• More More

Search

My Account Logout
  • other
  • instagram
  • twitter
  • facebook
  • youtube
  • other
  • NEWS + FEATURES
    • THE LATEST
    • ANDOR
    • CELEBRATION
    • QUIZZES + POLLS
    • BOOKS + COMICS
  • VIDEO
    • ALL VIDEO
    • THIS WEEK! IN STAR WARS
  • FILMS
  • SERIES
    • All Series
    • Andor
    • Skeleton Crew
    • Ahsoka
    • The Mandalorian
  • GAMES + INTERACTIVE
    • View All
    • Star Wars Outlaws
    • Games + Apps
    • VR + Immersive
  • DATABANK
    • ALL DATABANK
    • GALAXY MAP
    • ERAS
  • DISNEY+
    • STREAM NOW
    • EXPLORE
    • THE DISNEY BUNDLE
  • More More
My Account Logout
  • other
  • instagram
  • twitter
  • facebook
  • youtube
  • other

STAR WARS ON DISNEY+

All

  • Andor
  • Rogue One
  • Series
  • Films
  • Disney+
  • Games + Apps
  • Books + Comics
  • Merchandise
  • LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy
  • Visions
  • The Mandalorian
  • Ahsoka
  • Skeleton Crew
  • The Acolyte
  • Obi-Wan Kenobi
  • The Book of Boba Fett
  • The Bad Batch
  • The Clone Wars
  • Interviews
  • Collecting
  • Creativity
  • Disney Parks
  • Events
  • Fans + Community
  • LEGO Star Wars
  • Lucasfilm
  • Quizzes + Polls
  • Recipes
  • Star Wars Rebels
  • Star Wars Celebration
  • The High Republic
{:title=>"In Pop Culture", :url=>"https://www.starwars.com/news/category/in-pop-culture"} {:title=>"Star Wars Rebels", :url=>"https://www.starwars.com/news/category/star-wars-rebels"}

An 'Empire Day' to Remember

November 17, 2014
November 17, 2014
Pete Vilmur

Tonight's episode of Star Wars Rebels is not actually the first celebration of Empire Day...

Original artwork for the 1980 Empire Day event.

With today’s launch of the Star Wars Rebels episode “Empire Day,” it seems fitting to serve up a little piece of forgotten Star Wars history associated with this specific term. Back in 1980, when The Empire Strikes Back was set to open with a royal premiere in London on May 20, someone on the promotional team at Lucasfilm or 20th Century Fox was inspired to resurrect the British “Empire Day” holiday, which had been observed by members of the British Empire between 1902 and 1958 to celebrate Queen Victoria’s birthday on May 24. Though the “Empire Day” name would later change to British Commonwealth Day and finally to Commonwealth Day in 1966, the promoters were betting that there would still be enough cultural memory to make the “Empire Day” moniker resonate with the public for Empire’s launch.

Jeeps hauling a legion of Stormtroopers must have been quite a sight for Londoners during the premiere of The Empire Strikes Back in 1980.

A black and white photo of a Stormtrooper posing with a shopkeeper on Empire Day.
Photo-ops for press were staged throughout London for the royal premiere of The Empire Strikes Back.

And resonate it did -- on May 20, a legion of stormtroopers were released throughout London’s mainline and Underground stations to hand out buttons reading “Happy Empire Day” and to stage whimsical photo-ops throughout the city for syndication in the region’s newspapers and magazines. T-shirts, posters, and buttons bearing the “Empire Day” logo still survive today in various collections, although most folks in the states scarcely know what the phrase is in reference to. Until today, that is -- Happy Empire Day (and Life Day)!!

Empire Day made the front page of the May 20, 1980, issue of the London Evening News and depicted the Empire cast giving the captain of the Concorde jet that flew them from the states the gift of a miniature Millennium Falcon.

Thanks to Bob Miller for providing the scan of the Evening News and to Jonathan Rinzler’s The Making of The Empire Strikes Back for the Empire Day photos

empire day Star Wars Rebels Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

Related Stories

  • {:title=>"Lucasfilm", :url=>"https://www.starwars.com/news/category/lucasfilm"} {:title=>"Disney+", :url=>"https://www.starwars.com/news/category/disney+"}

    Star Wars Year in Review 2024

    December 20, 2024

    December 20, 2024

    Dec 20

  • {:title=>"Books + Comics", :url=>"https://www.starwars.com/news/category/books-+-comics"} {:title=>"Star Wars Rebels", :url=>"https://www.starwars.com/news/category/star-wars-rebels"}

    Marvel to Celebrate 10th Anniversary of Star Wars Rebels with Special Variant Covers - Exclusive Reveal

    September 27, 2023

    September 27, 2023

    Sep 27

  • {:title=>"Collecting", :url=>"https://www.starwars.com/news/category/collecting"} {:title=>"Ahsoka", :url=>"https://www.starwars.com/news/category/ahsoka"}

    The Ghost Comes to Life: A Closer Look at the Newest HasLab Star Wars Project

    August 30, 2023

    August 30, 2023

    Aug 30

  • {:title=>"Characters + Histories", :url=>"https://www.starwars.com/news/category/characters-+-histories"} {:title=>"Star Wars Rebels", :url=>"https://www.starwars.com/news/category/star-wars-rebels"}

    10 of Hera Syndulla's Greatest Moments

    August 19, 2022

    August 19, 2022

    Aug 19

  • {:title=>"Books + Comics", :url=>"https://www.starwars.com/news/category/books-+-comics"} {:title=>"Star Wars Rebels", :url=>"https://www.starwars.com/news/category/star-wars-rebels"}

    Get a First Look at The Art of Star Wars Rebels Limited Edition

    October 16, 2019

    October 16, 2019

    Oct 16

  • {:title=>"Opinions", :url=>"https://www.starwars.com/news/category/opinions"} {:title=>"Star Wars Rebels", :url=>"https://www.starwars.com/news/category/star-wars-rebels"}

    How the Father-Son Dynamic Between Kanan and Ezra Speaks to the Complexities of Parenting

    June 14, 2019

    June 14, 2019

    Jun 14

  • {:title=>"Characters + Histories", :url=>"https://www.starwars.com/news/category/characters-+-histories"} {:title=>"Star Wars Rebels", :url=>"https://www.starwars.com/news/category/star-wars-rebels"}

    Why Hera is My Favorite Star Wars Mom

    May 10, 2019

    May 10, 2019

    May 10

  • {:title=>"Star Wars Celebration", :url=>"https://www.starwars.com/news/category/star-wars-celebration"} {:title=>"Star Wars Rebels", :url=>"https://www.starwars.com/news/category/star-wars-rebels"}

    SWCC 2019: 8 Highlights from the Rebels Remembered Panel

    April 14, 2019

    April 14, 2019

    Apr 14

  • More From Star Wars:
    • TikTok
    • Instagram
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • Youtube
    • SWKids
    • Terms of Use
    • Additional Content Information
    • Privacy Policy
    • Children's Online Privacy Policy
    • Your US State Privacy Rights
    • Disney Store | Star Wars
    • Star Wars Helpdesk
    • Interest-Based Ads
    • Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information

    TM & © Lucasfilm Ltd. All Rights Reserved