Quick Answers
- Star Wars: The Experience will open at The Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on February 13, 2027.
- The Philadelphia world-premiere exhibition will run through September 6, 2027, with tickets going on sale in November 2026.
- After its Philadelphia debut, the Star Wars museum exhibition will begin a five-year North American tour.
- The exhibition will span approximately 18,000 square feet and feature more than 70 artifacts, many displayed publicly by Lucasfilm for the first time.
- Confirmed artifacts include Darth Vader's armor, Darth Maul's lightsaber hilt, Grogu, R2-D2, C-3PO, a full-size speeder bike, and original props from Andor.
- The SDCC 2026 Star Wars panel also revealed immersive galleries, an RFID-powered personalized experience, a Han Solo carbon-freeze installation, and a 50-year action figure showcase.
Proof & Sources
The official announcement confirms the exhibition's Philadelphia venue, opening dates, ticket-sale window, touring plan, artifact collection, and interactive features. It also details the first exhibition renderings and experiences revealed during the official San Diego Comic-Con 2026 panel.
Have you ever wondered what it would feel like to stand inches away from Darth Vader's armor, examine Darth Maul's original lightsaber hilt, or finally see R2-D2, C-3PO, and Grogu together outside the screen?
Why Star Wars: The Experience Is a Major 50th Anniversary Event
That opportunity will become real when Star Wars: The Experience – A Journey Through the Galaxy opens at The Franklin Institute in Philadelphia on February 13, 2027. Created as part of the 50th anniversary celebration of the original Star Wars film, the exhibition is designed to bring fans inside the art, technology, storytelling, and community that transformed the saga into a worldwide cultural phenomenon.
This will not be a small collection of familiar replicas. The exhibition is described as the largest and most comprehensive behind-the-scenes traveling Star Wars exhibition created to date. It will cover approximately 18,000 square feet through a series of visually connected galleries containing immersive environments, screen-used artifacts, interactive technology, design history, and fan-focused experiences.
The world premiere will remain at The Franklin Institute through September 6, 2027. Tickets will go on sale in November 2026, giving fans several months to prepare before the exhibition opens. After the Philadelphia presentation ends, Star Wars: The Experience will begin a five-year tour of North America, allowing the exhibition to reach audiences far beyond its premiere city.
The Franklin Institute created the project in collaboration with MDSX, Lucasfilm, and Disney Consumer Products. That combination suggests the exhibition will balance museum-level presentation with cinematic scale, creative storytelling, and interactive design rather than functioning as a traditional display of objects behind glass.
Opening Date, Location, Tickets, and Tour Plans
The official opening date for Star Wars: The Experience is February 13, 2027. The exhibition will be hosted by The Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and will continue through September 6, 2027.
Tickets will go on sale in November 2026. The official announcement has not yet detailed ticket prices, timed-entry options, premium packages, or daily operating hours, so visitors should monitor The Franklin Institute and StarWars.com as the ticket launch approaches.
The Philadelphia run will serve as the exhibition's world premiere. Its nearly seven-month duration gives families, collectors, tourists, and dedicated Star Wars fans a substantial opportunity to attend without limiting the experience to only a few weeks.
The most important long-term announcement is that the exhibition will not end in Philadelphia. Following the premiere, it will launch a five-year North American tour. Future host cities, venues, and tour dates have not yet been announced. Still, the touring plan establishes the exhibition as a major long-term Star Wars cultural event rather than a one-city installation.
More Than 70 Star Wars Artifacts
The collection will feature more than 70 artifacts, with many being shown publicly by Lucasfilm for the first time. The exhibition will include screen-used props, costumes, vehicles, droids, creatures, and design materials representing different eras and styles of Star Wars storytelling.
Among the most important confirmed objects is Darth Vader's armor. Seen up close, the costume offers visitors the opportunity to examine the details that helped create one of cinema's most recognizable silhouettes. The exhibition will also include Darth Maul's lightsaber hilt, connecting visitors directly to the visual design of one of the prequel era's most memorable weapons.
Grogu will be another major attraction. The character will appear alongside other familiar creatures and aliens, helping the exhibition connect the original films with modern Star Wars productions. R2-D2 and C-3PO, the droid pair that helped introduce audiences to the galaxy in 1977, will also be included.
The exhibition will further feature a full-size speeder bike and original props from Andor, the critically acclaimed Disney+ series. These additions show that the Star Wars museum exhibition will not focus only on the original trilogy. Instead, it will explore the depth and range of the franchise across films, television, characters, vehicles, and production eras.
