Star Wars Day is May 4, a fan holiday built on one of the best-known puns in pop culture: “May the Fourth be with you.” The next Star Wars Day is on Tuesday, May 4, 2027, and the countdown above is ticking toward midnight Eastern Time, so you know exactly how much time is left to finish that costume or plan your marathon.
Where the pun came from
The joke is almost as old as the films. The first Star Wars movie opened in US theaters on May 25, 1977, and just two years later the phrase showed up in British politics. During the UK general election that brought Margaret Thatcher to power in May 1979, her Conservative Party placed a half-page ad in the London Evening News reading “Dear Maggie, May the Fourth Be with You. Your Party Workers.” It is the earliest documented use of the pun tied to the date.
For decades the line lived on in fan circles and office jokes. The first organized Star Wars Day event took place in 2011 at the Toronto Underground Cinema in Canada, with trivia, a costume contest and fan films. After Disney acquired Lucasfilm in 2012, May 4 became an official date on the company’s calendar, with merchandise, theme park events and streaming releases timed to the day.
How the date works
Star Wars Day has a fixed date: May 4, every year. It works best in English, where “May the fourth” and “may the Force” sound alike, but fans all over the world have adopted it. Because it falls on a different weekday each year, a weekend May 4 usually means bigger fan meetups, while a weekday version tends to bring a flood of memes, themed lunches and costume days at work or school.
Ideas for your May the 4th
- Pick a viewing order: release order (starting with A New Hope) or chronological order (starting with The Phantom Menace); either way, it is a long day.
- Host a themed potluck: blue milk, “Wookiee cookies” and lightsaber pretzel rods dipped in colored candy melts.
- Run a trivia night: split into Rebels and Empire and keep score on a whiteboard.
- Check local events: libraries, comic shops and minor league ballparks often hold costume days or themed nights around May 4.
- Watch for releases: new shows, toys and LEGO sets are frequently announced or launched around the date.
The celebration does not end on May 4
Fans who favor the dark side have claimed May 5 as “Revenge of the Fifth,” a play on Revenge of the Sith. Some prefer May 6, “Return of the Sixth,” because “sixth” sounds even closer to “Sith.” Either way, it is a good excuse to stretch the party into a three-day weekend.
Countdown for your crew
Planning a watch party? Share the countdown link in your group chat, or switch this page to full-screen mode on the TV while everyone arrives. You can also create your own countdown to a premiere or a convention date.