The Flower Dance is one of Stardew Valley's earliest holidays, and it's one that can play a major role in the calendar. While it does admittedly have fewer things going on than many of Stardew Valley's other festivals, what it does have is an opportunity that few players will want to pass up. It's one of the first holidays that players will encounter, following the Egg Festival, so a new player may be caught off guard by the events. However, the Flower Dance is a great festival with some simple yet valuable rewards in place for participating.

There are several festivals in Stardew Valley that the player can take part in over the course of the year. On the days of most festivals, the town will be closed, so players won't be able to shop or visit houses. Once the festival is over, the player will be sent straight back to their farm at nighttime. The Flower Dance is in line with this trend, with the added bonus of taking place in a normally-inaccessible area of the forest, giving it an air of uniqueness. While attending a festival is not required, they often come with once-a-year-bonuses that are worth visiting for.

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Stardew Valley's Flower Dance Is Valuable For Improving Friendships

When it comes to romancing characters in Stardew Valley, the Flower Dance is a festival that shouldn't be overlooked. The titular dance is the main attraction, and if the player dances with one of the available romance options, they will immediately earn a full heart's worth of friendship with them. Only the romance options are available, so whoever the player chooses will become one step closer to potentially becoming their partner. The Flower Dance's friendship bonus is great, but it does come with one downside that may cost players in the first year, especially due to its place in Stardew Valley's calendar.

In order to ask someone to dance, the player's friendship level in Stardew Valley with said person must be at least four hearts. Since the Flower Dance takes place in Spring, there's a real chance that the player may not have reached that level with anyone yet in Year 1, and will have to sit out as a result. The most likely Year 1 options would be Haley and Shane, whose birthdays take place before the Flower Dance in the calendar. However, it's still possible with some luck and loved gifts to get other bachelors or bachelorettes to the four-heart requirement as well.

There's one feature of the Flower Dance that's not quite a Stardew Valley easter egg, but still an amusing bit of trivia. With the exception of Emily and Shane, who became romanceable in an update, all the other dancing couples have at least some hints of attraction or common ground. For example, Abigail and Sebastian both have a dark fashion sense and hang out a lot, while Leah and Elliot are both struggling artists. Much like the player's friendship requirement, they dance with whoever they're closest to. It's a neat little detail that keeps with the spirit of the festival.

The Flower Dance may be hard to work with in Year 1, but it's one of the best festivals in Stardew Valley for raising friendship levels. While it requires some investment to get any reward, a guaranteed extra heart is an excellent deal. Plus, with the heart requirement, it makes the event feel more special, especially if the player dances with the villager that they intend to marry later down the line. That combined with the floral decorations and Rarecrow that the player can buy make it a festival worth visiting. The Flower Dance should definitely be marked on a Stardew Valley player's calendar.

Stardew Valley is available now for Android, iOS, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, and Xbox One.

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