When Is Star Wars Day? (May the 4th — Origins, History & How It’s Celebrated)

Quick answer

Star Wars Day is the unofficial-turned-official Star Wars fan holiday celebrated annually on May 4th. The date is a pun: ‘May the 4th be with you’ / ‘May the Force be with you.’ Disney made it official after acquiring Lucasfilm in 2012.

The Short Answer

Star Wars Day is May 4th, every year. The date comes from a pun: May the Fourth be with you sounds like May the Force be with you.

The day is now officially recognized by Disney, Lucasfilm, Disney Parks, and Disney+, with major content drops and themed events scheduled around it annually. May 5th — Revenge of the Fifth (or Revenge of the Sith) — is the unofficial dark-side companion day.

When Did Star Wars Day Start?

The pun itself is older than the official holiday. The most-cited origin:

May 4, 1979 — The Thatcher Election Ad

On May 4, 1979, Margaret Thatcher became the United Kingdom’s first female Prime Minister. Her Conservative Party placed a half-page congratulatory ad in the London Evening News that read:

“May the Fourth Be With You, Maggie. Congratulations.”

This is the earliest documented use of the pun — published less than two years after Star Wars (1977) released, when the franchise was still in its first wave of cultural saturation.

1980s–2000s — Fan Adoption

Through the 1980s and 1990s, the pun spread through fan clubs, fanzines, and eventually Usenet and early web forums. It was widely used informally but had no organized celebration.

May 4, 2011 — The First Official Event

The Toronto Underground Cinema held the first organized Star Wars Day fan celebration on May 4, 2011 — featuring trivia, costume contests, mash-up videos, and an Empire Strikes Back screening. The event is now considered the modern starting point.

2013 — Disney Makes It Official

After Disney acquired Lucasfilm in October 2012 (see our Disney acquisition history), Disney officially adopted May 4th as a franchise holiday in 2013. Since then it has been used to launch:

Year	Star Wars Day launch
2020	Disney Gallery: The Mandalorian (behind-the-scenes series)
2021	Star Wars: The Bad Batch Season 1
2022	Tales of the Jedi (announced)
2023	Star Wars: Visions Volume 2
2024	Various Disney+ catalog refreshes and merch drops
2025	Galactic Starcruiser memorial content + Skeleton Crew marketing

Why May 4th Specifically?

The pun works on a rhythmic and phonetic level:

“May the Force be with you” (canonical Star Wars blessing, first heard in Star Wars 1977)
“May the Fourth be with you” (homophonic substitution)

Both phrases have the same syllable count, same stress pattern, and the only changed sound (Force → Fourth) is a near-homophone in most English accents. That’s why the joke landed so cleanly in 1979 and why it has never faded.

May 5th — Revenge of the Fifth

The day after Star Wars Day, May 5th is the unofficial dark-side companion holiday — known as either:

“Revenge of the Fifth” — phonetic play on Revenge of the Sith (Episode III, 2005)
“Revenge of the Sixth” is sometimes joked about on May 6th, but doesn’t really stick

Lucasfilm and Disney occasionally acknowledge Revenge of the Fifth on social media with Sith-themed posts (Darth Vader, Palpatine, Kylo Ren, Darth Maul), but it has never been formally elevated to the same status as May 4th.

For Sith characters and dark-side names, see our Sith Names Guide and Villain Names Guide.

How Star Wars Day Is Celebrated

By Disney & Lucasfilm

Disney+ content releases — frequently new episodes, behind-the-scenes specials, or full series launches
Disney Parks events — Galaxy’s Edge at Disneyland (Anaheim) and Disney’s Hollywood Studios (Orlando) run themed merchandise, character meet-and-greets, themed Oga’s Cantina menu items, and occasional fireworks
Merchandise drops — exclusive shirts, LEGO sets, Funko Pops, collectibles
Social media campaigns — official Star Wars accounts post all-day, hashtag #MayThe4th trends globally

By Fans

Marathon viewings — pick a trilogy or chronological order (the Star Wars Watch Order Guide covers every option)
Costume parties — Jedi robes, Stormtrooper armor, Princess Leia cinnamon buns
Lightsaber duels — toy, prop, or in-game
Star Wars gaming sessions — Battlefront 2 has crossplay, Skywalker Saga has local co-op
Fan fiction and OC creation — many writers post new chapters or new original characters on May 4th
Tabletop sessions — Star Wars RPGs (FFG, WEG d6, or homebrew d20)
Naming new projects — character generators see massive traffic spikes on May 4th

By the Wider Internet

Search volume for Star Wars terms more than triples on May 4th every year. Brands and meme accounts use the hashtag indiscriminately, ad spend on Star Wars-themed creative spikes, and Google occasionally runs themed doodles or Easter eggs in search.

The “Be With You” Pun in Other Languages

The pun doesn’t translate cleanly outside English. Most non-English Star Wars fan communities still celebrate on May 4th, but using either:

The English phrase as a borrowed expression
A locally invented alternative (French fans have used “May le 4” and similar)

This makes the holiday somewhat unique — it’s a globally recognized fan day whose origin pun only works in one language.

