Summary
Stardew Valleycreator Eric “ConcernedApe” Barone recently teased some details regarding the game’s upcoming Version 1.6 update. In addition to new late-game content and new outfits and dialogue for Pelican Town’s residents,Stardew Valleywill be getting three new annual festivals, two minor and one major. The “major festival” Barone has referenced could address one gap inStardew Valley’scurrent rotation of festivals, namely the existing summer festivals' relative lack of content compared to those in other seasons.
Currently,Stardew Valley’sfour seasons feature two festivals each, with winter having an extra third festival - theNight Market- added in a previous update. Festival days represent special occurrences when the villagers get together to celebrate something like the spring flowers, the legend of the Winter Star, or the summer jellyfish migration.Stardew Valley’sexisting festivals feature opportunities to buy exclusive products, earn friendship with characters, and participate in mini-games, but some are definitely more expansive than others.
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Stardew Valley’s Current Summer Festivals Are Somewhat Lacking
Summer inStardew Valleyis a busy season, with valuable crops like Wheat, Corn, Hops, and Sunflowers available to plant and harvest. The season is a great opportunity for players to earn a lot of Gold by expanding their fields, catching seasonal fish, and converting crops to Pickles, Jelly, and more. However, the otherwise jam-packed season is let down by two rather lackluster festivals. The Luau lets the player contribute an item to a potluck, potentially earning a decent amount of friendship with every character. Meanwhile, theDance of the Moonlight Jelliesinitially featured no unique rewards or content, although an update added a booth where Pierre sells jelly-themed decorations.
This stands in stark contrast to the other seasons. In the spring, players can get closer to their love interest of choice during the Flower Dance, while the autumn offers the expansive county fair-inspiredStardew Valley Fair. Players who make out well during the Grange Display Contest can stock up on enough Seeds and Hay to last them a good way through winter. Most elaborate of all is the wintry Night Market, a three-day extravaganza with multiple merchants to buy from and exclusive fish to catch. A newly added summer festival could be the content-rich event thatStardew Valley’ssummer currently needs.
A New Festival Could Focus On The Pelican Town Community Center
Another area that could be highlighted by a new major festival isStardew Valley’s Community Center. The Community Center represents a major part of the game’s plot, with players working together with Junimo spirits to restore it to its former glory. However, one fan complaint is that the Community Center plays an extremely minimal role in the game once it has been fixed. Some characters occasionally visit it, but that is all. A festival taking place in the Community Center could fill this gap, letting it become the center of Pelican Town’s community life as Mayor Lewis initially describes.
A potential Community Center festival could also have an alternate version should the player choose to side with JojaCorp to keep the town’s JojaMart open and turn the Community Center into a newJoja Warehouse. Perhaps the event could center around a major sale at JojaMart or the opening of a new department, selling items such as Joja-themed furniture or clothing. It could also serve as an opportunity to introduce more JojaCorp-aligned characters, or give depth to some of the nameless cashiers who work at JojaMart.
Unfortunately, theStardew ValleyVersion 1.6 update still does not have a confirmed release date, as ConcernedApe is splitting his time between working onStardewand his upcoming gameHaunted Chocolatier.Until then, players are eagerly awaiting the new festivals, late-game content, dialogue, and more that the game’s creator has promised will be coming in the hopefully near future.
Stardew Valleyis currently available for Mobile, Nintendo Switch, PC, PS4, PS Vita, and Xbox One.
