Convention season is here and in full force! It was less than a week ago that Celebration Anaheim concluded, and now we have Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo! Today was the first day of the 3-day con. Although this convention is not just Star Wars, our favorite franchise is well represented around McCormick Place.
Unfortunately, no Star Wars celebrity guests will be attending this weekend, however, there are many exciting things for Star Wars fans to see and participate in. The 501st Legion's Midwest Garrison is swarming the convention center. The Rebel Legion's equivalent of the Midwest Garrison is called the Nar Shaddaa Base. If you want to see some incredible costumes that look like they just walked off the set of the movie, you definitely want to visit their booths. They will also be roaming around the convention center to mingle with fans.
In addition to wandering around the exhibit all, the Midwest Garrison will be hosting the Droid Hunt. The droid hunt is a great way for fans to be interactive with the troopers. In order to play, you must receive a Droid Hunt badge (which you can pick up at the booth or from a Midwest Garrison member). Once you have the badge, you wear it around the convention center and wait until a Stormtrooper (or helmeted bad guy) finds you and collects your lanyard. In exchange for your badge, you will receive a raffle ticket. At 5:01 P.M. on Saturday, Star Wars prizes of all kinds will be raffled off. You can play as many times as you want to increase your chances! This year's Droid Hunt art was done by Dave Dorman and it features some of the newest droids to join the Star Wars franchise, Chopper and BB-8!
In addition to hanging out with the 501st Legion, Star Wars fans can go shopping in the exhibit hall! Items include artwork, toys, statues and busts, clothes, jewelry and more! If you are looking for the perfect addition to your Star Wars collection, you can find it here! Conventions are perfect for finding rare items that you can't locate currently in retail stores.
Star Wars fans never pass up an opportunity to dress as their favorite characters. Whether you're a child or an adult, conventions like C2E2 give us yet another reason to dress up. Some people even do mash-up costumes!
Stay tuned for more information on C2E2 coming next week on the Twin Suns Transmission podcast!