Disney makes it official: Star Wars Celebration 2020 is canceled

By Rick Marshall June 15, 2020

That disturbance in The Force you just felt was the sound of millions of Star Wars fans crying out in anguish over the cancellation of Star Wars Celebration 2020.

The biennial celebration of all things Star Wars will skip 2020 due to the danger posed by the coronavirus pandemic and return in 2022, according to an announcement made by Disney and Lucasfilm on StarWars.com. The next iteration of the popular convention will be held August 18-21, 2022, in the Anaheim (California) Convention Center.

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Ticket-holders for the 2020 convention, which was originally scheduled for August 27 to 30, will have the option of transferring their tickets to the 2022 event, receiving a refund, or receiving credit for Star Wars Celebration merchandise. Anyone who transfers their ticket to 2022 will also receive an exclusive stormtrooper pin. All of the convention-exclusive merchandise for Star Wars Celebration 2020 will be made available online, according to the announcement.

The first Star Wars Celebration event was held in 1999, ostensibly to promote the release of Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace. It was also framed as a celebration of the wildly popular sci-fi franchise. In recent years, the event shifted to a biennial schedule, often alternating years with Disney’s D23 Expo.

To date, there have been 13 Star Wars Celebration conventions held around the world, including events in Japan, Germany, and the U.K.

The window for receiving a refund or credit for Star Wars Celebration 2020 will begin Monday, June 22, and run through August 26. Hotel reservations for the 2020 convention will be canceled automatically.

Ticket-holders can get more information about transferring their tickets, getting refunds, or receiving credit at starwarscelebration.com.

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