The official word should be coming out any time now, but here (my thoughts follow)...

Star Wars Celebration III, the much-anticipated fan gathering that will
celebrate the Star Wars saga in advance of the opening of Star Wars
Episode III, will return to the Indiana Convention Center April 21 to
April 24, 2005.

The announcement of the location and dates of the convention was made
jointly by Lucasfilm Ltd. and Gen Con LLC. Gen Con will manage the
convention on behalf of Lucasfilm and the Official Star Wars Fan Club.
Celebration II, held in Indianapolis in May 2002, attracted more than
26,000 fans from all over the world.

"We had such a great experience with Celebration II, that it just made
sense to return to Indianapolis," said Steve Sansweet, Director of
Content Management and head of Fan Relations for Lucasfilm. "Only this
time we're going to do it bigger and even better. It's going to be an
event that no fan will want to miss" Sansweet said that advance
indications point to a significant increase in attendance at the event,
which will take place several weeks before the Spring 2005 release of
Star Wars Episode III. Because of that, and to mitigate long lines
common to such conventions, Celebration III will occupy the entire
convention center except for the RCA Dome. Also, the convention has been
extended for a day, and will open around mid-day on Thursday, April 21.

"Gen Con is thrilled to be working with Lucasfilm on this very special
event," said Peter Adkison, owner of Gen Con LLC, producer of Gen Con(r)
Indy, which also is held at the Indiana Center. "Together I know that we
will produce an event that will not only meet, but exceed, fans'
expectations. With Lucasfilm behind this show 100%, it's going to be the
biggest party in the history of the franchise."

Sansweet noted that the Celebration III announcement is being made far
earlier than the announcements for the first two official Star Wars fan
conventions. "We want to give our fans all over the world the chance to
plan their vacation time for this one-of-a-kind event," he said. "We've
already been getting requests for information from Australia to
Hungary."

Details about programming, guests, activities, entertainment and
exclusive merchandise at Celebration III will be released as they are
confirmed closer to the convention. The main places to check for
information will be www.starwars.com, the official site, and
www.starwarscelebration.com. Online ordering for admission to the event
and for discounted hotel rooms is scheduled to begin late this summer.
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I went to Celebration II, and the thing that ruined it was the long lines. The wife and I waited for an hour to try to get into the opening ceremonies, only to be given a ticket for a panel later in the day! No communication, lines for everything, didn't get half of what I wanted to accomplish. It accelerated my sour feelings over Star Wars that the new trilogy was brewing. I'm glad the originals are coming out on DVD this fall.