Festival

A festival is a seasonal event that is held in the festival grounds in The Sims 3: Seasons and a two-weekly event held in the districts of San Myshuno in The Sims 4: City Living.

The Sims 3: Seasons
A festival may or may not occur the second day after the season changes. During the first day of the season, the festival grounds will be in "under construction" state. All premade festival grounds have the under construction state. If the players create their own custom festival, they may not provide the under construction state, in which case the festival will begin as soon as the season changes.

Festivals are open at 8 AM and closed at 9 PM. During the closing time, Sims will not be able to enter enclosed buildings at the festival grounds, such as toilet stalls, or use certain objects like chairs. Sims who perform certain activities at the festivals will earn festival tickets which can be redeemed at the concession stands. Not all activities will reward Sims with festival tickets. Festival tickets are only rewarded if the activities are performed at the festival grounds. Only playable Sims can earn festival tickets, so when players try to select a different household, those Sims will not have any festival tickets in their inventory.

Generic festival objects
Generic festival objects are always available at any festivals regardless of the season.

Concession stand
Sims can buy food and redeem festival tickets at the concession stand. The concession stand has different menus and items for different seasons. Sims with Festival Frequenter lifetime reward will get half price for the food. Some of the items are not available in the Buy mode. Some of the food are from the food truck and ice cream truck, and therefore requires The Sims 3: Late Night and The Sims 3: Pets.


 * -|Spring =


 * -|Summer =


 * -|Fall =


 * -|Winter =

Face painting booth
Sims can get a temporary face paint at the face painting booth, which will wear off in 9 hours. Face painting costs §50, while Sims with the Festival Frequenter lifetime reward will get half the price. Sims will earn 5 festival tickets from having their face painted. Some face paints are available in certain season only, and there are 2 face paints that are randomly available in every season. The available face paints are as following:


 * Happy Clown
 * Feline
 * Unicorn
 * Whimsical
 * Stars
 * Pirate (random)
 * Plumbobs (random)
 * Bunny (spring)


 * Hearts (spring)
 * Sun (summer)
 * Surfer (summer)
 * Pumpkin (fall)
 * Turkey (fall)
 * Snowflakes (winter)
 * Freezer Bunny (winter)

There's a 20% chance Sims will get a failure face paint. Unlucky Sims will get +15% higher chance, while Lucky Sims will get -4% lower chance. Ghosts, mummies, SimBots, and imaginary friends cannot have their face painted.

Greeting card photo booth
Up to 8 Sims can take a greeting card at the seasonal-themed photo booth. After Sims are done taking a photo, each of them will have a greeting card in their inventory. Greeting cards can be hung on the wall or placed on a surface. Additionally, the players are able to share the greeting cards in their own wall or their friend's wall at TheSims3.com, or share it to Facebook and Twitter.

In addition to photo booths, Sims can also take greeting cards at the city hall, science lab, or school. Different photo booth or rabbit hole will have different backdrop for the greeting card. Sims in the greeting cards will pose like in Create a Family snapshot.

Easter egg hunt
Every day during spring, Easter eggs will be randomly scattered around the festival grounds. The game will randomly spawn 10-20 Easter eggs at 5 AM. Sims can pick up an Easter egg when they see one, or search for eggs so they will look for the eggs on their own. Sims will earn a festival ticket for each egg they collect. There's a 10% chance finding a fancy festival egg when picking up an egg, and a 3% chance of the Bucktooth Butternut spring magic gnome. Sims can place the fancy festival egg at home as a decor that's worth §500.

Horseshoe court
Horseshoe court can be played by up to four Sims, with two teams consisting of two Sims. Sims will take turns tossing horseshoes. Sims will build the hidden Horseshoes skill. The higher the skill, the more likely they will make a good toss. The winners of the game will earn 25 festival tickets, while the losers will earn 5.

Kissing booth
Sims can ask to be kissed by a kissing booth attendant for §5. There are two kinds of kissing booths, one of each gender. Kissing booth kiss is not a romantic social, and therefore will not trigger jealousy. The kiss will not count towards first kiss either. Receiving a kiss from the attendant will give a positive "Got Kissed at a Kissing Booth" moodlet that lasts for 8 hours. Asking to be kissed will increase the Sim's gender preference towards the attendant's gender.

Sims who ask to be kissed will give a different kissing animation based on their traits. Sims with Great Kisser or Hopeless Romantic trait will give a steamy kiss, Sims with Shy, Loner, or Loser trait will give a shy kiss; while Sims with Slob trait will give a sloppy kiss.

Sims can also attend the kissing booth to earn extra money. They will earn money depending on how many kisses they've made. Each kiss will earn the Sim between §0-§10. Sims can use the self-"Be Flirty" interaction, which can make them more attractive so other Sims are more likely to ask to be kissed. Sims who are a vampire, have Great Kisser or Hopeless Romantic trait, or have Attractive lifetime reward will also attract other Sims, albeit considerably less than being flirty.

