While May the 4th is not a national holiday, Star Wars Day is celebrated by many just the same. As all those who love Star Wars know, May the 4th sounds an awful lot like "May the force be with you," and many feel that any excuse to celebrate the brainchild of George Lucas is a good one. These ideas can help keep the force with you this May the 4th.
Play dress up
Playing dress up is fun for the whole family. Even your baby can get in on the fun. Your costumes can be as simple as a bathrobe and a few sashes, or more elaborate creations that you might see during Halloween or at a comic convention. This adorable family from Craftiness is not Optional does Star Wars so wonderfully and can be inspirational for you as you work on your own costume ideas.
View the films
No May the 4th is complete without viewing at least one of the films. If you and your kids are up for a day-long movie session, queue up all six Star Wars films (Amazon, $90), starting with The Phantom Menace of course. If you're not so into the prequel trilogy, pop in A New Hope and follow with The Empire Strikes Back, and then finish up with Return of the Jedi. If you're viewing more than one movie, make sure you take plenty of breaks for play and food.
Chomp on Star Wars food
You can't really go out and buy a pizza shaped like a Jedi-in-training, but you can most certainly serve pizza and add a sign proclaiming it to be Padawan pizza. It can be so much fun to use your imagination and make ordinary party food out of this world. Yoda soda, Boba-Q chips, wookie cookies… the possibilities are endless. Arena Five even has some amazing free printables for you to use if you're stuck for ideas.
Make lightsaber pretzels
What Star Wars gathering is complete without lightsaber-themed food? These lightsaber pretzels from i should be mopping the floor are super easy to do — simply coat pretzel rods with colored frosting. For an even more realistic look, wrap the handles with tin foil.
Create pool noodle lightsabers
If you'd like to give your partygoers something to whack each other with (and what kid wouldn't love that?), you can easily make your own bigger-than-life-sized lightsabers with pool noodles and duct tape — check out A Better Dream to learn how.
Build a Star Wars LEGO set
Gather your kids together in between movie viewings to work on a LEGO Star Wars set. How much fun would it be to put together a Millennium Falcon (Toys R Us, $126) with your kids and your friends?
Go to Legoland
This May the 4th, go big — visit Legoland and make your kids' wildest dreams come true. At both the Florida and California locations, Star Wars favorites can be found in the LEGO Star Wars section in Miniland.
Check out Star Wars Weekends
If you can't get out of town on May the 4th, plan ahead and visit Disney's Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World Resort on weekends from May 16 to June 15 during Star Wars Weekends. You will encounter Star Wars characters and enjoy spectacularly unique Star Wars entertainment that can be found nowhere else.
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