Hundreds of die-hard sci-fi fans dressed up in eye-catching outfits at a music festival to celebrate Star Wars Day.
‘Midnight Mafia VIII: Gangs of the Galaxies’ saw revelers descend on Sydney Olympic Park, in Sydney’s west, on Saturday night.
May 4 is the official date on which the sci-fi franchise is celebrated around the world and fans often greet each other with the phrase: “May the Fourth be with you.”
The comment is a play on words with the phrase commonly spoken in movies where the characters said: ‘May the force be with you.’
Several revelers dressed up as the series’ most memorable heroes, including Princess Leia, Obi Wan Kenobi and Luke Skywalker.
The villains of the series were also represented, as well as others dressed as characters such as Darth Vader and Darth Maul.
Some partygoers twirled their costumes to be as revealing as possible, braving the cold 17C temperatures and wet, windy conditions.
Hardstyle fans have donned revealing outfits paying homage to the Star Wars character for an event on the unofficial Star Wars Day, May 4.
Partygoes dressed as villains and heroes from the sci-fi series for Midnight Mafia’s ‘Gangs of the Galaxies’ event
Some dressed to the nines, others were more subtle, wearing fur boots to reflect the Wookies and Ewoks of the series.
Others decided to ditch the Star Wars theme as they braved the cold, wet and windy weather Saturday night.
Some chose to dress as characters from other famous franchises such as the cartoon Sailer Moon.
One dressed as Spiderman while another was dressed as Raven from Teen Titans
The event promised that attendees would “enter the crazy world of gangs that reside in every known galaxy.”
“There is no respect but there are many places to hide,” read the cryptic details of the event.
‘It’s a turf war like no other and not all gangs are run by humans. The Rebellion is underway, so reach for the stars!’
The event promised the “best lineup ever featuring over 10 of the scene’s hottest acts,” along with wild production including lasers and giant image screens.
Tickets for the event cost up to $180 when they went on sale on February 2, and fans were urged to pre-register as Midnight Mafia is their “biggest-selling party” in the past two years.
Previous events hosted by Harder Styles United (HSU) have featured a large police presence and Saturday was no different.
However, NSW Police confirmed there were no arrests and no infringement notices served as the crowd behaved well.
A man wore a band that said “it’s my birthday”
The antagonist of the original trilogy, Darth Vader, was a popular costume.
Vader’s former mentor and robed foe in the series, Obi Wan Kenobi, also appeared as a popular outfit for partygoers.
Princess Leia’s tiny outfit from Return of the Jedi appeared on several partygoers
Others decided to keep it simple: A man is seen with a fan-favorite Yoda plush doll peeking out of his bag.
Several attendees channeled their Sith energy while dressing all in black for the event.
HSU’s success over the past two years has been contrasted with music festivals considered cornerstones of the Australian music industry that are collapsing and struggling to stay afloat.
The biggest of which, Splendor In The Grass, was sensationally canceled for 2024 just days after releasing a “disappointing” lineup.
Music promoter Danny Grant said music festivals “have had a nightmare for three years and were trying to diversify too much”.
‘(Splendor) went from Kylie Minogue to [American rapper] Future and were probably targeting crowds who didn’t want to see each other.’
And he added: “I don’t think there was much crossover. It did the opposite of what they expected.”
Another Star Wars costume worn by revelers just before the event.
Some decided to wear more traditional outfits for hardstyle events.
Showing off skin is not unknown, but what about what’s under the skin?
Classic EDM outfits, sportswear and Nike TN shoes were also featured.
Outfit or not, partygoers were ecstatic upon entering the event.
Police were seen at the event, however, there were no arrests or violation notices during the event.
