Star Wars Day
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Overview
Star Wars Day is an annual, unofficial holiday celebrated on May 4th by fans worldwide to commemorate the Star Wars saga. The date's origin comes from the pun "May the Fourth be with you," a clever play on the iconic phrase "May the Force be with you." Celebrations often include marathoning the films, dressing in costume, and sharing love for the franchise on social media, making it a global phenomenon for science fiction enthusiasts.
Origin and story
The earliest known political use of "May the Fourth be with you" was in 1979, when the UK Conservative Party congratulated Margaret Thatcher on becoming Prime Minister.
While the phrase existed earlier, the first large-scale organized Star Wars Day celebration officially recognized by Lucasfilm took place in Toronto, Canada, in 2011.
Quick facts
- DateMay 4
- TypeGeek / Tech
- Great forTech teams, STEM clubs, Developers
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Ways to celebrate
Star Wars Day has no single founder — it grew out of decades of people independently landing on the same pun, years apart, with no idea anyone else had already made the joke.
The pun kept getting reinvented
The earliest traced use of "May the Fourth Be With You" dates to July 1978, when newspaper writers used it as an Independence Day gimmick just a year after A New Hope's release. In 1982, on the Endor location shoot for what became Return of the Jedi, sound recordist Randy Thom (today Skywalker Sound's director of sound design) independently thought up the same pun on a random workday that happened to fall on May 4, and kept sending it as an annual message to colleagues for years afterward. The joke resurfaced again in 2005 as a Yoda-themed newspaper ad promoting Revenge of the Sith.
It stayed a fan tradition, not a studio one
Because the day emerged independently from so many different people over so many years, Lucasfilm itself has never claimed to have invented it — the studio has only embraced an existing grassroots tradition that fans built through parties, marathons, and community gatherings long before any official recognition.
Ways to mark the day
- Watch (or rewatch) the film that started the pun in 1978: Star Wars: A New Hope.
- Share the Randy Thom / Endor-shoot story with a fellow fan who's never heard it.
- Host a themed watch party or costume gathering, the same grassroots way fans have marked the day for decades.
Did you know?
The earliest recorded use of the pun tied to May 4 specifically (rather than July 4th) was a 1979 London Evening News ad congratulating incoming UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher — a full year before Lucasfilm itself had anything to do with the joke.
Fun facts
- The earliest known political use of "May the Fourth be with you" was in 1979, when the UK Conservative Party congratulated Margaret Thatcher on becoming Prime Minister.
- While the phrase existed earlier, the first large-scale organized Star Wars Day celebration officially recognized by Lucasfilm took place in Toronto, Canada, in 2011.
- Some fans extend the celebration to May 5th (or 6th) as "Revenge of the Fifth (or Sixth)," a play on "Revenge of the Sith," celebrating the dark side.
Sources and attribution
May the 4th Be With You: A Cultural History (StarWars.com)
External links may lead to third-party websites.
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FAQ
- When is Star Wars Day?
- It is observed on May 4 each year.
- What is Star Wars Day?
- Star Wars Day is an annual, unofficial holiday celebrated on May 4th by fans worldwide to commemorate the Star Wars saga. The date's origin comes from the pun "May the Fourth be with you," a clever play on the iconic phrase "May the Force be with you." Celebrations often include marathoning the films, dressing in costume, and sharing love for the franchise on social media, making it a global phenomenon for science fiction enthusiasts.
- How do people celebrate Star Wars Day?
- People rewatch the films, dress up, or host a themed gathering, continuing a grassroots fan tradition that dates to at least 1978, when newspaper writers first used the pun, and 1982, when Skywalker Sound's Randy Thom independently reinvented it on the Endor location shoot for Return of the Jedi.
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