Though the upcoming Rogue One looks like it may be a lightsaber-less Star Wars affair, the same can't be said for Downtown L.A. on Friday.
Glow Sword Battle L.A. (formerly Lightsaber Battle L.A.) is set to take over Pershing Square on Friday, December 16 at 8pm. Hundreds of Star Wars fans—and those who otherwise just love swinging around laser swords—will converge on the park to cross plastic, color-changing glow swords.
The event is free to attend, with food trucks, a DJ and a beer garden on site. You're welcome to bring your own lightsaber, but if you don't have one event organizer Newmindspace is selling 3-foot-long glow swords for $10, which will be available for pick-up at Pershing Square. The company will donate 10 percent of the proceeds from lightsaber and T-shirt sales to the Fire Relief Fund for Victims of Ghostship Oakland Fire, which will help cover medical expenses and funeral costs for victims of the Oakland warehouse fire.
Newmindspace, which is also behind the annual Pillow Fight NYC, first held the event last December. Though a cease and desist letter from Disney has forced the company to drop the Lucasfilm trademarked "lightsaber" from its name, the rebranded series is continuing on under the "glow sword" name here in L.A., as well as concurrently in San Francisco, San Diego and Seattle.
We attended last year's meet-up and it was a mix of playful lightsaber tapping and highly-choreographed Sith Lord and Jedi battles. Make sure to check out our photos from the 2015 event, as well as a video of last year's action.
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