Star Wars fans, get ready to mark your calendars for a galaxy far, far away right in Philadelphia.
Next year, Lucasfilm and The Franklin Institute are teaming up for the world premiere of Star Wars: The Experience – A Journey Through the Galaxy, an all-new exhibition celebrating the franchise’s 50th anniversary. The exhibit opens February 13, 2027, and runs through September 6, 2027, before kicking off a five-year tour across North America.
What’s Inside the Exhibit
This is being billed as the largest and most comprehensive behind-the-scenes Star Wars exhibition ever assembled, spanning 18,000 square feet of immersive galleries. More than 70 artifacts will be on display, many of them never before shown to the public.
Highlights fans can expect to see up close include:
- Darth Vader’s iconic mask and armor
- Darth Maul’s lightsaber hilt
- Grogu, straight from The Mandalorian and Grogu
- R2-D2 and C-3PO, the droids that started it all
- A full-sized speeder bike
- Original props from the Emmy and Peabody Award-winning Disney+ series Andor
The exhibition also features an RFID-powered interactive system designed to give guests a personalized, cinematic journey through the creative history behind Star Wars — touching on everything from sound design and costume creation to fan art, gaming, and the evolution of visual effects at Industrial Light & Magic.
“Star Wars created a cultural landscape that spans decades and delivers massive, undeniable global appeal,” said Larry Dubinski, President and CEO of The Franklin Institute. “Its influence extends far beyond cinema—shaping entertainment, culture, technology, and business, while redefining how stories are created, experienced, and shared across generations.”
San Diego Comic-Con Sneak Peek
Fans headed to San Diego Comic-Con this month will get the first look behind the curtain. A panel called “The Making of Star Wars: The Experience” is set for Friday, July 24, 2026, from 4:00–5:00 PM PT in Room 7AB.
Ashley Eckstein, the voice of Ahsoka Tano, will moderate a discussion with the creative team behind the exhibit, including representatives from Lucasfilm, The Franklin Institute, and design firm MDSX. The panel will dig into how the team balanced cinematic authenticity with exhibition design and selected which archival pieces to showcase for the first time.
Tickets for Star Wars: The Experience go on sale in November 2026, ahead of the February 13, 2027 opening. After its Philadelphia debut, the exhibition will travel to additional cities across North America over the following five years.
We’ll be keeping an eye on updates from San Diego Comic-Con and will share more details as they’re announced.
You May Also Enjoy: A New Hope for Storytelling: Exploring the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art and the New “Star Wars in Motion” Exhibition
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