‘Star Wars’ Celebration Europe 2023 #Throwback – 5 Things I Love As A First-Timer

A throwback to my first ever Star Wars Celebration in London last April
The world’s biggest Star Wars event has much to see and enjoy for any Star Wars fan

It was exactly a year ago this month that I attended my very first Star Wars Celebration held in London, England from April 7-10, 2023.

It was an absolute thrill as me and the BFF had been trying to get tickets for previous Star Wars Celebrations (held mainly in the USA and once in Europe) for almost six years to no avail.

In June 2022 however, we managed to nab 4-Day passes and it was all systems go in booking flights, accommodation, and many other things to ensure we got the most out of the world’s biggest Star Wars fan event.

These include entering the lottery for panels, reserving a ticket for the Celebration store and Funko Pop booth, booking a photo op with a Star Wars star, etc.

Tickets for the next Star Wars Celebration—which will be held in Asia for just the second time in Makuhari Messe, Japan from April 18-20, 2025—will go on sale in 2024 on Thu May 2 at 7pm EST (US Time) and Fri May 3 at 7am (JST, Japan time).

And trust me, they will sell out faster than 12 parsecs!

If you are a first-timer as I was last year, check out the things you should know about before embarking on your Star Wars Celebration journey via my article below:

* ‘Star Wars’ Celebration: 5 Things To Know If You Are A First-Timer.

Meanwhile, here are 5 things I love most about Star Wars Celebration Europe 2023:

**5 Things I Love Most About Star Wars Celebration Europe 2023**

1. Awesome Cosplayers

One of the best things of being at a Star Wars convention is seeing hundreds of amazing cosplayers!

There was Rey Skywalker by her Jakku speeder, while Din Djarin and Bo-Katan Kryze stood proudly next to an elongated billboard for The Mandalorian.

There was this super cute mini Ahsoka complete with twin lightsabers and sassy specs, and an uncanny Qui-Gon Jinn lookalike complete with an off-camera Liam Neeson doppelganger!

Kudos too go to this couple who came as Anakin Skywalker from Star Wars: The Clone Wars and the adorable Frog Lady from The Mandalorian!

There were stormtroopers aplenty but this trooper looked mighty fine being framed by an on-site cafe’s flowery logo.

2. The Andor Panel

We didn’t win a single seat via lottery for any of the 12+ panels at SWCE2023 and it’s arguably the only thing I’m still miffed about!

So, able to get into the Andor panel after queuing for over two hours for “unclaimed” seats was truly memorable because (1) Andor is truly a great Star Wars series, (2) the Season 2 trailer was exclusively shown here, and (3) not only did we get to be in the same room as Andor star Diego Luna and Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy, we also got to see a fabulous flash mob display by cosplayers as Narkina 5 prisoners shouting “One way out!” in the auditorium!

3. Celebrity Photo-op with Ming-Na Wen

Celebrity photo and autograph ops are a big thing at Star Wars Celebration. Wanting the experience, we decided on the lovely American actress Ming-Na Wen who not only plays Master Assassin Fennec Shand in The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett and Star Wars: The Bad Batch, but also someone whom we have admired since The Joy Luck Club (1993), Mulan (1998) and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (2013-2020).

Friendly and super sweet, the moment Ming-Na saw my Hot Toy Cosbi Fennec Shand figure, she immediately took and posed with it as we flanked her on both sides. We were warned that you only get 10 seconds max in a photo op but there was enough time to tell Ms Wen that we were fans since The Joy Luck Club to which she replied, “Aw, thank you!”

4. ‘Star Wars Rebels’ Mural

There were many exhibitions held in the massive venue that is ExCel Centre London – life-size props and sets, fan-made droids, fan art booths, etc. One exhibit I really love though was this life-size replica of the mural honoring the heroic Ghost crew of Star Wars Rebels.

Seen in the Rebels (2014-2018) final episode, it appeared again in the first two episodes of the live-action Ahsoka (2023), which continued the story of the Rebels. As a big fan of the animated series, it was a thrill to see the gorgeous mural in real-life!

5. Star Wars Swap

Prior to attending Star Wars Celebration Europe, we learnt the word “swap” as in trading Star Wars memorabilia such as stickers, photo cards, badges and so forth with other Star Wars fans.

For the first two days, we didn’t meet anyone swapping bar a sweet cosplaying family of four. Then on the third day, we by chance entered an exhibitor’s room where a Collectors Trading event was taking place! Woo-hoo!

It was so fun, meeting fans from all over just happily greeting each other and exchanging stuff. Arguably one of our most fun moments during the 4-day convention!

PLUS! Meeting Longtime Fellow Star Wars Collector & Fan Artist!

Regarded as one of the top 10 Star Wars collectors in the USA and co-author of a few books on Star Wars collectibles, Duncan Jenkins (above left) and I have been friends for over 25 years, helping each other collect Star Wars stuff between Asia and the Americas. It was truly a joy to finally meet the American—and his lovely wife—in person in London where he was also an exhibitor and speaker.

Over at the Japan booth, I was also thrilled to meet Yuki Shibaura (above right) whom I follow on Instagram and X (@shibaura_sw). A fan artist and cosplayer—she usually dressed up as Obi-Wan Kenobi—Yuki does fabulous paper art illustrations. She was amazed that I knew her work and proceeded to show me all her new works and give me a few as souvenirs too. Sweet!

So if you are planning to go to Star Wars Celebration Japan 2025, do look out for Yuki and a whole lot of amazing Star Wars stuff all in one place. There will be pros and cons but it will definitely be a once-in-a lifetime experience.

May the Force be with you on your Star Wars Celebration journey!

Star Wars Celebration Japan 2025 will be held in Makuhari Messe, Chiba prefecture from April 18-20. Tickets go on sale in 2024 on Thu May 2 at 7pm EST (US Time) and Fri May 3 at 7am (JST, Japan Time).

All text and photos by Marguerita Tan.
Not to be used without permission from the blog author.