May the 4th Be with You: All About the Star Wars Holiday
Updated: Apr. 26, 2024
How did the phrase “May the 4th be with you” lead to a Star Wars holiday?
There’s a famous Star Wars pun that launched a holiday, and for good reason: “May the 4th be with you.” It’s clever, it’s catchy and, well, everyone loves Star Wars. Even if you’re not a die-hard fan, it’s nearly impossible not to smile just a little bit at this play on Obi-Wan Kenobi’s memorable line in A New Hope, which has become one of the most famous Star Wars quotes of all time: “May the Force be with you.”
But just how did that clever turn of phrase turn into a bona fide Star Wars holiday that fans celebrate on the 4th of May every year by sharing May the 4th Be with You memes, rewatching the movies, cheekily using Star Wars pickup lines and unabashedly celebrating all things Jedi? And when did Star Wars Day start?
Reader’s Digest decided to investigate, getting expert insight from Dan Madsen, founder of the Official Lucasfilm/Star Wars Fan Club, and Mike Avila, host of SYFY Wire’s Behind the Panel podcast. Here’s how Star Wars fans found a really good excuse to celebrate their obsession on Star Wars Day, aka May the 4th.
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About the experts
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The unlikely origins of Star Wars Day
If you thought the phrase “May the 4th be with you” came from George Lucas or a really smart marketing team, you’d be wrong. So it must be the day the first movie premiered way back in 1977, right? Wrong again! (For the record, it premiered on May 25 of that year.) In fact, the phrase’s origin is one of the Star Wars facts everyone gets wrong. Credit for that pun goes to England’s conservative party, the Tories, after Margaret Thatcher won the election to become the first female prime minister of the United Kingdom, on May 4, 1979. The group took out a newspaper ad that stated, “May the Fourth be with you, Maggie. Congratulations,” according to Newsweek.
While the pun stuck and became popular with Star Wars fans, it didn’t cross over into mainstream pop culture for another 20 years, says Madsen. “It wasn’t until the early 2000s that the Star Wars holiday became much more in the public eye, due to the fact that fans were using it constantly on social media,” he explains. Giving things an extra boost, the Toronto Underground Cinema hosted the first big organized event to celebrate the day in 2011, complete with screenings of the movies and a celebrity-judged costume contest.
When Star Wars Day became an actual holiday
Once Disney bought Lucasfilm in 2012, things got serious. May the 4th got the Disney treatment and in 2013 became, as TheVerge.com aptly describes, “half earnest celebration, half shameless marketing bonanza.” It suddenly involved official events and a May the 4th Be with You logo, calls to dress up on the big day at Disney parks, movie screenings, fireworks shows, dance parties, merchandising deals and so much more.
While cynics may scoff at this blatant day of branding, there’s a reason fans still embrace it as a Star Wars holiday. “It began by the fans, for the fans. Unlike Valentine’s Day or National Enchilada Day, it didn’t begin as a corporate cash grab. It was started as a way for the Star Wars community to bask in their shared love of all things Jedi,” says Avila. “Once Disney bought Lucasfilm and the Star Wars franchise, it made perfect sense for them to embrace it. The marketing plan was already built for them.”
Still, it was more of an unofficial holiday than an actual holiday—until the California legislature voted in 2019 to officially turn May 4th into Star Wars Day. The resolution was prompted by the creation of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge in Disneyland, which could bring an estimated $14 million in tax revenue to the southern California city of Anaheim every year, and the recognition of Disney’s “decades-long record of enhancing the quality of life for people in California and beyond,” according to Democratic Assemblyman Tom Daly.
How fans celebrate May the 4th
Star Wars fans don’t mess around. Oh, sure, there are the simple “May the 4th be with you” wishes on social media and the shared Star Wars trivia posts, but then there are the Star Wars parties, themed food, movie marathons (with heated debates over the best Star Wars movies), new product releases and charity events.
