Eric Barone's classic farming sim, Stardew Valley allows players to jump into a simple life of agriculture; growing crops, completing quests, and romancing the NPC's of the titular town. The in-game year is broken into four seasons and each one comes with its own challenges and special events
The new 1.5 update introduces new features, secrets, and a co-op multiplayer mode. During the winter, players may receive an invitation to the town's annual Festival of Ice. Here the players can find the whole town enjoying the winter snow with ice sculptures, snowmen, igloos, and an ice fishing contest. There are many rewards to gain from taking part in the celebrations as well as unique encounters with the NPCs.
8 The Festival Is On The Same Day Every Year
As players harvest their Autumn crops and begin to hunker down for winter, they will receive an invitation in their mailbox from the town's mayor. The letter invites the player to join Mayor Lewis and the rest of the town in a celebration of winter at the annual Festival of Ice.
This invitation is received on the 8th of Winter every year. The festivities can be attended at any time between 9 am and 2 pm, providing plenty of time to finish morning chores and put the farm in order before joining in. If for any reason the player should miss the Festival, they will always be able to attend next year on the same day.
7 The Whole Town Will Be Shut
The annual Festival of Ice is attended by the entire town making it a great opportunity to socialize with certain villagers outside of their usual schedules. Each of the townsfolk will have their own preferred activity that will determine where they can be found in the snow-covered forest.
With everyone enjoying the celebrations, the player will not be able to enter any houses or shops as they will all be closed for the day. It is worth remembering to plan around this and pick up any necessary supplies the day before or after the festivities. There are special shops at the festival selling unique items, and all the regular services will be open again the next day at their usual times.
6 How To Find The Festival
Attending the winter celebration is optional, however with the whole town shut for the day players may not have anything else to do. The invitation from Mayor Lewis specifies that the event will start outside Marrie's house.
Players can join the Festival of Ice by entering Cindersap Forest within the allotted time. This is an area that many will have visited before, so it shouldn't take long to explore the festival and see all the different events. The main event is the fishing competition which is held by the large lake in the center of the forest. The player is automatically returned to their farm at 10 pm after Mayor Lewis announces the winner of the fishing contest.
5 The Travelling Merchant Has Her Own Stall
Occasionally while players are exploring the town, foraging for items, or just going about their day, they may encounter a lady in a purple cart pulled by a pig wearing sunglasses and a fez. This enigmatic woman is none other than the traveling merchant of Stardew Valley who sells a variety of special items. Her stock often changes depending on where she is found so it is worth keeping an eye out for her iconic carriage and pig.
During the Festival of Ice, the traveling merchant can be found in an igloo to the left of the frozen lake. During this event, she will sell winter-themed items including pumpkin soup. The player can also purchase the snowman rarecrow here for 2,000 gold. These are unique scarecrows that can be acquired in specific locations throughout the in-game year.
4 How To Win The Fishing Contest
Of all the activities during the Festival, the ice fishing competition is one of the most important. To win this contest, players need to catch five fish during the allotted time, which is more difficult than it initially sounds. The first time players win they will receive two new tackles, a fishing magnet, and a sailor's hat, all of which can be useful for catching better fish such as the Largemouth Bass.
A common mistake during this challenge is for players to stand too far away from their hole in the ice. The holes are quite small which makes casting into them very difficult, especially from a distance. In order to maximize their number of catches, players should stand right next to the hole and use minimum casting strength to drop their tackle into the water. It is important to note that a fish only counts toward a player's score after the catching animation has been completed. If a perfect catch is landed but the time runs out before the animation finishes it will not be counted towards the final score.
3 Multiple Prizes For Multiple Players
Stardew Valley's new split-screen co-op mode allows players to join their friends in farming and completing missions. If multiple players enter the ice fishing contest they do not necessarily have to compete against each other, as every player that catches enough fish will receive their own prize.
As long each of the players catches the necessary five fish they will either receive the primary reward of fishing gear or if they have already won in previous years they will receive a sum of 2,000 gold.
2 Reference To Godzilla And Calvin & Hobbes
Stardew Valley is a game with a quirky sense of humor and there are many references to famous films, comics, and other video games for players to find as they explore. There are two references players can find at the Festival of Ice, which make for nice Easter eggs if the player is familiar with where they come from.
At the end of the fishing competition, Mayor Lewis will conclude the event by saying "Wow, that's a lot of fish." While seemingly innocuous, this is actually a line from the 1998 Godzilla movie and it is possible that Barone's included it as a deliberate reference. Another possible allusion to popular culture is when the player asks Abigail about her snowman and she describes it as a snowgoon. This may be a hidden reference to the Calvin & Hobbes comic, 'Attack of the Deranged, Mutant, Killer, Monster Snowgoons.'
1 There Is A Secret Note For Players To Find At The Festival
While walking between the bus stop and their farm, during winter, players may experience a chance encounter that activates the quest, "A Winter Mystery." During this quest, players will receive a magnifying glass that can be used to find secret notes while performing everyday activities, including fishing.
One of these secret notes can be found while competing in the ice fishing contest. Notes contain hints as to how to solve certain puzzles in the game or advice on how to best gain the affection of certain NPCs. Sadly the Festival of Ice note is one of the few that is not saved in the player's inventory after finding it, meaning they will only have one chance to read it and memorize its contents.