Singapore is set to get a whole load more Force-sensitive on Sep 1, with the launch of the Star Wars: Experience the Force Singapore festival. Organised by ReedPOP and The Walt Disney Company Southeast Asia, and held in partnership with ION Orchard, the 10-day festival will kick off with Star Wars Force Friday II. And the Singapore Toy, Game and Comic Convention (STGCC) held from Sep 9 to 10 will also be part of the festivities, with its own Star Wars stuff on display.
All activities at Orchard Road are free of charge (gotta pay for the merchandise, of course), while activities at STGCC will require a convention ticket.
There’s going to be lots to do over the 10 days – here are our picks, not in any order of excellence.
1. Get your hands on the latest toys at Force Friday II
At 12.01am on Sep 1, Star Wars fans will get to purchase the newest toys, collectables, books, apparel and more from the upcoming Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Held at ION Station at Basement 4, the shops will be open for 10 days till Sep 10, 10pm. (Yes, Force Friday II will be 10 days long.) But beware of spoilers! Some of the toys can be pretty descriptive of events in the movie …
2. Get into AR with Find The Force
There’s going to be an augmented reality (AR) adventure for Star Wars fans, using the official Star Wars app. Youwill have to go around looking for a special Star Wars graphic bearing the “Find The Force” logo at select locations. Unlock 15 unique AR character experiences and photo ops, and stand a chance to win tickets to attend the premiere of Star Wars: The Last Jedi in Singapore!
3. Meet a VR BB-8
Next to Force Friday II will be a virtual reality experience for you to meet and interact with BB-8! Created by ILMxLAB, this experience was first featured at Star Wars Celebration Orlando 2017. You can check out the experience above, but like all things VR, doing it in person will probably be the better choice. VR BB-8 will also be at STGCC.
4. Padawan Training
Get in touch with your inner Jedi with Padawan Training! But … you gotta between ages 4 to 12. Trailing will be from 3pm to 9pm every day at ION² (Ion’s outdoor event space at level 1), and each session will last half an hour. Want to sign a kid up? Slots are first-come first-served, and slots might get cancelled if the weather gets rough.
5. Meet the Millennium Falcon
Meet the ship that made the Kessel Run in under 12 parsecs! A 1/6th scale replica of the Millennium Falcon will be at ION² for you to check out. But if you want to step into the fastest hunk of junk in a galaxy far, far, away, head to STGCC on Sep 9 to 10. There, a fan-built installation will bring the modified YT-1300 light freighter to life. Joining the Millennium Falcon at STGCC will be Rey’s speeder, signed by director JJ Abrams!
6. See Kylo Ren’s TIE Silencer
You’ll get to see the half-scale version of the TIE Silencer at STGCC! Built specifically for Kylo Ren, this ship is bound to make an impact in the upcoming Star Wars: The Last Jedi.
7. Walk along the AT-ACT and AT-ST
A 3.5m-tall AT-ACT walker will be deployed along Orchard Road (outside ION Orchard), while Shaw House Urban Plaza will host the AT-ST. The AT-ACT, from the Battle Of Scarif, will be by toy designers Beast Kingdom, who are also doing the Darth Vader below …
8. Get the exclusive EAA-055 Star Wars: The Empires Strikes Back Darth Vader Hologram Version
From designers Beast Kingdom comes the exclusive EA-055 Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back Darth Vader Hologram. (EAA stands for Egg Attack Action.) Limited to just 500 pieces, the figure comes with transparent light blue appearance and built-in LED to simulate Darth Vader on the hologram from the movie.
9. Check out Star Wars: Rivals before global release
An upcoming mobile shooter, Star Wars: Rivals will feature a cast of iconic characters from all eras of the Star Wars universe. While it’s only available in Australia and New Zealand for now, you’ll be among the first in Singapore to see it at a showcase at STGCC.
So … what has you most excited! Our Force sense is definitely tingling … or it could be that blue milk we had.
