May the Fourth be with You: Hamilton looks to capitalize on Star Wars day with festival

“Encouraging local businesses to embrace this theme feels like a natural fit, as it connects with something millions of people are already passionate about,” said Cassandra Maslin, Small Business Development specialist in Hamilton’s Economic Development Department.

The initiative is “a fantastic opportunity,” she said, for businesses to not only show off their creativity but engage with the community and “offer visitors a truly unique experience that they can only find in Hamilton.”

Bar Wars leads up the RiversEdge Star Wars Day Festival on May 4 in Marcum Park. From May 2 to May 4, businesses will offer special Star Wars-themed promotions, events and entertainment. But bars and restaurants within the downtown portion of the Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area, or DORA, district will be invited to participate in the cocktail competition, and visitors and patrons can vote on their favorite drinks over that weekend.

Hamilton has grown in hosting and holding events, from something campy like the new Bar Wars and the May the Fourth be with You Festival to an established destination festival like Operation Pumpkin that draws tens of thousands of people over three days. It’s important to have these attractions, from small to large, said Jim Goodman, a co-owner of Municipal Brew Works, as Hamilton has seen a resurgence of small businesses opening in the city over the past several years.

“There’s only so many local dollars to go around, so the way that these businesses need to work together is to create events like this, to bring outside dollars into Hamilton,” he said. “That helps everybody and helps makes this sustainable.”

The DORA district in Hamilton has grown over the past several years, and so has the number of participating businesses.

“When we started DORA, there were seven businesses that were selling DORA drinks. Now there’s over 30, and it’s not like the city of Hamilton’s population has increased proportionally,” said Goodman. “What Hamilton is becoming is a destination, and the way to make it a destination is to give people reasons to visit.”

Small events like next month’s Star Wars-themed event that could draw anywhere from a few hundred to several hundred or more are just as important as the large events, said Greater Hamilton Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Dan Bates. So, for every visitor ordering a specialty-crafted Star Wars-themed drink, like a Yoda Soda or Kylo Ren-tini, more money will be circulated into the Hamilton economy.

“Sometimes some of our smallest pushes give our businesses a little extra business that day,” he said. “A few extra people through the door make a huge difference. They don’t need 100, they just need a handful to make a difference in their day.”

The expansion of the May the Fourth be with You movie into a weekend-long event was an idea by Logan Walden, a Hamilton resident services specialist who was hired by the city in February 2024.

“One of the tasks assigned to me was to create alternative programming outside of live music events,” he said. “I’ve always loved pop culture, sci-fi, fantasy, comic book conventions, and have seen the large market that those sorts of events attract.”

He said he’d like to see the city develop into a hub not only for Star War fans but pop-culture fans “to come together and simply ‘nerd out’ in this corner of the Midwest.”

The business with the most votes will be crowned the winner and awarded a trophy during May 4 festival, which has grown from a movie night last year to a several hours-long festival featuring cosplay contests, trivia, vendors, food trucks and more, and ending with “The Empire Strikes Back” playing that’s synchronized with a light show.

If this event becomes popular, the city could lean in even further with other celebrations based on pop culture and popular franchises, Maslin said.

“We’ve been exploring the idea of future events centered around other fandoms, giving local businesses another opportunity to connect with these fan communities,” she said. “We’re always looking for ways to make downtown Hamilton a place where people want to gather and have fun, so I’d definitely say that door is wide open.”

HOW TO PARTICIPATE

The deadline to be a vendor or participant in Bar Wars is April 15. People should either reach out to Cassandra Maslin at 513-785-7079 or Cassandra.Maslin@hamilton-oh.gov, or fill out one of the Google forms.