Summary

• Stardew Valley offers a variety of festivals which break up the normal daily routine, including the Flower Dance in the spring.
• The main draw of the Flower Dance is an opportunity to deepen a relationship with possible marriage candidates.
• The festival is also a chance to purchase unique cosmetic items.

The Flower Dance is one of the many festivals that can be enjoyed in Stardew Valley, and one of the earliest in the calendar. Moreover, those who attend it soon find that it offers some unique opportunities to progress in various areas of the game. With that being said, taking full advantage of the Flower Dance does require some preparation beforehand.

Festivals of all kinds are spread throughout the year in Stardew Valley, and create regular breaks from the rhythm of everyday life. On these days, the villagers typically diverge from their regular schedules, and take part in all manner of interesting activities, from versions of real-life holidays to more unique celebrations. In addition to fictional equivalents to Halloween and Christmas (Spirit’s Eve and the Feast of the Winter Star respectively), there are the Egg Festival and Luau, as well as new Festivals introduced as part of Stardew Valley’s 1.6 update like the Trout Derby.

The Flower Dance Is A Late Spring Stardew Valley Festival

Located In The Cindersap Forest

The Flower Dance is the third and final Spring festival celebrated by the people of Pelican Town. It takes place on the 24th of Spring in Cindersap Forest, and is attended by most characters in the game. As with the vast majority of festivals, homes and shops will be locked and inaccessible on the day of the Flower Dance, meaning that there is little point in visiting Pelican Town itself at this time. Of course, players can choose to skip the Flower Dance entirely if they so wish, but attending the event does come with its benefits.

The major draw of the Flower Dance is, of course, its titular event. After talking for long enough with any of new feature in Stardew Valley’s 1.6 update even sees the villager give new custom dialogue when accepting. However, if the villager in question has less than four hearts of friendship, then they will refuse to dance.

Naturally, it makes sense for the farmer to raise their friendship level as much as possible ahead of the Flower Dance if they wish to marry a specific villager. However, doing so may be difficult in Year 1, considering the relatively short time limit to reach the required number of hearts. Acquiring the best gifts for a given candidate and talking to them every day, and perhaps doing some bulletin board quests, can make it possible, but a more relaxed (or unlucky) playthrough can easily see the farmer waiting until Year 2’s Flower Dance to approach a prospective spouse.

The Flower Dance Features Plenty Of Exclusive Items

Every Festival Has Special Items For Sale

To begin the Flower dance (and so end the festival), the player simply needs to speak with Mayor Lewis. But even without a dance partner, attending the Flower Dance is far from pointless. As with a few other festivals, Pierre sets up a special booth for the day. His wares range from some of Stardew Valley’s many stylish decorations to more practical items, many of which are otherwise unobtainable in the game. As such, whether they are interested in beautifying the farm or more practical concerns, there is always an interesting product available for the farmer to buy.

In of unique decorations, Pierre offers both the recipe to craft a Tub o’ Flowers and the finished product, for 1000g and 250g respectively. He also sells Wall Flowers and Ceiling Leaves, with two versions of each available. Additionally, various Seasonal items (two different Seasonal Plants and the Seasonal Decor) are also available to purchase for 350g each. These are decorative plants which naturally change their appearance depending on the Season, and form a set with other such plants available at various points throughout the year.

The Furniture Catalogue does allow for these and many other decorative items to be placed for free. However, buying them from Pierre is still fairly reasonable considering that the Catalogue itself costs 200,000g.

Pierre also stocks 10 Daffodils and Dandelions each, which can be given as gifts and used to make Salad respectively. More significantly, he even sells Rarecrow #5 (which resembles a farmer with long blonde hair) for 2,500g. This in-game collector’s item works the same as any normal Scarecrow, protecting a large circular area of the farm from crows. As a farm expands, Scarecrows are valuable investments which ensure that crops are not eaten, and the unique designs of Rarecrows combine this with a fun decorative angle.

The Flower Dance Is A Fun Alternative To Stardew Valley’s Regular Gameplay Loop

Each Festival Only Happens Once A Year

Interestingly, the specific area of Cindersap Forest that the Flower Dance takes place in is usually inaccessible. It is located in the south-west area of the forest, with a temporary bridge being put up especially for the occasion; for the rest of the year, tiles can be seen marking where the bridge is placed, but the gap it traverses is otherwise imable. This makes the festival unusual among its fellow events, which mostly take place in more readily accessible locations. Another exception to this is the Desert Festival, which naturally requires the bus to be repaired.

Of course, it is worth noting that attending the Flower Dance leaves little time for farming or other activities on that day. The festival is accessible from 9am to 2pm, and the farmer will arrive back on the farm at 10pm afterward. As such, some careful time management may be needed if managing large amounts of crops or livestock. But on the other hand, between Major Lewis sending a letter the day before and the community calendar marking the date, the farmer does arguably have enough warning to not overcrowd their schedule on the 24th of Spring.

The Flower Dance is a classic festival in Stardew Valley that offers both social and more material rewards for attending, and so it can easily be a highlight of any farmer’s Spring. It provides a fun diversion from the regular routine of farming, and the new dialogue introduced in the latest update also helps to refresh the experience for long-time players. As a result, although some may prefer to skip the festival in favor of other activities, the Flower Dance is more than entertaining enough to attend even if the player is left watching the main event from the sidelines.