Star
Wars Celebration III Set for Indianapolis
Event Extended to
Four Days: April 21 to 24, 2005
MARIN COUNTY,
Calif.--Jan. 23--Star Wars Celebration III, the much-anticipated fan
gathering that will celebrate the Star Wars saga in advance of the opening
of Star Wars Episode III, will return to the Indiana Convention Center
April 21 to April 24, 2005.
The
announcement of the location and dates of the convention was made jointly
by Lucasfilm Ltd. and Gen Con LLC. Gen Con will manage the convention
on behalf of Lucasfilm and the Official Star Wars Fan Club. Celebration
II, held in Indianapolis in May 2002, attracted more than 26,000 fans
from all over the world.
"We
had such a great experience with Celebration II, that it just made sense
to return to Indianapolis," said Steve Sansweet, Director of Content
Management and head of Fan Relations for Lucasfilm. "Only this
time we're going to do it bigger and even better. It's going to be an
event that no fan will want to miss" Sansweet said that advance
indications point to a significant increase in attendance at the event,
which will take place several weeks before the Spring 2005 release of
Star Wars Episode III. Because of that, and to mitigate long lines common
to such conventions, Celebration III will occupy the entire convention
center except for the RCA Dome. Also, the convention has been extended
for a day, and will open around mid-day on Thursday, April 21.
"Gen
Con is thrilled to be working with Lucasfilm on this very special event,"
said Peter Adkison, owner of Gen Con LLC, producer of Gen Con® Indy,
which also is held at the Indiana Center. "Together I know that
we will produce an event that will not only meet, but exceed, fans'
expectations. With Lucasfilm behind this show 100%, it's going to be
the biggest party in the history of the franchise."
Sansweet
noted that the Celebration III announcement is being made far earlier
than the announcements for the first two official Star Wars fan conventions.
"We want to give our fans all over the world the chance to plan
their vacation time for this one-of-a-kind event," he said. "We've
already been getting requests for information from Australia to Hungary."
Details
about programming, guests, activities, entertainment and exclusive merchandise
at Celebration III will be released as they are confirmed closer to
the convention. The main places to check for information will be www.starwars.com,
the official site, and www.starwarscelebration.com. Online ordering
for admission to the event and for discounted hotel rooms is scheduled
to begin late this summer.
