Planning Your Trip - Budget, Budget, Budget

There's no way around this, Star Wars Celebration is expensive. So unless you've got a camtono of beskar lying around you're going to need to budget.

It's certainly possible to have a fantastic time at Celebration without spending anything on top of your tickets, hotel, transport, and food costs, but if you're planning on buying any of the exclusive merchandise, getting an autograph or photo with your favorite Star Wars celebrity, or even going to Disneyland then the costs can add up real quick. My best advice here is to start saving as soon as you can, even a little a month will soon add up, and the sooner you start saving, the more prepared you'll be.

The Essentials

There are basically four essentials for Star Wars Celebration.

Your Tickets

The good news is at this point, unless you're waiting on the Lyte exchange, your Celebration badges are likely bought and paid for, so that's one expense you don't have to worry about anymore.

Your Travel

Unless you're traveling locally or waiting for a very last minute deal on flights then your transport costs are also likely to be covered well before you even set foot in Anaheim. Whilst this is a big expense you can hopefully put out of your mind before you go, it's important to remember this will be a big chunk of your budget if you're travelling internationally or across the country so check the average prices, factor that into your budget, and keep an eye out for any sales that might come up.

Your Hotel

This is the one you need to keep your eye on. The vast majority of hotels will charge your card on check in/out so just it's important to keep in mind that your hotel bill will likely hit at the same time as all your Celebration spending. One good idea might even be to set up separate funds for your hotel and for your spending. This may seem really obvious, but believe me, when your hotel has been booked for months it's easy to forget you haven't already paid for it.

Your Food

Even Grogu enjoys his frogs and bone broth.

How much you spend on food depends completely on how much you want to eat, where you want to eat, and how big your group is. Convention center food is known as being over priced and generally not the greatest, but if you're trying to get the most out of your day (and avoid the lunchtime rush) it's probably the most convenient. Back in 2015, when Celebration was last in Anaheim, there were food trucks in front of the convention center that those attending said offered better food at better value so hopefully those will return again this year.

Fast food restaurants like Subway and McDonalds offer cheap alternatives within an easy walking distance. At the other end of the pricing scale you can enjoy character dining at multiple restaurants in Disney's hotels, or for a similar price you could likely enjoy a more peaceful meal at a high quality restaurant. With Disney on the convention center's doorstep there are plenty of options for all price points all within walking distance. Personally, I'm really looking forward to visiting the Cheesecake Factory as we don't have them in the UK and we loved the one in Chicago!

You can always buy food to take in with you as well. It's a cheaper, and likely healthier, alternative to convention center eating. Just remember you have to carry it with you all day if you do this.

As a very rough budget I'd say estimate anywhere between $20-70 per person per day for food during Celebration.

Everything Else

So that's your essentials. Tickets. Hotels. Transport. Food. That is all you need to enjoy Star Wars Celebration.

But the likelihood is you're going to spend more. Probably a lot more.

That's a one of a kind Dewback Loveseat from Regal Robot's Custom Studio. It was on display at Celebration Orlando in 2017 for a cool $10,000. Now, I don't know if it sold at Celebration, but it sold.

If it's Star Wars and it's officially licensed then the chances are you'll find it at Celebration. That's why having a budget is so important. Especially if you're like me and can get a little carried away when you're on vacation!

My personal advice? FOCUS ON CELEBRATION EXCLUSIVES.

Not because they will or won't be worth more later but because Celebration actually isn't the best place to look for Star Wars bargains. You will find some great buys (and if you do then go for it!), but on the whole you're better to focus on the things that you can't get anywhere else. Unless you're Bruce Wayne or Tony Stark that should be more than enough Star Wars goodness for any budget anyway!

Autographs and Photo Ops

If you want to meet the stars who bring your favorite heroes and villains to life, this is where you'll be spending most of your money.

Celebration Chicago saw Hayden Christensen headline an incredible 60 strong guest list split over the 5 day event. This year has the potential to be even bigger as it will hopefully see the first Celebration signings of cast members from both the Sequel Trilogy and Disney+ series including The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, and maybe even Obi-Wan Kenobi.

You can see the full line up of guests for Chicago, along with their autograph and photo op prices, on my 2019 Guests page. Prices tend to rise with each event but it should still give you a good idea of what to expect. For Chicago guests were announced each week from 3 months before the event with autographs and photo ops going on sale about 2 months before. When the 2022 guests are announced you'll find all the information here.

One thing I will say here is that if you really want to meet someone, and you can afford to do it, then go for it. I did the photo op with Mark Hamill in 2016, which was amazing. But I decided to get Mark that year and get one with Carrie next time because I didn't think I should spend the money on two photo ops at the time. In the grand scheme of what I spent at that Celebration, I could have afforded the 2nd photo op. Now I'll never have the chance. You never know in life, so if you can afford it then go for it, don't let it become a regret.

The Celebration Store

It's always hard to say just what you'll find in the Celebration Store. Sure, there will always be the traditional mix of character shirts, plush toys, and pin badges, but every year they always manage to throw in a curve ball. Whether it's Ponda Baba Oven Mitts or a Space Slug Jack in the Box, be prepared for them to throw out something wacky that you'd never have expected.

