How To Celebrate May The Fourth Like A True 'Star Wars' Fan

May 4, aka Star Wars fan appreciation day, aka a national holiday among film geeks, is a great excuse to throw a party. If you've been tossing around some ideas for how to celebrate May the Fourth, but haven't yet committed to texting the group chat in making the invite official, I've got a few party ideas that will totally help you make up your mind.

Personally, I think unofficial holidays are the best holidays to celebrate. They don't necessarily involve family or travel, and it's an opportunity for you to create your own tradition and play adult by inviting people into your home to celebrate with you. And plus, there's really no wrong way to celebrate an unofficial holiday, especially a holiday that a bunch of sci-fi nerds made up as an excuse to wave their fan flag.

No doubt, Star Wars fans are intense. But they're also a lot of fun. So if you're planning on having a Star Wars Day party, you're going to want to make sure you properly cater to your people. Here are a few ideas that are totally thematically on-point, but that don't scream "fanatic" too loudly. Just remember, this is about having fun and paying homage to a movie, so don't take it too seriously.

Old School Costume Party

If you're going to declare a costume party, make sure you're totally on board to go all out. If you expect your friends to dress up, you better have one heck of a costume prepared. There's really nothing geekier than this, but it's sure to be a good time, or laugh.

Lightsaber Fight

Did you take fencing in grade school? Now's the time to show off your secret skills. Get a few lightsabers from the local party or toy store (they're seriously everywhere) and set up a bracket so that all of your party guests can compete to win.

Leia/Padme/Rey Hair Station

If you decided against a costume party but still want some thematic festivity, set up a hair station where guests can use pictures of Leia, Rey, and Padme to copy their hairdos. Leave out bobby pins, hairspray, and a comb ... and maybe a few socks, just to be safe? (For real, though: here's a tutorial for Leia, and one for Padme, and one for Rey. GET AT IT.)

Face Paint

This was always the best part of childhood birthday parties, so why not bring it back? Get some basic face paint at your local craft store, and help each guest really bring their costume to life by panting their face. Bonus points for anyone who commits to a full-on Darth Maul.

Watching Party

If you want to have your friends over but don't really have time to plan anything, just turn on one (read: all) of the movies and order some pizza. No one will complain. (Unless, y'know, you put on The Phantom Menace.)

Drinking Game

Nothing like a good old drinking game to get things going. If just sitting and idly watching a movie sounds boring to you, bring in some Correllian whiskey or Tatooine Sunburn and make it a drinking game*! (Don't pull a Han Solo, though, y'all.)

Bake Wookiee Cookies

Taken from a Star Wars cookbook, this Wookiee Cookie recipe is simple and totally delish. They're basically just chocolate chip cookies with cinnamon for spice (y'know, just like momma used to make them in Kashyyyk). Check out the recipe here.

No matter how you choose to party, May the Fourth be with you!