Michigan, How Are You Going to Celebrate May the Fourth Be With You?

May the Fourth be with you! You’re going to hear that a lot soon. And with that will come a Wookie-sized level of Star Wars shows, themes, and events! And Michigan is no Nerf herder when it comes to May the Fourth. There will be a ton of Star Wars events going on in Michigan.

May the Fourth’s origins are a little mysterious. And the phrase has mixed origins. On Starwars.com, they say it started when newspaper writers used the phrase in 1978, a year after Star Wars A New Hope was released. Shirts, buttons, and other appearances of the phrase started appearing. Margaret Thatcher became prime minister on May 4th, 1979 and The London Evening News put a full-page ad saying “May the Fourth Be With You, Maggie Congratulations”

May The Fourth Be With You!

A very interesting use was in Count Duckula in 1988, where the phrase was mentioned in an episode called “The Vampire Strikes Back”. And with the growth of the internet, the phrase started to become more than a phrase. From Facebook groups to various appearances around the web.

And then in 2011, Sean Ward and Alice Quinn organized the first celebration at the Toronto Underground Cinema. There was a trivia game show, costume contests, and celebrity judges.

Finally, in 2013, Disney observed the day as an official holiday and of course, rolled out the events and festivities. And official products I am sure hit the shelves.

Lightspeed to today and May the Fourth is still going strong and stronger every year with new Star Wars cinema and shows being added every day. But the question is, how are you going to celebrate it? We have some events in Michigan you MAY want to check out for a great May 4th.

 

  • Grand Rapids Symphony

    The Grand Rapids Symphony celebrates by performing music from all nine films. They’ll be playing on both May 3rd and May 4th.

  • Detroit Public Library

    Come celebrate May the Fourth at the Detroit Public Library on May 4th from 4-5 pm. They’ll have tons of games, coloring, and a costume contest. And even droids are welcome! 

  • Auburn Hills Parks & Recreation

    Come watch Star Wars: Episode VII: The Force Awakens and be trained in the ways of the Jedi at the Community Gym organized by 

    Auburn Hills Parks & Recreation. May 4th, 5:30 – 9 pm.
  • Space Dive

    This is the worth all the Beskar! The Space Dive Cantina (this is an adult event) arrives at Tangent Gallery for one of the most immersive Star Wars experiences. Don’t come dressed in a T-shirt with R2-D2, because that won’t cut it Padawan! The epic event takes place on May 4th at 7 pm, 5th at 7 pm, and 6th at 7 pm,  And Saturday will have family events from 11-4 pm.

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