May 4th has become Star Wars day and there is no better way to celebrate than in Disney World! There are so many fun official and unofficial celebrations for May the 4th in Disney World 2026. Hollywood Studios is the place to be and of course I had to do my best Princess Leia and head over there after work. May 4th being on a Monday did make a bit of a difference this year but we still had a great time!
Hollywood Studios
If you are celebrating May the 4th in Disney World 2026 you HAVE to go to Hollywood Studios! Not only for Batu but for Star Tours, you can get some great pictures there. One of the greatest thing about May the 4th is seeing everyone’s Star Wars bounds and cosplays. Some are like me and a loose adaptation of their favorite character and others go all out! Some of these cosplays are incredible, better than some of Disney’s costumes, if you ask me. Seeing them all in Batu and around Star Tours makes you feel like you’re in Star Wars!
Popcorn Buckets & Sippers
While the only “official” May the 4th activity in Hollywood Studios is shopping, it is still the place to be. There were two new popcorn buckets this year as well as a new sipper. The salvaged protocol droid head was available at a few different popcorn stands as well as mobile order. We got ours at the popcorn stand outside Muppets Courtyard, soon to be Monstropolis. We came up at the perfect time, there was a very short line.
The other popcorn bucket was Jabba the Huts party barge, what?! So freaking cool!! This one was mobile order only and you picked up in the First Order Courtyard to the left of Kylo Ren’s ship. The first time we tried to order it was going to be hours before we picked it up and there was a huge crowd already waiting to pick up. Later in the evening we ordered and walked right up with no wait at all! Finally, the Bantha sipper was available at the blue milk stand. We decided not to get the sipper since we grabbed both popcorn buckets but it was super cute!
May the 4th Merchandise
Of course there was May the 4th official merchandise available in the park. Unfortunately, we did not get to go check it out this time. There was a virtual queue system that opened at 7am for anyone with a Hollywood Studios park reservation to try and join. We actually had a park reservation for EPCOT and had to tap in there before we could head over to Hollywood Studios. Note to self…..make your May the 4th park reservations as soon as that day opens next year!
This merch was located in the Mickey’s Short Theater where Potatoland was located. They did open this up to just wait in line and go in later in the evening for those that didn’t get in on the queue. New this year, you could join a queue and shop this merchandise in Disney Springs at Once Upon A Toy as well. They also opened this up to general admission later in the evening.
There were also items available at the Den of Antiquities and some new releases in other stores throughout the park. These were all things that you SHOULD be able to get later as well and not just for May the 4th. Storm Trooper and Bounty Hunter Helmets, Endor collection, Pod Racing collection. There were lots of cool things to buy for sure!
Ride Times
It’s May the 4th in Disney World 2026, of course you have to go ride all the Star Wars rides! I was honestly surprised at how low the wait times were, but I think it being on a Monday really effected the crowd level. While we were there, the highest time I saw was Rise of the Resistance at 75 minutes. Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run stayed around 40 minutes while we were there and Star Tours never got above 25 minutes, which I find disturbing. I love Star tours and if we can only hop on one ride for May the 4th, it’s the one we are doing! Later in the evening most of the queue was empty so you could get some great Endor pictures. That was helpful for me since my Princess Leia bound was her dress on Endor!
Lightsaber Meetup
There are so many lightsabers in the park on May the 4th in Disney World! Once the sun starts to go down they all start to congregate in front of the Millennium Falcon. When I tell you this area is shoulder to shoulder, I am not exaggerating one bit. There are also people in the First Order courtyard for the meet up as well. It’s unofficial and not organized or sanctioned by Disney but it happens every year and is so cool. Around 9pm everyone holds their lightsabers into the air and ignites them at the same time. It’s pretty magical to watch!
Conclusion
May the 4th in Disney World is one of my most favorite days of the year! I have always been such a Star Wars nerd and a day that makes it “normal” for me to dress up like Princess Leia and go play in a Star Wars themed land, yes please! May the 4th falling on a Monday this year was tough. We didn’t go until after work hours because, adulting. So we didn’t have all day or multiple trips to try and see and do it all. And we couldn’t stay too late because the kids had testing the next day at school. Don’t people realize this should be a national holiday?!
We were sad that we missed out on the actual May the 4th merchandise but my bank account was glad! I always like to get something that shows “I was there” but the popcorn buckets will have to do this year. Although, you can grab some of the May the 4th merch on ShopDisney now! May the 4th in Disney World is so much fun, although you do have to pack your patience. Even on a Monday it was very crowded. People take up a lot more space in some of their costumes as well. It’s so worth going, even if all you do is people watch! I hope you get to experience May the 4th in Disney World and I hope this helped you feel like you got to go this year. Thank you for reading and may the force be with you!