Love tester machine
Sims can use the love tester machine alone or with someone for §5. The machine will calculate and give a result. The machine has 10 outcomes, ranging from good to bad:
 * 1) Uncontrollable
 * 2) Hot Stuff
 * 3) Passionate
 * 4) Burning
 * 5) Wild
 * 6) Naughty but Nice
 * 7) Mild
 * 8) Harmless
 * 9) Clammy
 * 10) Cold Fish

The machine will generate a random number. The number is modified by the Sims' temperature, traits (if used alone), and relationships (if used together). Low temperature will give negative bonus to the calculation, while high temperature will give positive bonus. The positive traits and lifetime rewards that affect the score are Attractive, Charismatic, and Flirty, while the negative traits are Childish, Commitment Issues, and Loner. If both Sims are romantic interests, partnered, engaged, or married, they will get a positive bonus, while exes will get negative bonus. If both Sims are also attracted to each other, they'll get a positive bonus.

As the machine calculates the score, good outcomes will give "Burning Loins" moodlet, 3 festival tickets, and a relationship boost; neutral outcomes will give 2 festival tickets; and bad outcomes will give "Frozen Loins" moodlet, 1 festival ticket, and a damaged relationship.

There are certain conditions that will result the machine to give a definite positive or negative outcome.
 * If either Sim has "Frozen Loins" moodlet, they will always get a bad result; but if either Sim has "Burning Loins" moodlet, they will always get a good result. The "Frozen Loins" moodlet check always precedes the "Burning Loins" moodlet, however.
 * If used alone, a SimBot has a 50% chance that they will get Uncontrollable result, and a 50% chance for everything else.
 * Certain life states will give definite outcomes. The following pairings will give a positive outcome:
 * Both of them are SimBots
 * Both of them are werewolves
 * Both of them are zombies
 * One of them is a vampire, while the other one is a regular Sim
 * One of them is an imaginary friend, while the other one is a fairy
 * On the other hand, certain life state pairings will also give a negative outcome:
 * Only one of them is a SimBot
 * One of them is a vampire, while the other one is a werewolf
 * One of them is a witch, while the other one is a regular Sim

Spring dance floor
On last day of every spring, the festival will announce king and queen of the spring dance. Sims need to dance for at least an hour at the spring dance floor in the festival grounds in order to be qualified as a king or queen. There's a 20% chance for a Sim to be picked, and an additional +20% for each hour they dance. This means that Sims who have danced for 5 hours will always be picked for qualification. If there are more than 2 Sims who are picked, the game will randomly determine the king and queen of the spring dance queen; otherwise the sole Sim who is picked will become the king or queen. Dancing any longer will not increase the odds to be crowned.

Sims who is crowned the king or queen of the spring dance will receive a plaque in their mailbox and earn 250 festival tickets. They will also become the subject of Spring Dance King and Spring Dance Queen Photography subject.

Hot dog eating contest
Up to four Sims can compete in a hot dog eating contest. Sims can participate in the contest on their own or invite others to join. If no one is available to participate, the contest is cancelled and Sims have to retry participating. The contest lasts for approximately an hour, during which the winner will be determined, and after the contest is over, Sims have to wait for another two hours to compete again. If the eating contest stand is not on a festival lot, the contest can immediately be participated in again. Plumbots, stuffed Sims, and nauseous Sims cannot participate in the eating contest.

In determining the winner, each of the participants has a weighted winning chance. They are given a random weighted chance between 0 and 50. The higher the weighted chance a participant has, the more likely they'll win. It's not impossible, however, that a participant with lower weighted chance wins. The weighted chance is modified by a number of factors.
 * If the Sim is hungry, the weighted chance increases by +10.
 * For each eating contest a Sim has participated in, the weighted chance increases by +5, but is capped at +25.
 * If the Sim is a SimBot, a ghost, or an imaginary friend, the weighted chance increases by +10. If the Sim is a vampire or a mummy, the chance decreases by -10.
 * If the Sim's favorite food is hot dog (or key lime pie for pie eating contest), the chance increases by +10.
 * If the Sim has the Competitive Eater lifetime reward, the chance increases by +20.

At the end of the contest, the winner will earn 25 festival tickets, while other participants will earn 5 festival tickets. The winner can boast their victory, and all participants will bring home an excellent platter of hot dogs. There's a 33% chance the participant will vomit right after the contest ends, and another 30% chance they will get nauseous and vomit later. Vegetarian Sims will always get nauseous. There's also a 2% chance the watchers may vomit, and an additional +5% chance if the Sim is a vegetarian or pregnant.

Sims with Competitive Eater lifetime reward has numerous advantages in addition to boosted weighted chance. They will not get stuffed or fat from participating in the contest, and they will not vomit or get nauseous.

