980) at ROW DTLA (777 S. Alameda St, Los Angeles 90021). Doors open one hour before the screening. Guests are seated on a first-come, first-served basis.

UPDATE: The 7:30pm screening is sold out, tickets are still available for 10:20pm.

RCC ticket holders will receive 15% off their order at Rappahannock Oyster Bar or a complimentary dessert at Pikunico with purchase of an entree. On the rooftop, the RCC concession stand offers fresh popcorn (vegan), candy and sodas. Local craft beers, regional wines and mocktails are provided by Culver City's Hi-Lo Liquor Market.

Located adjacent to Angel City Brewery in the Arts District, Truly LA (216 S. Alameda St, Los Angeles 90012) is the first-ever Flavor Lab for Truly Hard Seltzer, as well as a special event venue ranging from weekend artist markets to music collaborations with Live Nation.

On May the Fourth, Trivia LA is hosting an all-new Star Wars Trivia Night at Truly LA. The trivia will focus on The Mandalorian and Andor as the most recent entries in the (live action) Star Wars universe, but questions will also cover the entire Skywalker Saga and other canon stories. This is the way.

Even if you’re not a superfan, you're invited to come out and have fun! Full teams (up to six players) will be able to stay competitive, because all questions will be based on information available on-screen. In other words, if you’ve watched every movie and seen every episode of the streaming series, you'll have a good shot at answering every question in the game.

Doors at 7pm, sign up and make the jump to lightspeed at 7:30pm. No cover, RSVP at Eventbrite.

Tiki-Ti (4427 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles 90027) is celebrating May the 4th with raffles for Jabba the Hutt and Bib Fortuna Geeki Tikis Mugs. The Jabba the Hutt Mug holds a hefty 40 ounces of your favorite beverage and the Bib Fortuna mini-mug holds 2 ounces. Every drink purchased will get you one ticket for a chance to win. The first raffle will be at 7pm and the second at 10pm. Only one winning ticket per person and you must be present to win.

For a May the Fourth celebration like no other, head to The Virgil (4519 Santa Monica Blvd, Los Angeles 90029) and enjoy an intimate evening with the original Star Wars burlesque parody, Star Girls!

First presented by Devil's Playground in 2010, Star Girls features a rotating cast of top female entertainers, including award-winning performance artists, a contortionist, violinist, professional choreographers, bump-and-grinders and striptease queens, all well-versed in the art of undressing.

Doors open at 10 pm. Show begins promptly at 11. Come dressed as your favorite Star Wars character and enter the costume contest. Take pictures with the performers at a meet & greet after the show.

Tickets are on sale at Eventbrite. General Admission is $25 for standing room only. Limited Reserved Seating tickets are $45. 21 and over.

LA's favorite industrial club, Das Bunker is celebrating the 10th anniversary of Star Wars Night on Friday, May 5. Taking place at the legendary Catch One nightclub from 9pm to 3am, the galaxy's biggest party features seven areas of sci-fi adventure with props, costumes, themed cocktails and photobooth. The Das Bunker residents and special guests will be spinning EBM, industrial and rhythmic noise on four dance floors spanning two levels.

Tickets to this 18+ event are on sale at See Tickets. Pricing is $15 for General Admission and $35 for VIP, which includes express entry and access to the Bounty Hunters Guild - arcade games, private bar with signature drinks, and a special surprise gift.

Star Wars Day continues with My Valley Pass, which is presenting the original Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977) on Saturday, May 6 as part of Movies on Location. The series features movies screened with state-of-the-art projection and sound at their actual filming locations, or at settings that go hand-in-hand with the curated films.

A New Hope will be screened in the parking lot of Neiman & Company (6842 Valjean Ave, Van Nuys 91406), renowned to fans as the original location of Industrial Light & Magic, where all of the visual effects for the first Star Wars movie were produced.

Doors open at 6pm, the film begins at 8pm. General Admission is $20. VIP tickets ($40) include a tour of the former ILM facility, popcorn, non-alcoholic beverage, and preferred seating section. Tickets are limited, early arrival suggested. All seating (including VIP) is first-come, first-served.

Step back in time to the Star Wars premiere at TCL Chinese Theatre (then called Mann’s Chinese Theatre) on May 25, 1977 and measure your feet against the footprints of R2-D2, C-3PO and Darth Vader at the Forecourt of the Stars (6925 Hollywood Blvd, Hollywood 90028).

Better than a training session on Dagobah, Swordplay LA (3316 W. Burbank Blvd, Burbank 91505) offers Lightsaber Choreography classes on Fridays from 6-7pm. The Stunt Fighting Training program offers drop-in classes and monthly workshops that takes students of all skill levels through a series of weapons and hand-to-hand onscreen combat techniques, including swords, knives, lightsabers and much more. Pricing is $35 for a single class, with discounts for one, two or three classes per month.

JEDI ACADEMY CAMP (JULY 24-28, 2023)
Young Padawans can learn the ways of the Force at Jedi Academy Camp! During the week-long summer camp, students will build their own custom foam lightsaber with various colors, hilts, shapes and sizes; plus choose a keepsake Jedi or Sith crystal. Students will put their skills to the test in action-packed lightsaber battles with other Jedi Knights.

Superfans can take a 4.5-hour road trip from L.A. to Nevada’s Death Valley, where many scenes for Episode IV - A New Hope and Episode VI - Return of the Jedi were shot. Bring your Jawa and Tusken Raider action figures to recreate some of your favorite scenes - and don’t forget the sunscreen! After all, “Tatooine” has two suns and the heat there can be unforgiving.