Anyone familiar with EverQuest II knows that Norrath likes to celebrate. The game is filled with so many holidays and festivals that it can be really hard to keep up with them. Sure, there is an in-game calendar that lists everything all out, and you look up individual festivals, but you have to be actually logged in for the former or recall the name of the festival during the right time of the year for the latter. And then you have to actually remember to do something about it before it ends. Maybe it just slips your mind. At times real life takes ahold of you and won’t let go; work, family, travel, meals, and sleep all can interfere with your gaming. Or, you could just procrastinate a bit and then have to scramble at the end to try and complete things on 18 different alts.
The point is, there is so much to keep track of that it’s totally easy to miss out on a festival or two. I should know: I’ve missed a couple already. And I am still kicking myself because it means I have to wait another year to get the housing items and recipes that I wanted. And that’s why I’ve created this easy-to-reference event calendar. Feel free to use it to schedule your vacations, either to devote your vacation days to your favorite festival, or so you can be sure to be back home from your travels with enough time to log in and enjoy.
If you want to hit up every festival, here’s what you’d have to fit in (not counting any one-time only live events that crop up or supported player-run events):
- City festivals (monthly)
- Moonlight Enchantments (monthly)
- Erollisi Day
- Brewday Festival
- Chronoportal Phenomenon
- Bristlebane Day
- Bristlebane Day — Highest of Silly Days (one day only)
- Heroes’ Festival
- Frostfell
While the list itself doesn’t seem too overwhelming, when you add in the fact that the first two happen monthly and that all but Bristlebane’s Highest of Silly Days last for days if not weeks, it pretty much fills up the year. Some months are so crammed with festivals that you can’t keep them straight. Just take a look at March: Three events following right on the heels of one another while two more run concurrently with them.
Another reason that list looks so manageable is that it is lacking many important details. So here’s a comprehensive accounting of all of EverQuest II’s festivals for 2016. Obviously a few have already passed, but in most cases the dates for subsequent years will be either identical or within a couple days. (Note: All listed times are Eastern.)
January
Frostfell (continued)
Start: December 10th (2015) at 11:00 a.m.
End: January 7th 10:00 a.m.
A fan favorite, Frostfell is the only time that the Winter Wonderland Village zone is open for players to do holiday questing and gather holiday-themed resources for crafting (with the exception of Bristlebane’s Highest of Silly Days when the zone reopens sans quests for 24 hours). To make sure you don’t miss a thing, be sure to check out this handy guide.
Gorowyn City Festival
Start: January 1st at 3:00 a.m.
End: January 7th at 2:59 a.m.
This is the only time to get the red marble building blocks and the various Gorowyn-themed housing items. Unless, of course, you want to buy them from other players off the broker later — usually for very inflated prices. It is also the only time Gorowyn’s aether racetrack is open to grab yourself the achievement and title. The purple shiny collection (there’s one for each city) also rewards you with a mailbox for your house. See everything available with this guide.
Moonlight Enchantments
Start: January 20th at 3:00 a.m.
End: January 22nd at 2:59 a.m.
Moonlight Enchantments happens for two days every month throughout the year, so if you miss one you don’t have nearly as long to wait for the next as with most other festivals. However, those are the only days you can earn and spend the tokens on the vendors within the Enchanted Grottoes. For those who want to be mega-efficient, there are three repeatable crafting quests that let you pile on the tradeskill XP while simultaneously hording plenty of tokens to spend on the housing items and temporary mounts. For an in-depth look, check out my previous guide.
February
Kelethin City Festival
Start: February 1st at 3:00 a.m.
End: February 7th at 2:59 a.m.
For very woodsy, outdoor decorating, this is the festival. The building blocks are a light wood grain and the furniture is inspired by the tree-dwelling Fae. Now is your chance to get a leaf chair! Like Gorowyn — and every other city, there’s an aether racetrack to run exclusive to that city.
Erolissi Day
Start: February 4th at 3:00 a.m.
End: February 18th at 2:59 a.m.
Erollisi is the goddess of love, and this holiday is all about candies, roses, stuffed animals, and various other red and pink goodies. Although a couple new quests have been added in 2014 and 2015, this 2013 guide can still get you through a majority of the holiday content.
Moonlight Enchantments
Start:Â February 20th at 3:00 a.m.
End: February 22nd at 2:59 a.m.
This is a good time to get more of whatever item you didn’t get enough of last month. And maybe a couple extra.
