Star Wars lands in the heart of Orchard Road

STAR Wars: The Last Jedi doesn't land in cinemas until mid-December but Singaporeans can feel The Force in advance with the launch of a ten-day event celebrating all things revolving around the hit sci-fi franchise.

At the stroke of midnight on Sept 1, the Star Wars: Experience the Force festival will kick off in conjunction with the worldwide fan fest Star Wars Force Friday II at ION Orchard. Merchandise from the upcoming film will be available for sale before it hits retail stores.

The event will run until Sept 10 with a whole host of pop-up experiences and installations that promise to take visitors on an epic Star Wars journey right in the heart of Orchard Road.

Basement 4 of the mall will be transformed into ION Station, where fans can expect to be transported to a galaxy far, far away as they interact with BB-8, the skittish but loyal droid from The Force Awakens (2015). The virtual reality experience - created by ILMxLAB, a new laboratory for immersive entertainment from Lucasfilm, Industrial Light & Magic, and Skywalker Sound - premiered at Star Wars Celebration Orlando earlier this year and it will be the first time it is being brought to South-east Asia.

The outdoor event space at Level 1 will be transformed into a Padawan Training ground, where youngsters aged 4 to 12 will get to unleash The Force within them and work their way to becoming Jedi Masters by learning how to handle light sabres.

The space will also host the first ever South-east Asian installation of the Millennium Falcon: the spaceship that saved the galaxy time and again, from the Battle of Yavin in A New Hope (1977) to the destruction of the Starkiller Base in The Force Awakens (2015).

Don't be alarmed if you see AT-ACT Walker discovered by Rebel troopers during the Battle of Scarif in the Rogue One (2016) spin-off roaming the streets outside ION Orchard; it's just part of the street-level activities lined up for fans to get up close and personal with the 3.5m tall replica created by Taiwan-based toymaker Beast Kingdom.

The festivities will carry on to the Singapore Toy, Game & Comic Convention (STGCC) which takes place on Sept 9 and 10 at Marina Bay Sands, where an entire zone will be dedicated to all things Star Wars.

Expect specially flown-in fan-built props including Kylo Ren's TIE Silencer from the upcoming episode, Rey's Speeder which is signed by director JJ Abrams himself, and a film replica of the interior of the Millennium Falcon.

Star Wars: Experience the Force is one of the initiatives supported under the three-year collaboration between Singapore Tourism Board (STB) and The Walt Disney Company Southeast Asia.

It is organised by ReedPOP and The Walt Disney Company Southeast Asia, with event partner ION Orchard, and supported by STB.

"Building on the success of the Star Wars event at Gardens by the Bay in May this year, we are pleased to partner with Disney and ReedPOP to bring exclusive Star Wars experiences to our iconic Orchard Road and homegrown pop-culture show, Singapore Toy, Game & Comic Convention," says Carrie Kwik, executive director, Arts, Entertainment and Tourism Concept Development from STB, "We have no doubt that Star Wars fans, both local and foreign, will have a celestial entertainment experience once again in Singapore."