Is Star Wars Day Trademarked?

Disney has trademarked the phrase “May the 4th Be With You” for commercial merchandise. Practically speaking:

✅ You can say or post the phrase on social media
✅ You can use it in non-commercial fan art and fan fiction
❌ You cannot sell merchandise (shirts, mugs, prints) using the exact phrase without licensing
❌ You cannot use it as a brand identifier for a commercial product or event

The trademark is rarely aggressively enforced against small fan creators, but big merchandise launches around May 4th are routinely takedown’d if they use the protected phrase.

How to Celebrate Star Wars Day This Year

A simple three-step game plan:

Watch something — pick a trilogy or rewatch a favorite (Mandalorian, Andor, Clone Wars all work great)
Play something — Battlefront 2, Skywalker Saga, Jedi: Survivor, or a tabletop session
Create something — use our Star Wars Name Generator to build a new character for a fan project, RPG, or just for fun. May the 4th is consistently our biggest traffic day of the year — partly because of this exact use case.

May the 4th — and the Force — be with you.

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Frequently Asked Questions

When is Star Wars Day?

Star Wars Day is celebrated every year on May 4th. The date is based on the pun ‘May the Fourth be with you,’ a play on the franchise’s iconic blessing, ‘May the Force be with you.’ It is recognized worldwide by Disney, Lucasfilm, and Star Wars fans.

Why is Star Wars Day on May 4th?

Because of the pun. ‘May the 4th be with you’ sounds like ‘May the Force be with you.’ The earliest documented use of the joke was on May 4, 1979, when Margaret Thatcher was elected UK Prime Minister and her Conservative Party placed a half-page newspaper ad reading ‘May the Fourth Be With You, Maggie. Congratulations.’ Fan-organized celebrations grew from there.

What about May 5th — Revenge of the Fifth?

May 5th is the unofficial ‘Revenge of the Fifth’ (or ‘Revenge of the Sith’) — a Sith and dark-side counterpart to May 4th. It’s mostly a fan-made joke, but Lucasfilm and Disney occasionally acknowledge it in social media posts and merchandise drops. Some fans extend the celebration through both days.

Is Star Wars Day an official holiday?

It’s not a federal or national holiday anywhere, but Disney and Lucasfilm made it an officially recognized franchise holiday after Disney’s 2012 acquisition of Lucasfilm. Disney+ has launched several major projects on May 4th (The Mandalorian Season 1 release announcement, Star Wars Visions Volume 1 in 2021, Tales of the Jedi in 2022). Disney Parks runs themed events.

When did Star Wars Day start?

The pun itself dates to May 4, 1979 (the Thatcher election ad). The first organized fan celebration was held at the Toronto Underground Cinema on May 4, 2011 — a year before Disney bought Lucasfilm. Disney made it ‘official’ beginning in 2013, and it has grown into the franchise’s biggest annual marketing moment.

How do people celebrate Star Wars Day?

Common celebrations include: rewatching the Skywalker Saga or a favorite trilogy, marathon viewings on Disney+, themed parties with lightsabers and costumes, attending Disney Parks events (Galaxy’s Edge holds special programming), playing Star Wars video games, buying limited-edition merchandise drops, and posting ‘May the 4th be with you’ on social media. Many fans also write fan fiction, create art, or generate Star Wars character names for new projects.

Does Disney World do anything for Star Wars Day?

Yes. Disney Parks (especially Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Florida and Disneyland in California) typically run themed merchandise drops, special character meet-and-greets, themed food and drink at Oga’s Cantina, and occasionally fireworks shows. Galactic Starcruiser themed sailings are also marketed around the date.

What does Disney+ release on Star Wars Day?

Disney+ frequently uses May 4th to release new Star Wars content. Past launches include Star Wars: The Bad Batch Season 1 (May 4, 2021), Star Wars: Visions Volume 1 (Sept 22, 2021 announcement on May 4), and the Disney Gallery: The Mandalorian behind-the-scenes series (May 4, 2020). Even when no major series launches, Disney+ typically refreshes its Star Wars promotional banner and adds a curated playlist.

Is May the 4th trademarked?

Disney has trademarked the phrase ‘May the 4th Be With You’ for commercial merchandise — but the phrase itself remains in common usage among fans and on social media without enforcement. Disney’s trademark applies primarily to consumer products: shirts, mugs, and licensed event materials. You can post the phrase, but you can’t sell merchandise using it.

What’s the best way to celebrate Star Wars Day at home?

Three things make a great at-home May the 4th: (1) pick your favorite trilogy and marathon it (use our [Star Wars Watch Order Guide](../../blog/star-wars-watch-order/index.html to choose), (2) play a Star Wars game with friends (Battlefront 2 has crossplay, Skywalker Saga has local co-op), and (3) create a custom Star Wars character — use our generator to build a hero or villain for a fan fiction project, a tabletop RPG character, or just for fun.

When Is Star Wars Day? (May the 4th — Origins, History & How It’s Celebrated)

Quick answer

The Short Answer