Is the thought of waiting until December 18th for Star Wars: The Force Awakens making you wish you could cryogenically hibernate? Well, hold that thought because itâs âForce Fridayâ next week and there will be more than enough Star Wars merchandise released to keep you going. So much you might not be able to afford a ticket to the film.
To celebrate Force Friday and the many toys, collectibles, gadgets, and apparel that are going to hit their shelves, the Disney Store and other retailers including Toys âRâ Us, Smyths, and Forbidden Planet are going to open their doors to fans at 12:01 am on September 4th at locations across the country.
In London, a flagship event will be held at the Disney Store on Oxford Street. Fans will be invited to start lining up at 8pm on September 3rd, with cosplays encouraged, for giveaways in the lead up to midnight. Then at one minute past itâs officially Force Friday and the Disney Store will open its doors for fans to troop in and experience the new line of merchandise, with competitions and product demos. If you canât make it to this event in London or Dublin, Disney stores up and down the country will be opening an hour early on the 4th and the 5th for you to get to get your hands on the all important merch a bit earlier, with giveaways and free jedi training for kids.
Toys âRâ Us are holding events in Brent Cross, Bristol, Glasgow Helen Street, Oldbury and Warrington, with the first customers in line receiving a limited edition poster and getting the chance to win other giveaways. And Smyths will be hosting events at 16 locations including West Midlands, Shropshire, Watford, Liverpool, Leeds, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Belfast and more, where the first 50 fans in line will receive a free poster and be able to take part in other activities.
If you canât even wait until midnight on the 4th, you can get a sneak peek of highlights from the Star Wars: The Force Awakens product collection by tuning in to the global live stream on the Star Wars YouTube channel. Unfolding over 18 hours in 15 cities and 12 countries, fans can start watching at 10:45 p.m. BST on Wednesday Sept. 2, and catch the UKâs live slot at 11:30 a.m. on Thursday Sept. 3 to see all the new products unboxed live.
Weâre not quite sure why the unboxing of new merchandise needs an event so grand as an 18 hour YouTube live stream. The Star Wars franchise has certainly kept itself strong through, and will continue to thrive on, its many collectibles and toys, so I suppose itâs in some way reasonable to make such a big deal of the release of new products.
If youâre preparing to queue in the cold, be strong young Jedi, youâre braver than I.
Main Image: Š Disney