The Empire State Building Unveils Star Wars-Themed Takeover with a Dynamic Light Show, Interactive Fan Experiences, Celebrity Visit, and More

The Empire State Building (ESB), in collaboration with Disney Consumer Products and Lucasfilm, today unveiled a Star Wars-themed, villains-inspired takeover for fans in New York City that featured a dynamic light show, immersive experiences for visitors, character appearances, and participation from actor Hayden Christensen in a morning lighting ceremony. Fans who visit ESB this month will have the opportunity to immerse themselves into the Star Wars galaxy photo opportunities which feature a range of new Star Wars consumer products through April 29.

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The Empire State Building Unveils Star Wars-Themed Takeover with a Dynamic Light Show, Interactive Fan Experiences, Celebrity Visit, and More (Photo: Business Wire)

"We are so pleased to unite Star Wars fans in New York City and throughout the world with this epic trip to a galaxy far, far away….,” said Jean-Yves Ghazi, president of the Empire State Building Observatory. “This one-of-a-kind takeover at the ‘World’s Most Famous Building’ allows fans to come face to face with pop culture’s most iconic villains in an authentic New York City way.”

Star Wars in Lights

This evening, a dynamic light show that featured fan-favorite scenes of Star Wars villains debuted on the building’s south side façade from 8 p.m. in continued intervals until 11 p.m. The montage was synched to the iconic “The Imperial March (Darth Vader’s Theme),” and was streamed simultaneously on iHeartRadio’s Z100 New York radio station and on the iHeartRadio app.

Star Wars actor Hayden Christensen visited the Empire State Building earlier this morning to tour the world-famous Observatory Experience and flip the ceremonial switch ahead of the dynamic light show.

Step into the Scenes

The Empire State Building’s iconic Fifth Avenue Lobby windows now feature special Star Wars-themed artistry that depicts scenes of Darth Vader, Darth Maul, and stormtroopers surrounded by a range of Star Wars merchandise, in collaboration with Disney Consumer Products and Lucasfilm. The window exhibit will remain on display until April 29.

At the base of the building, visitors can also join Hasbro and Amazon for a Star Wars fan experience on March 21-22 from 1-9 p.m. and on March 23 from 10-8 p.m. The experience highlights the villains of the Star Wars galaxy and features photo opportunities with costumed characters, which include Darth Vader and stormtroopers — as well as photo backdrops that recreate iconic scenes and locations inspired by the films like the opening hallway scene from Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, the Star Destroyer bridge, and Emperor Palpatine’s throne. Guests can also pose in the blister card packaging of a Star Wars Vintage Collection figure. Additionally, attendees will be able to check out the latest Hasbro Black Series helmets or wield their favorite character’s FX Elite or Kyber Core Lightsaber adult and kid collectibles.