Star Wars Celebration Cancelled Due to Coronavirus Shutdown

The COVID-19 pandemic has taken over so many aspects of our lives, and it seems like things might not be truly returning back to "normal" for quite a while. Between social distancing guidelines and fears over the virus' spread, many upcoming events have been postponed or canceled entirely -- including several high-profile conventions. Now, Star Wars Celebration, which celebrates all things tied to a galaxy far, far, away is the latest to follow suit. Today, ReedPOP announced that the upcoming Star Wars Celebration 2020, which was set to take place in Anaheim, California from August 27th to August 30th, has been cancelled, with a return set for 2022.

Due to the impact of COVID-19, we’ve made the decision to cancel Star Wars Celebration 2020. While this news is disappointing, we’re happy to announce #StarWarsCelebration will return to Anaheim in 2022. Full statement with ticket transfers/refunds info at https://t.co/o2ObVULVVF pic.twitter.com/CnRWHZhuDq

— StarWars Celebration (@SW_Celebration) June 15, 2020

This is far from the first major convention that has suffered a setback, most notably with San Diego Comic-Con announcing its cancellation in April. SDCC's sister convention, WonderCon, which was also set to take place at the Anaheim Convention Center, was also delayed indefinitely earlier this year. Seattle's Emerald City Comic Con was initially rescheduled from March to August, but fans have even been uncertain about that new date.

Fans began to speculate about the fate of this year's Star Wars Celebration, especially after comments from California Governor Gavin Newsom hinted that large-scale gatherings would not be happening until there is a vaccine, something that has been speculated to take a minimum of 12-18 months. Last year's Star Wars Celebration Chicago drew an estimated 65,000 fans, and any number around that would definitely qualify as a "large scale event".

"The prospect of mass gatherings is negligible at best until we get to herd immunity and we get to a vaccine," Newsom said in April. "Large scale events that bring in hundreds, thousand, tens of thousands of strangers... is not in the cards."

Star Wars Celebration Anaheim was expected to coincide with the 30th anniversary of The Empire Strikes Back, with fans also expecting details surrounding the upcoming second season of The Mandalorian.

What do you think of the latest update surrounding Star Wars Celebration 2020? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!