Star Wars Weekend 2013 at Disney

**Update, the full celebrity schedule is out now! See below for the complete list.

Go here to find out what is happening at Star Wars Weekends 2014.

If you are a Star Wars fan or a Disney fan or both, Star Wars Weekends at Disney’s Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World is the place that you want to be.

When George Lucas sold his popular Lucasfilm to Disney in October 2012 rumors began flying. Disney has now confirmed that there will be new movies, with the first slated to come out in 2015.

Because of the acquisition, Star Wars Weekends 2013 promises to be one of the biggest events since its inception.

Star Wars Weekends have been a tradition at Walt Disney World since 1997. At first the weekends were not every year but as they have gained in popularity, Disney met the demand with a fantastic series of weekends that run from May into June.

This Star Wars weekend promises to be an exciting one since Disney’s acquisition of the company. With regular park admission, you have access to extra parades, event only souvenirs and collector’s memorabilia.

You can meet stars of the series from the original films to the popular cartoon series. You can see a Star Wars themed show filled with fun, fresh songs, Star Wars humor and crowd interaction. Your kid can fight with Darth Vader and you can dress up as your favorite character and recreate your childhood.

A regular park ticket gets you into the event. However, you need special passes in order to get autographs. These FastPasses are given out at the park entrance BEFORE the park opens.

So you will need to plan to get their early, with your park ticket in hand, in order to get the pass. Lines for the more popular stars will be long.

Update May 5: Though Disney hasn't officially released it, some sleuthing has revealed the guest list for each weekend. Let the party begin!

Update May 4: Well it's May 4th. Still not an update from Disney on the full celebrity list. Is anyone else scheduled and confirmed? No one knows.

Update: Disney has announced another star and one has confirmed via his web page.

There is still a large amount of information missing and it has fans frustrated.

There is speculation that Disney will make its next big announcement on Star Wars Day (May 4th---you know, May the 4th Be With You).

Disney's Hollywood Studios has announced a special Star Wars day at the park on May 4th. The day will have special Star Wars themed events including a rarity for the park, Star Wars fireworks at the end of the day. This is not in conjunction with Star Wars Weekends though.

This year’s event has everyone excited. Disney is expected to go all out since they now own the rights to this popular and beloved franchise. Whether this is your first time or you have been every year, here is what you can expect out of your packed day.

The parade is usually late morning or very early afternoon. Like all Disney parades you will want to get there early to find a viewing area. There will be special Star Wars Weekends maps at the entrance gates to show you the parade route.

We usually take our seats an hour before the parade starts. You can send someone to grab some snacks and enjoy that bright Florida sun.

The Saturday parade is usually the biggest as the Florida 501^st Garrison joins the festivities. There are characters from all the movies including the cartoon series as well as Mickey and Friends dressed in their favorite Star Wars gear. The celebrity guests for that weekend will also make an appearance in the parade. Pictures are welcome.

Young kids can also take part in the parade, marching with light sabers and Jedi robes. We never participated in this aspect of it because marching in the parade meant you missed seeing the parade. However, it might be a fun option, especially if someone is out in the crowd to film it. You will need to arrive early and ask a cast member for details about participation. Usually there is a sign up table but you will need to locate it early if you want to participate.

Hyperspace Hoopla is a traditional show that closes each day of the Star Wars Weekend. The show changes every year but always promises dancing Storm Troopers and Darth Vader, Luke and Leia, and funny jokes and songs that will delight everyone from the casual Star Wars fan to the hardcore ones who have the entire character database memorized.

Just like the parade, this show fills up very early. We noticed that the first people sometimes arrive up to two hours before the scheduled show time. The Hoopla is usually out in the main courtyard area in front of the Chinese Theater. It is standing room only so it does make it harder for shorter people or little ones to see the whole show unless you are close.

You’ll leave the park with a smile on your face after participating in this great tradition.

The celebrity guests are often scheduled for Q&A sessions, some time around mid-afternoon. You can often get behind the scenes information, and each session is unique. They also sometimes take questions from the audience so be ready!

A schedule of these sessions will be posted as soon as it is available.

James Arnold Taylor and Ashley Eckstein are the celebrity guest hosts for the event. They will likely be a part of the Q&A sessions and have their own events. Both Taylor and Eckstein are a part of the Clone Wars cartoon series.

This is an event for kids. The academy runs throughout the day and is located next to the Star Tours ride. While it is fun for kids to fight Storm Troopers and Darth Vader, the Jedi Training Academy is not an event that is exclusive to Star Wars Weekends any more.

The beloved Star Wars:The Clone Wars animated cartoon series will not continue on Cartoon Network. Speculation is that it has something to do with Disney’s acquisition of Lucasfilm. Will the series pick back up on a Disney network affiliate?

The series is wildly popular (although moving it from Friday nights to Saturday mornings was a bad move in this writer’s opinion). At the Orlando’s Star Wars Celebration VI (2012), the line to see the premiere of the series started hours ahead of time and there were still people that didn’t get into the packed premiere.

Series creators told the crowd that they would keep making it as long as we kept watching. Hopefully the end is just a hiatus until The Clone Wars finds its new home.

If this is your only trip to Walt Disney World or your only trip for awhile, it is fun to do. However, if you will be back at a different time, your child will have a much better chance of getting into and participating in the academy on non-Star Wars weekends.

This is the motion simulator ride that takes you on different adventures each time you board. I’ll confess that motion sickness keeps me from enjoying this much-loved ride but my sons and husband say it is not-to-be-missed if you are a Star Wars fan. I do enjoy going through the line cue and seeing all of the Star Wars themed props and displays.

Again, if you will be at Disney on a non-Star Wars Weekend day, you can skip this and participate in some of the exclusive weekend events. Lines are longer, as expected, on SW Weekends. They would have to be with that many Star Wars fans concentrated in one place!

If you are traveling from out of town and looking for a convenient place to stay, consider Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Hotels, Disney’s Boardwalk Inn or Disney’s Yacht and Beach Club Resort. These hotels/resorts are along Disney’s Boardwalk and you are within walking distance of Disney’s Hollywood Studios and EPCOT. (There are marked sidewalks to show you how to get there.) You can also take a boat or bus to the park.

Being within walking distance is especially convenient at the end of the day when there are long lines for the bus and boat. You then have the option to just walk back to your hotel and beat the crowd.

As more information becomes available about this highly anticipated even, I will update it here. Start making plans now to attend what is shaping up to be one of the best Star Wars Weekends ever.

• http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/guides/mgm/events/st-starwars-weekend.htm

• https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/events-tours/hollywood-studios/star-wars-weekend/

• http://land.allears.net/blogs/dnews/2012/12/star_wars_2013_weekends_announ.html

• http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/star-wars-clone-wars-ending-cartoon-network-427331