The true value of these artifacts lies in their physical detail. Screen-used objects often reveal construction choices, paintwork, fabric texture, weathering, mechanical solutions, and production wear that cannot be seen clearly in finished footage. By displaying these objects with their creative context, the exhibition can help visitors understand not only what they represent in the story, but also how filmmakers, designers, technicians, and performers made them believable.
An 18,000-Square-Foot Immersive Journey
The exhibition will cover approximately 18,000 square feet of interconnected galleries. Rather than separating objects into unrelated displays, the experience is intended to guide visitors through a cinematic journey combining large-scale environments, screen-used artifacts, projection, sound, interactive technology, and personalized story elements.
One of the key features will be an RFID-powered system called The Force That Connects Us. Visitors' choices and Force allegiance will shape parts of their journey through the exhibition. Hidden moments, evolving interactions, and personalized story elements will appear as guests move between galleries, eventually building toward a memorable finale.
This use of RFID technology suggests that different visitors may experience certain moments in different ways. Instead of simply walking through a fixed collection, guests will influence aspects of their own exhibition journey, giving the museum experience a stronger sense of participation and replay value.
The galleries will explore sound design, costume creation, concept development, fan art, gaming, practical effects, and digital innovation. The exhibition will also highlight the evolution of Lucasfilm and Industrial Light & Magic, tracing the transition from analog filmmaking techniques to digital reinvention.
This historical focus is especially important during the 50th anniversary celebration. Star Wars did not become influential through storytelling alone. It also changed expectations around visual effects, production design, sound, merchandising, technology, and the relationship between a fictional universe and its audience.
Queen Amidala's Throne Room
One of the major environments revealed during the SDCC 2026 Star Wars panel was Queen Amidala's Throne Room. This gallery will allow visitors to follow the path of Naboo royalty through suspended fabric, projected imagery, and recorded voices from Star Wars creators.
The space will include key costumes and design stories, leading visitors toward Queen Amidala's throne and a closer view of her royal gown. The gallery appears designed to combine production history with visual atmosphere, giving guests a better understanding of how Naboo's ceremonial identity was created through costume, architecture, color, and performance.
Queen Amidala's costumes remain among the most detailed and culturally distinctive designs in the saga. Presenting her gown within an immersive throne-room environment allows visitors to appreciate both the garment itself and the larger visual system surrounding the character.
Wireframe Worlds and Star Wars Vehicle Design
Another confirmed gallery, Wireframe Worlds, will explore the blueprint stage of Star Wars set and vehicle design. The space will be anchored by a wireframe TIE fighter and surrounded by edge-lit acrylic panels, displayed artifacts, early sketches, design notes, and ship diagrams.
This gallery will show how rough concepts and technical drawings gradually evolved into the starfighters and vehicles audiences recognize today. Instead of presenting finished ships as isolated icons, it will reveal the experimentation, revision, and engineering logic behind them.
Vehicle design has always been central to the visual identity of Star Wars. TIE fighters, X-wings, speeders, cruisers, and other vehicles communicate faction, speed, danger, and scale before a character speaks. By focusing on blueprints and early concepts, Wireframe Worlds can help visitors understand how cinematic icons emerge from practical design decisions.
Carbon Freeze Capture
The Carbon Freeze Capture installation will recreate one of the most famous moments from The Empire Strikes Back. Visitors will come face-to-face with a full-scale Han Solo in carbonite, accompanied by two interactive stations.
Guests will be able to activate their own carbon-freeze sequence, creating a photo-ready experience that combines storytelling, technology, and audience participation. The installation is designed to let visitors step into a familiar cinematic scene rather than look at a static prop.
This type of interactive display demonstrates how the exhibition plans to balance archive presentation with entertainment. The Han Solo figure provides a direct connection to Star Wars history. At the same time, the surrounding technology turns that history into a personal and shareable moment.
Fifty Years of Star Wars Action Figures
The exhibition will also present an unprecedented look at 50 years of Star Wars action figure history. More than 100 Star Wars toys will be included, alongside over 30 rare prototypes, development models, tooling samples, and original design materials.
Some of these items have never been displayed publicly before. The collection will trace the evolution of Star Wars toys from the earliest Kenner figures connected to the original trilogy through Hasbro's modern premium collectibles and products inspired by newer stories.