March
Neriak City Festival
Start: March 1st at 3:00 a.m.
End: March 7th at 2:59 a.m.
Neriak building blocks are a blueish marble. While not the most appealing construction material to me, Neriak’s lighting is by far my favorite. There are also roof tiles and a peaked door.
Brewday Festival
Start: March 3rd at 3:00 a.m.
End: March 17th at 3:00 a.m.
If you are a Dwarf, this is the only festival of the year. After all, it involves hanging out in a giant keg! For everyone else, it is all about quests that get you so drunk you are seeing quadruple, and crazy housing items like pink elephants and living cabbages.
Chronoportal Phenomenon
Start: March 17th at 3:00 a.m.
End: March 25th at 2:59 a.m.
This celebration is a nod to EQII’s older sibling, EverQuest. Players travel through various portals for glimpses back into the original game that include camp checks, massive mobs, and even Ranger trains!
Moonlight Enchantments
Start: March 20th at 3:00 a.m.
End: March 22nd at 2:59 a.m.
If you need more speed to try and manage all of the festivals this month, consider picking up one of the temporary mounts offered in the Grottoes. Who doesn’t want to ride a unicorn?
Bristlebane Day
Start: March 25th at 3:00 a.m.
End: April 8th at 2:59 a.m.
All joking aside… wait, no, joking is the point! Bristlebane is all about the absurd and the goofy. You chase down escaped dice, then bounce through the air in what I find to be the hardest of all the festival collection races. Don’t miss the adorable patchwork critters — Beastlords can actually add them as pets!
April
Bristlebane Day (continued)
Start: March 25th at 3:00 a.m.
End: April 8th at 2:59 a.m.
A new calendar page didn’t stop this festival, so finish it up while you can!
Bristlebane Day: Highest of Silly Days
Start: April 1st at 3:00 a.m.
End: April 2nd at 2:59 a.m.
For this one day only EQII opens up the Frostfell zone for players to stock up on the holiday resources. It used to be a big deal to also have the crafting tables available again, but since players can now own their own, this part isn’t as vital. There are also special quests that are available for this day only; one pays homage to Gary Gygax and rewards you with giant dice for your house.
Moonlight Enchantments
Start: April 20th at 3:00 a.m.
End: April 22nd at 2:59 a.m.
Celebrate Arbor day by planting some trees. And it just so happens the grottoes are pretty much the only place you can acquire a plethora of tree housing decorations.
May
Freeport City Festival
Start: May 1st at 3:00 a.m.
End: May 7th at 2:59 a.m.
A city where shadows once lurked (until the big revamp in 2011, that is!), the Freeport festival is all about darkness… when it comes to marble style. This is the week to get your black marble building blocks. If you just can’t live without an ornate fish pig craved on your front door, this is the place to acquire one.
Moonlight Enchantments
Start: May 20th at 3:00 a.m.
End: May 22nd at 2:59 a.m.
With all the flowers, vines, and shrubbery you can nab, now is the perfect time to start your own garden.
June
New Halas City Festival
Start: June 1st at 3:00 a.m.
End: June 7th at 2:59 a.m.
If you live where it is sweltering hot outside, you might enjoy this festival just because it is filled with ice! Halas building blocks and furniture are a mix of rugged stone and frozen water; the ice ones make decent frosted windows. Speaking of frosty, check out the goblets for your table.
Moonlight Enchantments
Start: June 20th at 3:00 a.m.
End: June 22nd at 2:59 a.m.
So many brownies, and not a single one you can eat. At least you can buy some awesome stuff for your aquarium. You do have an aquarium, don’t you?
July
Gorowyn City Festival
Start: July 1st at 3:00 a.m.
End: July 7th at 2:59 a.m.
If you missed this festival in January, you have a chance again. This is your last opportunity for the year to nab that weathervane!
Moonlight Enchantments
Start: July 20th at 3:00 a.m.
End:Â July 22nd at 2:59 a.m.
You might want to think about getting yourself a new prestige home just to start storing all these cool decorating items in!
Tinkerfest
Start: July 21st at 3:00 a.m.
End: August 4th at 2:59 a.m.
We’ve got gadgets and gizmos a plenty, whoseits and whatsits galore. You want thingamabobs? There’s certainly plenty here in the Gnome-inspired Tinkerfest. This is the festival for a steampunk or metallic look, or just if you want to build your own curious contraptions.
