You’ve got a couple of weeks to charge your lightsabers before the Star Wars Weekends kick into lightspeed at a theme park not so far, far away. If you’re fan, you’re probably already anticipating this year’s events at Disney-MGM Studios and have been for awhile. But, even if the Force isn’t with you necessarily, you might want to give this event some serious Jedi mind-trick concentration if you have kids, because it’s a happening that’s as fun to take part in as it is to watch.
Even the smallest of youngsters can take part. After all, put your stroller-strapped infant in a Jedi outfit and give ’em a plastic lightsaber to grasp, and you’re guaranteed to get lots of approving nods from the role-playing Siths and Jedis throughout the site. And older kids get a real and rare treat by helping lead the daily parade through the park. (Check out the video below to see last year’s parade and the kids and characters who were in it.) 
This year’s event runs each weekend in June and is included in the cost of admission. (Quick tip: Arrive before the gates open and enjoy the group fun as stormtroopers atop the park’s turnstile entrance interact with the crowds.) As well as the ongoing Star Tours attraction, you’ll experience a Jedi Training Academy at which to sharpen your skills. (You’re not on the Dark Side, are you?) There also are a lot of behind-the-scenes looks at making the movies, trivia contests for kids and adults, lots of costumed characters roaming the park, and, of course, a handful of celebrities to sign autographs and pose for photos. (Another tip: Get a FastPass for autographs, especially for the top names you want to see.) 
And be aware that these daily events are well-attended. Still, that’s a big part of the fun in being in the middle of so many park guests who clearly are into the Star Wars phenomenon and who dress the part and play the roles. I always have enjoyed the "Star Wars" movies. But after I attended one of these MGM Studios events for the first time last year and saw how much my kids got a kick out of the celebration, now I can better understand the appeal of being passionate about the storylines and characters. There’s a galaxy of details here. And if you want to really get into it like so many others will, you can Google hundreds of sites dedicated to making your own outfits. To get a better idea about what you might see, here’s a quick video of some of the scenes from last year’s parade. As Yoda might say, "Enjoy it, I hope you will."