This section matters because Star Wars toys are not simply merchandise. They played a major role in how generations of fans continued the story beyond the films. Children recreated scenes, invented new adventures, and developed personal relationships with characters through physical objects.
The toy display will also show how design methods changed over time. Early figures were shaped by the manufacturing limits and visual expectations of their era. At the same time, modern collectibles use advanced sculpting, articulation, paint applications, scanning, and digital development. Together, the objects provide another history of Star Wars—one told through play, collecting, and commercial design.
What SDCC 2026 Revealed
The official SDCC 2026 Star Wars panel provided the first major public look at the exhibition. During the presentation, Lucasfilm and exhibition representatives unveiled official key art, gallery renderings, and new details about the objects and interactive experiences.
The panel was moderated by Ashley Eckstein, known as the voice of Ahsoka Tano in animated productions including The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels, and Tales of the Jedi. Participants included Lucasfilm representatives Matt Martin and Portia Fontes, The Franklin Institute's Abby Bysshe, and MDSX creative leaders Dan Picard and Dave Edmonds.
Their involvement reflects the exhibition's different priorities. Lucasfilm brings franchise knowledge and access to physical assets. The Franklin Institute brings museum strategy and visitor experience. MDSX contributes immersive design and visual storytelling.
The SDCC presentation established that the exhibition will focus on more than nostalgia. It will celebrate the connection between art, technology, innovation, fandom, and community. The galleries are designed to honor early Star Wars creators while also recognizing the global fan culture that continues to expand the saga's meaning.
Why the Exhibition Matters to Star Wars Fandom
A Star Wars museum exhibition offers something that streaming platforms, online videos, and digital galleries cannot fully recreate: physical proximity to the objects that built the fictional galaxy. Seeing an original costume, prop, model, or design document encourages visitors to slow down and notice the human craft behind the finished story.
The exhibition also creates a bridge between generations. Longtime fans may come for Darth Vader, R2-D2, C-3PO, or original production history. Younger visitors may be most excited to see Grogu, modern props, interactive environments, and RFID-powered story elements.
Collectors can study the development of toys and props. Cosplayers can examine costume materials and proportions. Designers can explore concept art, vehicle blueprints, and production choices. Film students can learn how Lucasfilm and Industrial Light & Magic moved from practical innovation to digital filmmaking.
This broad appeal is one reason the five-year North American tour could be so important. The exhibition is not limited to fans who can travel to Philadelphia during 2027. Over time, it is intended to bring the history, creativity, and community of Star Wars to multiple cities and audiences. 👉 Explore more lightsabers here.
The confirmed details now make the scale of the project clear. Star Wars: The Experience will open at The Franklin Institute on February 13, 2027, run through September 6, and then begin a five-year North American tour. With more than 70 artifacts, 18,000 square feet of galleries, personalized RFID technology, immersive environments, and a major toy-history collection, it is positioned as one of the most ambitious public Star Wars exhibitions ever created.
FAQs
What is Star Wars: The Experience?
It is an official immersive museum exhibition celebrating 50 years of Star Wars storytelling, design, innovation, filmmaking, and fandom.
When does Star Wars: The Experience open?
It opens on February 13, 2027.
Where will the exhibition open?
The world premiere will take place at The Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
How long will the Philadelphia exhibition run?
It will remain open from February 13 through September 6, 2027.
When do tickets go on sale?
Tickets will go on sale in November 2026.
Will the exhibition travel to other cities?
Yes. After the Philadelphia premiere, it will begin a five-year North American tour.
How large is the exhibition?
It will cover approximately 18,000 square feet of interconnected galleries.
How many artifacts will be displayed?
The exhibition will include more than 70 artifacts, many of which are being displayed publicly by Lucasfilm for the first time.
Which Star Wars artifacts are confirmed?
Confirmed objects include Darth Vader's armor, Darth Maul's lightsaber hilt, Grogu, R2-D2, C-3PO, a full-size speeder bike, and original props from Andor.
What interactive experiences will be included?
Confirmed experiences include the RFID-powered Force journey, Queen Amidala's Throne Room, Wireframe Worlds, and the Carbon Freeze Capture installation.
Will the exhibition include Star Wars toys?
Yes. It will include more than 100 toys and over 30 rare prototypes, tooling samples, development models, and original design materials.
What was revealed at SDCC 2026?
The panel revealed official key art, exhibition renderings, artifact details, interactive gallery concepts, and information about the Philadelphia premiere and North American tour.
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