August
Tinkerfest (continued)
Start: July 21st at 3:00 a.m.
End: August 4th at 2:59 a.m.
Did we mention the whirlygigs? Get yours now before they are gone (or be prepared to pay the high prices other players will charge on the broker).
Kelethin City Festival
Start: August 1st at 3:00 a.m.
End: August 7th at 2:59 a.m.
These are a few of your Fae-vorite furniture things, back for a second week this year. Hopefully you can remember which items you actually needed to finish of that one house you’ve been stuck on since last February.
Moonlight Enchantments
Start: August 20th at 3:00 a.m.
End: August 22nd at 2:59 a.m.
If you’ve been saving all your tokens since January, you’ve certainly got enough for a mega shopping spree now! Just be sure to go in with empty bags.
September
Neriak City Festival
Start: September 1st at 3:00 a.m.
End: September 7th at 2:59 a.m.
Blue moooooon… oh, no — it’s just blue marble making a reappearance, along with those nifty colored flame lamps. If you can’t get in Neriak for the purple shinies, enlist an evil-aligned friend to collect them for you.
Moonlight Enchantments
Start: September 20th at 3:00 a.m.
End: September 22nd at 2:59 a.m.
Maybe this month you will find that one purple shiny for your collection that has been eluding you for all year!
October
Qeynos City Festival
Start: October 1st at 3:00 a.m.
End: October 7th at 2:59 a.m.
It’s a nice day for a white building! Yup, the Qeynos-themed white marble and decorations are back, so get them while you can.
Nights of the Dead
Start: October 6th at 3:00 a.m.
End: November 2nd at 2:59 a.m.
It’s a close race between this and Frostfell for the best holiday of the year. NotD offers tons of spooky spoils that any Halloween lover will want to hoard. Each year usually sees new quests, but this past guide will see you through the majority of the content. Pay particular note to my speed guide to Hedge Hollow!
Moonlight Enchantments
Start: October 20th at 3:00 a.m.
End: October 22nd at 2:59 a.m.
If you can tear yourself away from Nights of the Dead, you might want to just go sit in these grottoes for a while to revel in living things. Buy plants and flowers galore to surround yourself with things that aren’t undead, rotting, or otherwise lacking that little spark of life.
November
Nights of the Dead (continued)
Start: October 6th at 3:00 a.m.
End: November 2nd at 2:59 a.m.
If you’ve got a large collection of alts, you probably need the extra days to try and complete everything and get all your quest goodies.
Freeport City Festival
Start: November 1st at 3:00 a.m.
End: November 7th at 2:59 a.m.
Back in black — the marble building blocks are, that is. You can stock up on all the signs, tiles, columns, lamposts, and other Freeport-themed goodies you desire.
Heroes’ Festival
Start: November 3rd at 3:00 a.m.
End: November 15th at 2:59 a.m.
EverQuest II’s anniversary festival, this is the only time of the year to get items like the Qeynos and Freeport chalices. A special merchant also sells plushies of the bosses you face in the dream quests; they cost a pretty penny, so you’ll need a chunk of time to earn enough tokens to buy them all.
Moonlight Enchantments
Start: November 20th at 3:00 a.m.
End: November 22nd at 2:59 a.m.
Admit it, you just want to get in and brew up some brownie root beer, don’t ya?
December
New Halas City Festival
Start: December 1st at 3:00 a.m.
End: December 7th at 2:59 a.m.
Do you wanna build a snow man? You can at least build an impressive ice castle from the items in this final city festival of the year.
Frostfell
Start: December 10th at 11:00 a.m.
End: January 5th (2016) at 10:00 a.m.
The hustle and bustle of the season is here, and there is so much to do during Frostfell that if you don’t take advantage of this early start, you might be scrambling to try and finish by the end. And that’s just added stress that you don’t need this time of the year..
Moonlight Enchantments
Start: December 20th at 3:00 a.m.
End: December 22nd at 2:59 a.m.
Spend the longest night of the year getting yourself some awesome goodies. Or, if you forgot gifts for an EQII-playing loved one, stock up and a bunch now.
The EverQuest franchise is a vast realm, and sometimes MJ Guthrie gets lost in it all! Join her as she explores all the nooks and crannies from Antonica to Zek. Running biweekly on Thursdays, EverQuesting is your resource for all things EverQuest, EverQuest II, and Daybreak. And keep an eye out for MJ’s OPTV adventures!
