Virtual Star Wars Convention Being Held on May the 4th

The current coronavirus pandemic is seeing major conventions around the world scrap their plans, with organizers ReedPOP taking an unconventional approach to celebrating the upcoming "May the 4th," which many fans consider to be "Star Wars Day," by hosting a virtual convention across a number of social media platforms. The festivities are set to include talent from the franchise hosting Q&As, live-tweet screenings of films, and various other quizzes, trivia, and contests. There are so many activities planned that the event will even extend to the next day to celebrate the "Revenge of the 5th." Check out the schedule of events below.

Star Wars: A New Hope was released in theaters on May 25th, 1977, with fans celebrating the anniversary of its premiere in subsequent decades. As social media has grown over the past decade, fans found themselves honoring every May 4th with memes and messages about the galaxy far, far away, though it wasn't until May 4, 2013 that Disney and Lucasfilm began to officially honor the date and deem it "Star Wars Day" by hosting official events. With the studio continuing to release new live-action adventures, Lucasfilm regularly had things to celebrate.

As the coronavirus spread more aggressively earlier this year, various major events began to delay or completely scrap their plans for gatherings. Following the cancellations of Emerald City Comic Con and WonderCon, fans were disappointed but not at all surprised that San Diego Comic-Con confirmed it would skip the celebration for the first time in 50 years. Star Wars Celebration is set to take place in Anaheim this August, with fans wondering if this year's festivities could also be cancelled.

With Star Wars fans around the world quarantined in their homes, other exciting plans for May 4th involve Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker landing on Disney+, as well as the series premiere of Disney Gallery: The Mandalorian, a program that will chronicle how the first live-action Star Wars series was brought to life.

The virtual convention and streaming debuts might be some of the announced events for May 4th, but given how desperate fans are for entertainment, we won't be surprised if there are more surprises in store for audiences, whether they are official celebrations by Lucasfilm or members of the cast and crew who take the festivities to social media.

You can head to SuperCon20.com/Force for more details.

Are you looking forward to the virtual convention? Let us know in the comments below or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things Star Wars and horror!