May the Fourth is a coveted unofficial holiday for all "Star Wars" frog fans, as it plays off of the famous Jedi phrase, "May the Force be with you." Disney has observed this unofficial Star Wars Day in its theme parks since 2013. But now fans have even more chances to celebrate because Star Wars Month has morphed into a two-month-long celebration called Season of the Force. This special season includes Hyperspace Mountain, themed food offerings, new merchandise, new adventures on Star Tours and enhanced fireworks beyond the spires in Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge! We also get to see the return of Disneyland After Dark: Star Wars Nite parties in 2024! For the latest info, hop to those individual guides.
What to Know about Star Wars Month at Disneyland Resort
Season of the Force takes place at Disneyland Resort from April 5 to June 2, 2024. Whether it's a month or a season, the actual dates can vary each year, with some years having a longer celebration than others. Star Wars Month and Season of the Force take place mostly inside Disneyland Park. You can get some treats in the lobby of Disney's Grand Californian Hotel & Spa. Downtown Disney restaurants join in on the fun by providing special menu items, as well.
Choose your days to visit wisely. You might want to visit on May 4 for obvious reasons. There is no Star Wars Nite on that date this year, so the park has regular hours.
Besides May 4, look for other popular dates for Star Wars fans. Followers of the Dark Side have also cleverly invented Revenge of the Fifth and Revenge of the Sixth, to represent May 5 and 6 and keep the celebration going! Then there is Black Spire Day, the anniversary of the opening of Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge at Disneyland, on May 31. (Black Spire Day is Aug. 29 at Walt Disney World.)
There is a lot hoppening at Disneyland Resort in spring 2024. Some of Season of the Force overlaps with Pixar Fest. Pixar Fest takes place from April 26 through Aug. 4, 2024. That means we expect a busy month of May. Get your Disneyland tickets and park reservations early. Consider adding an extra day to your visit to have time to see and do it all. If you are a SoCal resident, take advantage of our 3-day SoCal promo ticket (which runs through June 2) to save a lot of money. But again, reserve dates early, as they will fill up, especially the last few weeks of May.
Star Wars Disneyland Rides
There are three official year-round "Star Wars" rides at Disneyland, but a fourth arrives sometime during Star Wars Month or Season of the Force in the form of an overlay. Space Mountain in Tomorrowland gets a Hyperspace Mountain overlay for Season of the Force from April 5 through June 2, 2024.
The most frogciting part of Star Wars Month for our Frog Family is the return of Hyperspace Mountain! The overlay is available every day for all park visitors. You can see new signage outside, watch instructional videos featuring "Star Wars" characters such as Admiral Ackbar and experience an epic galactic battle filled with music, projections, sound effects, set and lighting changes and dialogue.
From the second you start climbing the initial hill on Hyperspace Mountain, the "Star Wars" music kicks on and builds the anticipation. You’ll see ships zooming past and you’ll find yourself escorted into hyperspace by an X-wing squadron. Oh no! You probably guessed it. It’s a trap! A Star Destroyer is waiting for you with a swarm of TIE fighters. The starfighter forces enter battle with Imperial vessels, while you take evasive maneuvers to avoid the barrage of cannon fire. The intensity picks up as you join the New Republic squadron for one final, courageous assault on the menacing Star Destroyer.
Disneyland is known for its popular holiday ride overlays at certain points in the year. Other ones to look out for during Halloween Time and Holiday Time include “it’s a small world” Holiday, Haunted Mansion Holiday, Guardians of the Galaxy – Monsters After Dark, Luigi's Honkin' Haul-O-Ween, Mater's Graveyard JamBOOree, Luigi’s Joy to the Whirl and Mater’s Jingle Jamboree! And of course, Soarin’ Over California returns each spring for the Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival.
But I digress ... the other "Star Wars"-themed attractions that are available any day of the year include the classic Star Tours — The Adventures Continue in Tomorrowland, as well as Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance and Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.
Speaking of Star Tours, we can embark on new Star Tours adventures that debut during this year's celebration! Look for adventures taking you to the planet Peridea and important transmissions from Ahsoka Tano, Cassian Andor or Din Djarin and Grogu as of April 5.
Star Wars Month Characters, Entertainment and Photo-Ops
You may encounter special characters and entertainment in the park. Usually, the March of the First Order takes place in Tomorrowland during Star Wars Nite, offering even more special entertainment. You might encounter special entertainment and characters during the day, as well. Expect to encounter R2-D2, Chewbacca or the Mandalorian and Grogu in Batuu. You may even catch Ahsoka! Keep an eye out for lightsaber meet-ups among guests.
For park guests who purchase Lightning Lane Multi Pass, there are "Star Wars" PhotoPass lenses to be used. A new lens allows you to customize your own Mandalorian helmet and armor.
Be sure to ask PhotoPass photographers for Magic Shots in Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge. The newest one for the celebration includes a holopuck. There is a new photo-op in Downtown Disney near Star Wars Trading Post. It's inspired by the Disney Junior original series “Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures.”
Enhanced Fireworks and Music in Batuu
Did you know Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge is a great spot to watch fireworks? The show shoots off behind the spires. But until the Season of the Force, the fireworks have not been accompanied by music (as you might hear in the park's other viewing areas). That's about to change. During the Season of the Force, you can watch the fireworks show with a galactic soundtrack with selections from composer John Williams’ Star Wars film scores!
