Before the dark times.

For over a thousand generations the Jedi Knights were the guardians of peace and justice in the Old Republic, before the dark times...

Although the Toronto Saber battle has been going on for sometime now I only discovered it three years ago, or maybe I only built up the nerve to attend for the first time three years ago.

My first year attending involved myself and my then nine year old son and it was fantastic!  Being surrounded by like-minded fans who, armed with glowing swords, helped brighten the dark night sky with fun, enthusiasm and laughter.  

It was a evening that words can barely hope to describe.

Come the following October, having listened to my son and I sing its praises for a year, my wife and my eldest son decided to join in on the fun for the 2016 Toronto Glow Sword Battle!  And once again, by the time the evening had come to an end we were all talking about how we couldn't wait for next years event.

Fortunately that time has once again arrived with Saber Battle 2017 taking place tomorrow night, Saturday October 7th, at Toronto's Nathan Phillips Square.  Unfortunately this will also be a sobering event with the organizers announcement that this will be the final Saber Battle in Toronto.

From a fan who has enjoyed each of these events, thank you to newmindspace for all your hard work and effort in bringing a community of fans together to celebrate their shared love of Star Wars. Much like the warriors who have helped to brighten the October night sky, you have in some way brightened the lives of all those fortunate enough to participate in this gathering.

On behalf of the small team that makes up CanGeek.com, I can't recommend enough that if your reading this, you make the effort to go out and get involved in tomorrow night's event. As it draws to a close it will be sad, like saying a final goodbye to an old friend, but I wouldn't miss it for the world.

Thanks for reading.

Glow Swords Unite Generations

"If Dad likes it than it can't be chill!"

As a father of two I sometimes find it a challenge to develop common ground with my boys.

I'm not old, not by any stretch,  but even if I was in my sixties what is age?  It's merely a number used by society to define the time you've put in and experience you've gained.

One such place that I've attempted to achieve a measure of common ground with my kids is in our shared love of Star Wars!  So when I was introduced to Glow Sword Battle Toronto last year (formerly the Toronto Lightsaber Battle) it truly felt like the will of the force!

Administrated by Newmindspace this is a free all-ages event were the only costs you are responsible for are your personal lightsabers. 

My eldest son who was twelve at the time was not an easy sell, he couldn't imagine a group of people with Lightsabers battling it out in the dark representing any measure of fun, so he stayed home.  My youngest son was nine at the time and he was all over this, so together we went into the darkness armed only with our glowing swords and when we emerged into the light we had become a little closer and had a fantastic evening of fun!

Over the past twelve months my older son has come to realize just what he missed out on last October so together this year we will all converge on Glow Sword Battle Toronto 2016 ready to defeat our foes!

That is after all the magic of fandom,  Finding shared interests with others in order to develop not only common ground but also friendships and memories that endure the test of time.

Should you be interested in learning more about this event check out the Event Page and as always remember to follow us on our CanGeek Community Page.

Thanks for reading!