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  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

CE16 Celebration Noob - How do the Stage events work?

Discussion in 'Star Wars Celebrations' started by lmhrpr, Jun 23, 2016.

  1. lmhrpr

    lmhrpr Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    Jun 23, 2016
    Hi all,

    I'm new to Celebration and conventions in general. I'll be attending all three days of Celebration in London this year and I'd like to know exactly how the stage events work. Do you have to queue in advance to get in? Is everyone who queues guaranteed to get in or are seats limited? How long in advance should I queue for the main events?

    I'm anxious that I'll miss the big events with Mark Hamill, etc. Thanks for reading!
     
  2. CaptainRegor

    CaptainRegor Jedi Master star 3

    Registered:
    Nov 15, 2012
    Let's see...
    Yes, no, yes, a few hours.
    Okay seriously though:
    Yes you have to queue to get in, and if it's a big panel you should get there a few hours before, because you are not guarrented a seat.
    For the past two celebration in europe getting in hasn't been a problem even if you arrived late. But in the US people are litteraly camping out the night before to get into the main event. Now this is the first Europe celebration past TFA hype so who knows? If you want to be certain to get in and get a good seat, be early.
     
    lmhrpr likes this.
  3. lmhrpr

    lmhrpr Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    Jun 23, 2016
    Thank you!​
     
  4. CaptainRegor

    CaptainRegor Jedi Master star 3

    Registered:
    Nov 15, 2012
    Hey, just noticed your registration date, welcome to the forum!
     
  5. ChrisLyne

    ChrisLyne Force Ghost star 4

    Registered:
    Oct 29, 2002
    Yeah, I'm just going to echo Regor here. Truth is no one really knows how long the queues will be. Last Celebration London I was able to walk join the Mark Hamill panel queue at the last second (I'd been in his autograph queue) and still got into the panel. Last year in Anaheim people queued up overnight for the opening Force Awakens panel. Star Wars' popularity is at an all time high so I'm expecting bigger queues this time but maybe not to the insane levels they had at Anaheim.

    My group had all just bought sleeping bags because we expected Rogue One to be the big opening panel and were expecting we'd need to queue overnight for good seats. Now the opening panel is Mark Hamill we're re-thinking that. Don't get me wrong, I'm looking forward to Mark's panel even more than the Rogue One panel but I don't think it will require an overnight line up. You could probably queue for Mark from the 10am opening and still get good seats. The Rogue One panel after is trickier. I imagine some will miss Mark and queue all morning for it (depending on how they work the Celebration Stage line, they may not allow a queue for RO until Mark's panel has gone in).

    As much as I'd like time on the show floor I'm imagining I'll need to come straight out of Mark's panel and queue for RO so my entire Friday will be taken up by 2 panels (with a quick break for Mark's photo op, really hope my wife can hold my place in the RO queue whilst I get that!).

    Ultimately it's just a popularity contest. You'll queue longer for people like Mark Hamill than you will for Ray Park. Rogue One is also screening in the other stages so if a few hours on the show floor are more important to you than being in the main room you can save a few hours queue time there.
     
    Mandalorian Ray and CaptainRegor like this.
  6. CaptainRegor

    CaptainRegor Jedi Master star 3

    Registered:
    Nov 15, 2012
    I was thinking the same thing! Going in for Mark and walking out queuing for Rogue immediately.
    It's gonna be interesting to see how big the queues are
     
    ChrisLyne likes this.
  7. LAJ_FETT

    LAJ_FETT Tech Admin (2007-2023) - She Held Us Together star 10 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    May 25, 2002
    I'm not even going to guess on queues. The last CE in London we could get our tickets mailed so I had mine in hand when I got there. This time it was all 'WILL CALL' and pickup days/hours haven't been announced yet. So factor that into whatever you plan if you have to pick them up on the day. I'm hoping there's an option for pickup on the Thursday at least.
     
  8. ChrisLyne

    ChrisLyne Force Ghost star 4

    Registered:
    Oct 29, 2002
    Yeah I really hope they're shorter than people reported last year. Ultimately I'd be willing queue for RO straight after Mark but I can think of much better things to do with 4 hours at Celebration!
     
    CaptainRegor likes this.
  9. Yoe Dameron

    Yoe Dameron Jedi Knight

    Registered:
    Feb 25, 2016
    I'm hoping to make the Rebels Season 3 panel. Anybody know how hard it's been to get into the animation panels in the past? Im expecting to wait in a line for a good while, but I was hoping to get a general idea of how long that'll be. I don't want to get my hopes up if it's going to be near impossible to get in.
     
  10. CaptainRegor

    CaptainRegor Jedi Master star 3

    Registered:
    Nov 15, 2012
    They've been popular. But you should have no problem getting in. Nobody knows how this post TFA con is gonna be.... I'd recommend you check out the queue a few houres before. I'd recon no more than 1-2 hours are necessary to get in. Especially with that attitude! :)
     
  11. Yoe Dameron

    Yoe Dameron Jedi Knight

    Registered:
    Feb 25, 2016
    Thanks! My girlfriend is going to be with me and I mostly just don't want to make her wait in a line for four hours. Hopefully, it'll be for around 2. I'll try checking periodically if possible.
     
  12. ChrisLyne

    ChrisLyne Force Ghost star 4

    Registered:
    Oct 29, 2002
    For Rebels I'm hoping to join the queue after Anthony Daniels' panel so that's only 1 hour. Fingers crossed that will be enough
     
  13. CaptainRegor

    CaptainRegor Jedi Master star 3

    Registered:
    Nov 15, 2012
    Yeah me too! Anthony is so extremely entertaining can't miss it!
     
    ChrisLyne likes this.
  14. jawajames

    jawajames Former RSA // stawars.com contributor star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA VIP

    Registered:
    Apr 26, 2002
    just remember that there's a big difference from lining up so you can have front row seats vs just getting in and getting a seat somewhere.

    for the big show at Celebration Anaheim, they had space to house line campers overnight in an unused hall of the convention center, but I doubt they will want people to do that at ExCel. remember also that the Rogue One panel will be simulcast into two other theaters.

    and welcome Imhrpr!
     
    CaptainRegor likes this.
  15. TCF-1138

    TCF-1138 Anthology/Fan Films/NSA Mod & Ewok Enthusiast star 6 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Sep 20, 2002
    I am also hoping to get in to the Rebels panel - that and the Carrie Fisher one (not there on Friday unfortunately, so I'll miss both Mark Hamill and the Rogue One panel). Hopefully the queues aren't too long, since I hope to do more than just stand in line at Celebration :p

    Does anyone know the average queue time for autographs? I'm hoping to get Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill's autographs.
     
  16. ChrisLyne

    ChrisLyne Force Ghost star 4

    Registered:
    Oct 29, 2002
    Going off 2007 the autograph queues were longer than the panel queues but they did in batches. I bought my Mark Hamill tickets in the morning but didn't join his queue till mid afternoon after seeing the CW panel (which was a walk in back then). Spent a good few hours queued then joined the end of his panel queue and got in pretty comfortably.
     
    TCF-1138 likes this.