If you want a good idea of what to expect you can check out all of Chicago's goodies in the Celebration Store section of my 2019 exclusives page and 2020 online store selection right here. Because of the unique situation of this year's Celebration, there's been no merch pre-orders yet but hopefully prices won't be too much higher than what we saw in 2020.

Speaking from experience, it's easy to get carried away in the show store. Before you know it that "little" purchase of a few shirts and a pin badge is qualifying you for that Boba Fett pin you can only buy after spending $150. Not a bad thing, just know your budget going in. And how much room you have in your case if you're flying!

One tip is to pick what you want when the merchandise is officially revealed. Not only can this help you stay in budget but it also helps you know what you're looking for when you get in the show store. Another option that may be available in Anaheim is the ability to order what you want from the store via the Celebration App and collect it off site later. This handy little time save was planned for Chicago (there were even collection point signs in the Marriott hotel the day before) but wasn't implemented for the show. Hopefully this time it will be an option.

The Art Show

The Art Show is another fantastic element of Celebration that has something for everyone, with prices ranging from roughly $40-$125.

With The Skywalker Saga now complete, the breakout success of The Mandalorian, not to mention the long awaited Obi-Wan Kenobi on the horizon, I'm guessing there will be a wide selection of pieces showcasing characters and themes from every part of the franchise.

In Chicago I got the beautiful No One is Ever Really Gone by Karen Hallion, capturing one of my favourite moments of the Sequel Trilogy, and from 2020's online sale I picked up Jeff Carlisle's Other Places: The Future, The Past, Old Friends, Long Gone which highlights characters from across the entire Star Wars saga.

The entries in this year's Art Show will be announced and available for pre-order a few months ahead of Celebration. And be prepared as some pieces will sell out ahead of the show. Artists normally hold back some to sell at the event itself, but for peace of mind I'd recommend you pre-order if you see a piece you love.

Other Exclusives

Almost everyone who sells Star Wars merchandise will have a Celebration exclusive of some form.

To give you an idea of the demand for some of these, 2019 saw the introduction of a pre-Celebration lottery for the big three - Hasbro, Funko, and LEGO - and that's likely to happen again this year as well.

Celebration Chicago saw these three celebrating the 20th anniversary of The Phantom Menace (and 20 years of LEGO Star Wars) with retro carded Black Series figures, LEGO busts and a set of blue chrome POPS! Whilst this year's exclusives won't be confirmed until nearer the event, we may see something for the 20th anniversary of Attack of the Clones.

To give you an idea of the range of products on offer, you can see a full list of all the Celebration Chicago exclusives right here. Everyone from Del Rey Books to Po-Zu is likely to be there. And let's not forget the always incredible Her Universe! There's pin trading, fan made swag, and so much more.

That's why I think it's best to focus on the things you can't buy anywhere else, or at least not in regular stores. If you find a bargain or something you've been after for ages, that's awesome, but there's more than enough at Celebration just with the event exclusives. That said, if anyone finds a Hot Toys Crait Luke Skywalker there for a sensible price please let me know!

Disney

You don't have to go to Disneyland but it is right next door!

Honestly, I wasn't planning on going to Celebration 2020 until they announced it would be in Anaheim. The chance to attend Celebration, visit Disneyland, and Galaxy's Edge was too tempting to resist. As a huge Disney fan I've always wanted to visit the original park, but coming from the UK it's just so much cheaper to visit Walt Disney World. This was an excuse to see the original park and have another Star Wars Celebration all in the same trip!

Disney After Dark's Star Wars Nite is sold out, but even if you didn't get tickets, Celebration is a great opportunity to visit the parks. That said, I'd be tempted to hold off on tickets until closer to the show. Disney have in the past offered cheaper half day tickets for convention goers who want to visit the parks after Celebration. And Disney won't announce the parks' full schedule until nearer the time. Some entertainment events (such as Fantasmic if it has reopened by May) may only operate on select days. Between that and the possibility of convention rate tickets I'd recommend waiting and seeing what gets announced as we get closer to Celebration before selecting my park days.

Time

Perhaps even more valuable than money. There is so much to do and see at Celebration, your time will be the most valuable thing, especially this year without the extra preview day with no panels. No one can be in two places at once so you have to pick the experiences and exclusives that are most important to you.

If you win the Funko lottery the line could still be hours long. If you want to get a wristband for the Del Rey novel be prepared to miss the opening panel of the day (or watch it from the Live Stage on the show floor). Some exclusives will sell out on day one, others will have an allocation for each day. In 2019 Tee Turtle's exclusive design sold out on the first day. They took orders for the rest of the weekend but this was only for people living in America as they don't have the license to ship internationally.

Pick what's important to you and prioritise that. If you're there for multiple days then go for exclusives that don't have a daily allocation on your first day.

For autographs be aware that bigger names generally mean bigger queues. In Chicago the autographs and photo ops ran amazingly well (far better than the horror stories told after Orlando) but still be prepared for some time in line. Last time Epic also allowed fans to switch the time slots, and even dates, of their autographs and photo ops, so take advantage of this once the full schedule is revealed and you know which panels you want to try for.

So, yeah, save and budget. Use previous Celebrations as a guide for what to expect and then maybe add a little extra just in case there's any surprises. And, if you're flying, just remember you will have a weight allowance. Or maybe just pre-book an extra hold bag for the flight home!