The Five Best Events at the 'Back to the Future' Anniversary Celebration

With the 30th anniversary of the time-traveling adventures of Marty McFly and Doc Brown fast approaching, a group of superfans have gathered together to plan the biggest Back to the Future celebration ever. It sounds awesome.

First held on the trilogy’s 25th anniversary in 2010, the celebration called “We’re Going Back,” is a five-day fan experience akin to a convention without having the pesky drawback of being held in just one place. Instead, organizers have planned tons of BttF-related events throughout the Los Angeles area that seem to cover everything save for actually traveling through time.

Here are the ‘OUTATIME’ events we’re looking forward to the most.

1. Riding Actual Hoverboards

Well, not actual-actual hoverboards. Instead, the event gathers the original hoverboard rig team from Back to the Future II and lets participants slide in the same mechanism used by the actors in the 1989 sequel. Also slated to appear are members of Griff’s gang. Here’s hoping one of them is the guy who reminded Marty that hoverboards don’t work on water.

2. Take Rides in the Railroad Time Machine

People seem to generally dislike Back to the Future III, but what do they know? It was a clever slant on a western with some Michael J. Fox quips thrown in. What better way to relive the old west action at Eastwood Ravine than going to the event that recreates the DeLorean time machine on rails? This time you do need a credit card to ride this train. As an added bonus, the organizers have tracked down the actual locomotive that destroyed the time machine in the third movie.

3. Go to the Enchantment Under the Sea Dance

This is where things get really nerdy. The celebration is recreating the Enchantment Under the Sea dance as seen throughout the trilogy. Guests will mingle with the cast and crew, among period dancers. No word on whether Marty will make an appearance to invent rock ‘n’ roll, but a band called The Flux Capacitors featuring Marvin Berry will be there.

4. See The Original Filming Locations

Location tours are the definition of cheesy, especially when they’re public spots, easily visited outside a giant convention. But where’s the fun in that? The tour promises to bring attendees to the “Lyon Estates” to see the McFly house, the “Chapel O’ Love,” George’s peeping tom tree, “Hill Valley High,” and even Doc’s mansion. The best place to see these incredibly geeky locations is with fellow incredibly geeky Back to the Future fans.

5. See a Screening of the First Movie at Twin Pines/Lone Pine Mall

The celebration is renting out the entire parking lot of the Puente Hills Mall in Industry, California to screen the original movie, and probably do some re-enacting of the famous plutonium scene as well. The organizers held this event in 2010 too, and warn that they expect big crowds, so it should be a big deal. It seems like the most essential Back to the Future experience.

Tickets to all of the events will set you back a whopping $880. But fans will spend anything for access like this. That’s the power of love.