It’s been over 25 years since the first Star Wars Celebration took place in Denver, Colorado. Back in 1999, there were few cell phones, mostly film cameras, and a few personal video recorders here and there. Combine that lack of personal tech with an overall ban on recording inside the event, and we’re left with very little video evidence of the first Celebration.
Little, but not zero!
Through my deep research, I’ve found what I’m pretty sure is close to the full extent of Celebration I clips on YouTube (of course, I’ll continue to update as more videos surface!) and now I’m taking you with me in a time machine back to 1999. Witness the rain, the mud, and more than that, the pure excitement of Star Wars fandom as it entered a new era!
PLEASE NOTE: The two last videos on my playlist are not described here because I talked to the people that made them! Full details coming soon.
Find my YouTube playlist HERE and read on for a breakdown of each vid!
DENVER NEWS REPORT ~ posted by Dustin L.
This video (posted by friend of the IALW Project and Celebration I attendee Dustin of the Cherry Bombs podcast) is a recording of a TV screen showing a clip from a Denver news report. It’s pretty clear that this news clip was recorded on Friday afternoon, the first day of the convention, when the rain was really at peak levels. As we know, Denver got an unprecedented amount of rain that day let alone over the whole weekend. Featured in this clip are the lines, the rain, one stormtrooper, an angry guy, and a bunch of other people who just look kind of damp and dazed and happy to be there.
REMEMBERING ~ posted by Renfail
This video features the “Celebration Exclusive” (more on that in a blog post coming soon) copy of The Phantom Menace novelization by Terry Brooks. It’s really nice to have a closer look at this beautiful edition, featuring an embossed Maul face on the cover and an autograph from the author!
COLLECTION OF SHORT CLIPS ~ posted by SaberExperts
These clips, some barely 15 seconds long, are rare shots of inside the exhibit hall. You’ll see bits of cosplayers, lightsabers (I think the person who runs this channel makes or reviews sabers), the “Star Wars Insider” sign, and even a quick clip of a moving R2 which is listed as being controlled by Don Bies. He was at the event, so this is likely! Also in the quick clips you’ll see some of the screen-used props that were on display at the event.
X-WING FIGHTER FROM STAR WARS ~ posted by DadandAshton
Okay, so this video was not taken in 1999 and instead was posted in 2010, but it gives you a great look at the X-Wing that was brought to Wings Over the Rockies Museum for the event and remains there to this day!
STAR WARS: EPISODE I HYPE! VIDEO 1 OF 5 ~ posted by Chris Baker
First, let me just say…these compilations are incredible. They feature countless news stories, talk show segments, interviews with George, and more from this wild time in Star Wars history. Definitely check them all out and shout out to Chris Baker for saving and sharing this important stuff! Okay, back to Celebration. In “Video 1 of 5” at timestamp 03:50, we see a clip from Entertainment Tonight’s coverage of The Phantom Menace hype featuring a small segment at Celebration! There’s cosplayers, footage from outside the event including the entrance, and a little bit more. This was some of the first footage that I found and really got me psyched to keep digging!
STAR WARS EPISODE I: UNAUTHORIZED ~ posted by Meltminder
The previously mentioned hype compilations also alerted me to this super rare Sci-Fi Channel special that I’m so excited to have found in relatively high quality! At 17:45, we see some very good but sadly brief footage of the event, including the Pepsi can display (it was spinning?!) and other glimpses of the exhibit hall.
STARWOIDS CLIP ~ posted by Fangirls Film
If you’ve never heard of the documentary StarWoids, I highly recommend listening to my podcast interview with director Dennis Przywara, who was on site as people lined up for weeks to see Episode I and also traveled to Denver for Celebration. He has some great stories to tell. In this clip, we see cosplayers including the two guys that dressed up as Klingons, interviews with attendees, visible badges and lanyards AND you can also spot the memorial ribbons given out to honor the victims of the Columbine tragedy. The highlight comes at the end of the clip as the documentary takes us to the legendary Jar Jar Jam!
JAR JAR JAM WITH AHMED BEST ~ posted by Isaac Escamilla
Speaking of the Jar Jar Jam, I don’t think I’ll ever forget the way finding this clip blew my mind. Only uploaded this past year, this is almost twenty minutes of footage from the after hours event that happened the Saturday of Celebration I at a nearby venue. The video shows a huge chunk of the performance, including Ahmed beatboxing some Star Wars music and the overflowing hype from the crowd.
Stay tuned for articles reporting on the final two videos in the playlist! And be sure to like & follow the playlist for future updates!
Do YOU have a video or clip of Celebration I that’s not listed here?
Send it to the database via e-mail!
the celebration database 