Disney Star Wars Weekends 2015: Dates, Celebrity Guests, Events

The 2015 Star Wars Weekends dates and celebrity guests have not been released. But with the release of the first installment of the new Star Wars movies, it's sure to be a big one.

The probable dates for Star Wars Weekends 21015 are Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays--May 15 through June 14. This is best one last year's schedule of five weekends.

Meanwhile, take a look back at the Star Wars Weekends from this past year.

Note: The full 2014 celebrity guest list is now out! See below!

Star Wars Weekends is a Walt Disney World tradition that started in 1997. The popularity of the weekends has grown exponentially in the last few years.

The event is crowded, the competition for autograph passes is fierce and some of the fan base is hard-core. And truly, there's nowhere else you will want to be.

Star Wars Weekends 2013 was a fun and packed event.

Here is the scoop on how to make the most of your Star Wars Weekend 2014 visit including special shows, celebrity hosts, celebrity guests and dates.

Traditionally, for the past few years, Star Wars Weekends has had celebrity guest hosts. These hosts attend each weekend, participate in the parade and both host and give special talks about Star Wars related issues.

For the past few years, The Clone Wars celebrities Ashley Eckstein and James Arnold Taylor have hosted the events.

Traditionally, Star Wars Weekends run on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of four consecutive weekends. These weekends are the last two weeks in May and the first two weeks in June.

This year Disney added a fifth weekend!

Thee Star Wars Weekends 2014 event will happen on the following dates.

Each weekend there are two to three celebrity guests attending the parade and special talks, demonstrations and shows.

These guests are usually actors from one of the Star Wars Movies.

The guests for 2014 will include:

If you've go spare cash jingling around in your pocket, you might want to look into the VIP experience for Star Wars Weekends. A limited number of guest will get red carpet treatment and avoid the lines and the crowds.

The package includes:

• Reserved Seating for All Shows
• Special Access to Star Tours, Toy Story and Tower of Terror Ride
• Continental Breakfast and Table Service Lunch
• Reserved seating for the parade

These packages will sell out and are available each weekend. Cost is $499 plus tax per person.

Call (407) 934-7973 to book your package.

In addition to seeing the star in the parade, a select number of fans can get autographs from the stars during planned autograph sessions.

But it is not as simple as just walking up and being willing to wait in line.

In order to get celebrity autographs for that weekend's guests, you must get a wrist band available at the front of the Disney Hollywood Studios before the park opens.

There is a limited number of regular wristbands plus some stand-by wrist bands, meaning that you might get an autograph depending on how much time the star has left in his or her autograph session.

But it is not as simple as showing up an hour before the park opens, many fans will camp out overnight in order to secure a place in line. For more popular stars, guests have arrived to get in line at 3 or 4 in the morning and still been too far back to receive a wrist band.

So if getting an autograph is absolutely what you must do at Star Wars Weekends, consider how popular the star is and when you will need to secure a place in line.

**An unconfirmed rumor is that you can get in line as early as 8PM at Hollywood Studios. Look to the right of the entrance gate for the line or ask Guest Services.

To attend Star Wars Weekends events you just need a regular park pass.

The rest of the park is open with regular rides and shows in addition to the extra Star Wars activities.

Park admission rates vary based on the number of days you purchase for the pass and the addition of extra options such as park hopper.

There are special Star Wars Weekends merchandise and souvenirs available at many locations throughout the park. However, exclusive merchandise is only available at Darth Mall, located within the park.

A limited number of guests are allowed into the merchandise area at a time and some report waiting in line for several hours for a chance to view items they are interested in.

Other merchandise that is less exclusive still often sells out before the end of the weekends. If there is a particular item you are looking for, you will want to plan your shopping accordingly.

You and your children may dress up for the event in your favorite Star Wars character. Disney does reserve the right to ask for masks to be removed or costumes to be altered if they are too much like the character's costumes.

Usually, fans do not tend to have too much trouble dressing up and guests will often ask to take pictures of the better costumes.

However, remember that the event is in Central Florida. Temperatures at the end of May/early June can be in the 80's or even 90's. The humidity is also often higher, making it feel hotter than it actually is.

Some guests wear costumes for part of the day and then take them off. So having a change of clothes with you is a good idea.

Events also usually include celebrity guest talks and presentations.

These events depend on the celebrity and the weekend. Past talks have included James Arnold Taylor talking about his experience voicing characters, Warwick Davis talking about his life experiences and Ashley Eckstein explaining her techniques for voicing characters in The Clone Wars series.

Events for 2014 have not been announced.

**Update: According to several Disney sources, there may not be a Hyperspace Hoopla for 2014. While this would be a big mistake in this author's opinion, we will have to wait and see once the events are announced.

One of the most beloved events at Star Wars Weekends is the Hyperspace Hoopla.

In this stage show near the Chinese theater, characters from the Star Wars movies and series dance, sing and play on stage. The story is changed each year.

The event closes the day and is standing room only. Spots near the stage are sometimes claimed hours before the show is to start. If you have small kids or are short or just want to be near the front, consider staking a claim to your spot early in order to get the best view.

This is a great opportunity to take photos of the characters as well as they perform on stage.

Instead of the beloved Hyperspace Hoopla, Disney has announced that each night of the Star Wars Weekends will end with "Symphony in the Stars."

This will be a Star Wars themed fireworks show to close the packed day. Since Hollywood Studios rarely has firework shows (usually there is the Fantasmic Show), guests should be in for a real treat.

Ask a cast member for the best, central viewing spots which will likely be around the giant sorcerer's hat on Main Street.

If you would like to have your child participate in the parade (costume provided) or participate in the Padawan Mind Challenge, a stage show that takes place mid-afternoon, then you must sign up before the event.

The sign-up table is located near the American Idol Experience in what used to be the Drew Carey Sounds Dangerous entrance.

Space is limited and usually fills up quickly once the park opens. If this is an event that someone in your family must do, plan to head to the sign up table as soon as the park gates open (which is usually one half hour before the officially listed time).

Although both of these attractions also happen during non Star Wars Weekends, they are very popular during the event.

At the Jedi Training Academy, children are trained as Jedi and then battle enemies. The audience watches this short, standing room only show while the kids perform on an elevated stage. Space is limited and it is restricted to children. Show up 30-45 minutes before the scheduled event for your child to participate.

Star Tours is Disney Hollywood Studios Star Wars themed ride. This is a motion simulator ride and there are several adventures to choose from so each experience on the ride may be different.

This ride is also open all year round so if you are limited in time or will be back at the park during a non-Star Wars Weekend, you might skip this and enjoy it later if the line is too long.

If you are looking for a place to stay, any of the on-property hotels will offer bus or boat access to Hollywood Studios.

Additionally, Disney's Boardwalk, Disney's Yacht and Beach Club and Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin offer access via a walkway. This is especially handy if you need to run back to your room in the middle of the day or want to avoid the transportation lines at the end of the day.

Star Wars Weekends has grown into an extremely popular event. If there are many opportunities that you would like to see or participate in, consider attending multiple days or multiple weekends.

As Disney looks to expand the movie franchise in the next few years and rumors of additional Star Wars attractions at the parks continues, it looks like the Star Wars Weekends will be a recurring event for years to come.

Celebrity List is now out. But why did it take so long?

As of April 21, no other celebrity guest names have been revealed and none of the assorted actors who have appeared in the past have confirmations on their personal pages about a visit to Florida in May or June.

Fans have expressed their frustration with Disney's lack of early schedule release indicating it would make a difference in their plans and possibly even the duration of their stay.

How do you feel about Disney's slow-to-release celebrity schedule? Take the poll!