One of Madsen’s favorite May the 4th events involves the Star Wars costume group the 501st, which makes appearances at children’s hospitals. (The group’s name, by the way, refers to the 501st Legion, Darth Vader’s elite group of stormtroopers.) “The 501st doesn’t just do this on May the 4th. They make appearances all year round, but May the 4th is special,” Madsen says. “You can imagine how the kids’ eyes light up when Darth Vader and his stormtroopers come walking into their room!”
And let’s not forget about the Star Wars items you can buy. “The merchandise is just as important to the ongoing success of Star Wars as the movies,” Avila says. “Buying T-shirts, mugs, bedsheets and remote-control R2-D2s and BB-8s are as much a part of ‘Star Wars culture’ as quoting every line of dialogue from The Empire Strikes Back.”
Those who own an Amazon Alexa have an additional way to celebrate Star Wars Day 2024: Ask Alexa to use the Force for some interactive, intergalactic activities, or say, “Alexa, begin my Jedi lesson” for various lessons in the art of becoming a Jedi.
What’s next for Star Wars
Worried because the Skywalker saga has come to an end? Don’t be. Star Wars is still strong with the Force … of Disney. There are a slew of Star Wars movies and TV shows, including an animated series on Disney+ called Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures, a kids show about younglings that’s set 200 years before The Phantom Menace, and the second volume of Star Wars: Visions, which will feature nine new shorts from around the globe. There’s also Ahsoka, a Disney+ series starring Rosario Dawson as Anakin’s former Padawan, who’s looking for an evil grand admiral and a missing young Jedi.
Some 2024 and beyond highlights include:
- Star Wars: Tales of the Empire is a six-episode animated series about a former Jedi named Barriss Offee and a young warrior, Morgan Elsbeth, who’s rising through the ranks of the Empire. It will be released on Star Wars Day—May 4, 2024.
- Star Wars: The Acolyte will premiere on June 4, 2024. It’s a new live-action series on Disney+ set during the High Republic era, 200 years before the events of the prequels.
- Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, another Disney+ series, is about a group of children who are lost in space and trying to get home. Jude Law stars, but details about his character haven’t yet been released.
- The Mandalorian & Grogu, a live-action spinoff that takes place after Season 4 of The Mandalorian, will be in theaters on May 22, 2026.
You’ll notice a recurring theme in the aforementioned lineup: Most are TV series. “I believe television is the future for the franchise,” says Avila. Still, Disney isn’t giving up on traditional movies … though we’re going to be waiting a little while for one to hit the big screen. Star Wars: Rogue Squadron, which was supposed to be helmed by Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins and released in 2023, has been scrapped for the time being. Now, the next Star Wars movie won’t be released until 2025 or even 2027; it will likely be the long-awaited film directed and co-written by Oscar winner Taika Waititi. Lucasfilm also recently teased a movie in development about Rey as she builds a new Jedi order, a Dave Filoni–directed film about the Mandalorian universe and yet another about the first Jedi.
We know—it’s a long time to wait! To tide you over, you might want to visit a few of these Star Wars filming locations.
Why trust us
At Reader’s Digest, we’re committed to producing high-quality content by writers with expertise and experience in their field in consultation with relevant, qualified experts. We rely on reputable primary sources, including government and professional organizations and academic institutions as well as our writers’ personal experience where appropriate. For this piece on Star Wars Day, Reader’s Digest senior editor Dawn Yanek spoke with Dan Madsen, founder of the Official Lucasfilm/Star Wars Fan Club, and Mike Avila, host of SYFY Wire’s Behind the Panel podcast. We verify all facts and data, back them with credible sourcing, and revisit them over time to ensure they remain accurate and up to date. Read more about our team, our contributors and our editorial policies.
Sources:
- Dan Madsen, founder of the Official Lucasfilm/Star Wars Fan Club and founder and former publisher of Star Wars Insider magazine
- Mike Avila, host of SYFY Wire’s Behind the Panel podcast
- IGN: “Upcoming New Star Wars Movies and TV Shows: 2024 Release Dates and Beyond”
Originally Published: April 29, 2022