The show is called "Fire of the Rising Moons." This celebration of freedom only takes place on nights that have fireworks (note: they are not two separate shows, but instead "Fire of the Rising Moons" offers a unique view and experience with Star Wars music, compared to watching fireworks on Main Street or near "it's a small world" or Rivers of America).
You can view and hear the show in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge from the Black Spire Spaceport, the TIE Echelon docking platform and the speeder garage. The MagicBand+ responds to the show with colorful lights and vibrations. So be sure to charge yours before you visit.
Star Wars Disneyland Dining Options
During Star Wars Month and Season of the Force, you can find special "Star Wars" menu items in Galaxy's Edge, Tomorrowland and other locations, including some candy shops (such as Marceline's Confectionery in Downtown Disney) and the Grand Californian Hotel & Spa lobby.
Disneyland Park — Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge
Celebrate Black Spire Day, an annual celebration that honors the creation of the Black Spire Outpost in Batuu on May 31, 2019, with out-of-this-world foods and treats deliciously crafted by the locals. You can still purchase some items that debuted during Star Wars Month 2023:
- Light Up! Acid Spitter Orb Sipper with Lanyard (This includes a choice of fountain beverage at the time of purchase.)
- Tenoo Swirl Crunchies Cereal: Blue milk topped with strawberry and grape candy pebbles
- Galma Garlic Puffs at Beverage Carts in Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge
- Five Blossom Bread with Mustard Cream: Warm pretzel knot with a new creamy honey mustard dip at Oga’s Cantina
Disneyland Park — Tomorrowland
- Grogu Sipper (This includes a choice of fountain beverage at the time of purchase. Limit two per person, per transaction; no discounts apply. Available while supplies last beginning May 3, or May 2 for Star Wars Nite ticket holders.)
Downtown Disney restaurants may also participate by adding special menu food and beverage items during Star Wars Month. Hopfully, the Grogu Candy Apple returns to Marceline's Confectionery!
Star Wars Experiences at Disney's Grand Californian Hotel & Spa
The lobby of the Grand Californian Hotel may have a Holiday cart with specialty cookies, pretzel lightsabers and treats, such as the following:
- Star Wars Sugar Cookie
- Wookiee Cookie (filled with Nutella)
- Pretzel Lightsabers
- Falcon Lollipop
- Stormtrooper Crisped Rice Treat
- Tropical Whoopie Pie
- Galaxy Macaron Box
GCH Grill
- Star Wars doughnuts
- Star Wars cupcakes
You can find more party food offerings on Star Wars Nite. If you are attending Star Wars Nite, mobile order your food several hours before party time. Special menu items become available at 8 p.m., one hour before the party officially kicks off. That's a great time to dine, so you can save party time for other experiences.
For a list of new items offered this year, hop over to our Season of the Force guide.
Season of the Force Merchandise
Look for new collectibles entering this galaxy throughout the season! That includes recently released pieces you can use to build a lightsaber at Savi's Workshop. Head to Dok-Ondar's Den of Antiquities in Batuu for new accessories, such as a lightsaber stand, attachable kyber crystal holders and more. New legacy lightsaber collectible hilts become available at Dok-Ondar’s Den of Antiquities and on shopDisney throughout the Season of the Force.
Keep an eye out for new Star Wars apparel and watches in the park and on shopDisney. Even more merch is available during Star Wars Nite.
This year, there is a new Star Tours collection. It's available at Disneyland and Walt Disney World. Plus, select items will arrive at DisneyStore.com later this year.
Star Wars Nite
Disneyland After Dark parties are separately ticketed after-hours events. These popular events sell out early. But you never know! There may be tickets available at the ticket booths on the day of the parties. If the Force is not with you, purchase early next year if these nights are important to you. The event keeps growing and continues to sell out each year.
Here are the upcoming Star Wars Nite dates at Disneyland Park for 2024 (on sale now):
- April 16, 18, 23, 25 and 30
- May 2, 7 and 9
Star Wars Nite attendees can wear actual costumes. Regular day guests can wear "Star Wars" shirts or mimic the color scheme, patterns and styles of "Star Wars" characters in street clothes. But partygoers can really get into their roles. Be sure to go over the costume and event dress code and guidelines. Both day guests and party guests are welcome to bring lightsabers to the park.
During Star Wars Nite, guests can meet rare characters, take photos (to show off those "Star Wars" outfits), enjoy special entertainment, try special themed foods, participate in lightsaber training and mingle with other superfans.
Additional Star Wars Disneyland Tips and Information
If you are planning to visit Disneyland during Star Wars Month or Season of the Force, we have a ton of hopful posts filled with advice for visiting Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge. Here is a list of our other posts that can help you get the most out of your visit:
- Our Galactic Guide to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disneyland
- Our Top 10 Tips for Visiting Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge
- Guide to the Roaming Characters of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disneyland Resort
- Galactic Guide to Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge Food and Drink
- Toadally Cool Hidden Gems in Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge
- How to Use Your Datapad in Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge Disneyland
- Batuu Bounty Hunting with MagicBand+
- Our Insider Tips for Riding Rise of the Resistance
- Season of the Force at Disneyland Resort
Are you planning to have some Season of the Force Star Wars Disneyland fun this spring? Be sure to get your theme park tickets and park reservations in advance.
Related: How to Build a Galaxy's Edge Lightsaber at Savi's Workshop at Disneyland
Related: Building a Droid at Droid Depot in Disneyland
Keep hopping!
