D&D Festivals So Weird They Become Whole Adventures

One thing that might go overlooked by many DMs when creating their scenarios for Dungeons & Dragons is festivities. A key aspect in most cultures is to celebrate things, whether it’s tied to seasons, holidays made by their cultures, or celebrations of things they cherish and value.

Because D&D has been around for a while, they have already thought about this a long time ago, and thus offer quite a few festivities you can add to your stories or adapt to your world. Some of these have a premise interesting enough that it could warrant a whole campaign, even if it’s a small one, or an additional arc within your overall narrative.

Fleetswake

For Some Sea Adventures

Hall of Storm Giants (Variant) MTG Art from Adventures in the Forgotten Realms by Alex Stone

Let’s start with a simple one. Fleetswake is a festival that takes place mainly in Waterdeep, in honor of deities related to the sea. It has festivals, the Shipwright’s Ball, and a race.

These concepts are simple, but adding a ball into your story is a good scenario for a big moment in the story. But more importantly, letting your players take over a ship for a race is a unique thing to do within your campaign. You can make a fun side-quest out of it.

Race Of Eight Winds

Take It To The Sky

Illustration by Martin Mottet

Leaving Faerun for a bit, Eberron has the Race of Eight Winds, which is another fun opportunity to add a race for your players as a special type of encounter.

This one doesn’t take place in the water, though, but in the sky, as all mounts consist of flying creatures. You can also attack, either with a bow or have the mount attack, but the options (within the rules) are limited.

Day Of Wonders

For Artificer Mayhem

Illustration by Kai Carpenter

Back to Waterdeep, the Day of Wonders is a day when artificers, mainly the followers of Gond, would show their new technological inventions to the city, many of which are untested or still incomplete.

With this in mind, having these inventions go haywire can make for interesting shenanigans, or you can make a whole plot as someone, your villain, takes full control of all of them for their nefarious plot, or steals an extremely dangerous invention, among other plot hooks.

Feast Of The Moon

Embrace The Past

Illustration by Steven Belledin

This one is simpler, but it has potential for great storytelling and narrative hooks. Basically, it’s a day that honors the dead, sharing their tales, but it focuses on their epic deeds, celebrating who they were, instead of an event focused on mourning.

Not only is this easy material for organic exposition, in case a particular tale ties in with your story, but you can make hooks, such as spirits returning to relive their tales, or someone (the villain) using this information to uncover mysteries to use for their evil deeds.

Brightswords

Waterdeep Really Likes Festivities

Illustration by Brian Valenzuela

Once more in Waterdeep, the Brightswords is a more militarized holiday, featuring parades, staged fights, and tests of skill and strength for people.

This holiday is perfect for making direct fights within your game, but without the fear of dying, as they’re in a controlled space. Your players can fight other contestants, and you can use this to introduce the BBEG, having them fight this overpowered character, giving them a glimpse of their power, but in a scenario where they won’t die during this unfair fight.

Liar’s Night

Be Whoever

Scarecrow by Daarken

Liar’s Night is a day when people pretend to be something they’re not. Through costumes, illusions, or transmutations, you mask yourself, and your actions won’t have consequences for you, as your identity is hidden.

Because of that, people would do stupid things, from pranks to actual crimes, making this festivity a weird mix of Halloween and the Purge. This scenario is perfect for unexpected mayhem to occur during your games, and enemies can do their thing without being identified, which is ideal for mystery campaigns.

Midsummer Night

Very Shakespearean

Illustration by Simon Dominic

If your players are up for some risqué adventuring, this holiday could be appealing. Here, celebrations of love and decadence are made in a public and inviting manner, and people’s fantasies run wild.

There’s even a tradition for single women to go into the woods and potential suitors to go after to ‘hunt’ them, so yes, it’s that weird. You can adapt that to make single PCs go after potential romances, or even play a bit and have them hunt one another if the party is okay with PCs romancing one another.

You can also add some unexpected dangers in the woods — we recommend some fey, just to keep the Shakespearean aesthetic.

Festival Of The Founding

Celebrate The Beginning

Illustration by Andrew Mar

The Festival of the Founding is a nice, simple feast, where nobles from different houses get together to celebrate the founding of their great city, and there are many festivities throughout the area.

What’s weird about it, then? Well, the city is Menzoberranzan, and we’re talking about Drow houses. It’s even believed that Lolth herself walks among the city to judge people, all that while being disguised, so even the Drow are afraid of disrespecting strangers during this day, because you never know.

Original Release Date

1974

Player Count

2+

Length per Game

From 60 minutes to hours on end.

Age Recommendation

12+ (though younger can play and enjoy)

Franchise Name

Dungeons & Dragons

Publishing Co

Wizards of the Coast