Roller skating rink
Roller skating rink is a common festival object in most seasons. There are two sizes of roller skating rinks; small and large. Small rink can have 5 skaters, while large rink can have 5 skaters in the outer lane and 3 in the inner lane. Skating will grant 5 festival tickets no matter how long Sims skate. Sims with Bot Fan trait in their robot form cannot skate.

Skating on the skating rink increases the hidden Skating skill. Sims with low Skating skill will start skating slowly and wobbly. At level 2, they will start skating fast. At level 3, they can spin alone or with another skater in the middle of the rink. The higher the skill, the better they spin alone. At level 4, they can skate backwards. The hidden skill goes up to level 6. Sims can ask anyone to spin together regardless of relationship.

Ghosts, mummies, SimBots, vampires, imaginary friends in their toy form, genies, fairies, werewolves in their wolf form, and zombies will not skate on the skating rink. Instead, they will run or hover around. In addition, they cannot skate backwards or spin. Plumbots will not wear skating shoes, but will still use the normal skating animation.

Water balloon fight
Sims can initiate a water balloon fight at a ball fight arena. Up to four players can join the game. Sims will throw water balloons against the opponents. Each water balloon that hits the opponent will give 10 points or 20 points if a team is outnumbered. The first team to earn 100 points will win the game and earn 25 festival tickets. The losing team will earn 5 festival tickets. Winning Sims will get "In Your Face" moodlet, and "One Man Army" moodlet if they're outnumbered.

Sims can initiate a water balloon fight on a flat ground as well, and up to 8 players can join if the space is sufficient. However, there is no win and Sims will not earn any festival tickets. Sims can also play a snowball fight in winter or dew fight in utopian Oasis Landing. Pregnant Sims cannot join a ball fight.

Playing water balloon fight increases Sims' hidden Ball Fighting skill. The skill goes up to level 3. The higher the skill, the more likely Sims will dodge and hit the target. The likeliness that Sims dodge or hit the target depends on several factors:
 * The hidden Ball Fighting skill of 0 to 3 has the chance of 30%, 50%, 65%, and 80%.
 * Positive traits and moodlets that will give +5% are Athletic, Lucky, Brave, Daredevil, Disciplined, "Well Rested," and "Adrenaline Rush"
 * Negative traits and moodlets that will give -5% are Clumsy, Absent-Minded, Unlucky, Loser, and "Exhausted."
 * SimBots have a bonus +25%.

For every hit, mummies will get soaked, SimBots have a 5% chance to get short out, and ghosts will get a sparkle effect instead of water splash / snowball effect. PlantSim's water motive will slowly increase during the game.

Soccer goal
Sims can practice alone or shootout against another Sim with the soccer goal. Plumbots with hover bottom cannot participate. When practicing alone, Sims will make 10 practice shots for each practice session. In a shootout, each player will take turn between the goalie and the shooter after 4 shots. The players will slowly build relationships during the game. The goalie may taunt the shooter during the game. Sims with Childish, Good Sense of Humor, Evil, and Mean Spirited traits are more likely to taunt, while Sims with Grumpy and No Sense of Humor will not.

Practicing shootout increases Sim's Athletic skill. The higher the Athletic skill differences between the players, the more likely they will succeed in catching the ball or making a score. The winner of the shootout will earn 25 festival tickets, and the loser will earn 5. If the game draws, both players earn 10 festival tickets.

If there's a soccer goal on the lot, Sims can invite over next ranked soccer opponent. They can challenge the opponent over a ranked soccer match. The ranked soccer match progress is tracked in the Sim's skill journal.

Tanning booth
Sims can get a spray tan in the tanning booth for §90 if the tanning booth is at a community lot. There's an 85% chance they will physically get suntanned, 5% for over saturated tan, 5% for discolored tan, and 5% for uneven tan. Sims can also get a spray tan at the spa for §175.

Only teenagers and older can get a spray tan. Mummies, SimBots, genies, plantSims, mermaids, and plumbots cannot get a spray tan. Ghosts can get a spray tan, but will not receive any benefits from it, while vampires will say that they can "fit in." Sims who are sunburned, frostbitten, or have recently gotten a failed spray tan cannot get another tan. If The Sims 3: Generations is installed, teenagers can set a booby trap inside the tanning booth. Sims who get a spray tan in a trapped booth will get a discolored tan.

Pie eating contest
A pie eating contest is essentially the same as hot dog eating contest. The same applications apply to the pie eating contest, although with a few differences. Sims will eat key lime pie and receive an excellent platter of key lime pie. In addition, Sims' face will be smeared from pie and their hygiene drops slightly.

Apple bobbing tank
Up to four Sims can compete in an apple bobbing contest. The principle is more or less similar to eating contests. Sims can participate in the contest on their own or invite others to join. If no one is available to participate, the contest is cancelled and Sims have to retry participating. After the contest is over, Sims have to wait for another two hours to compete again. If the eating contest stand is not on a festival lot, the contest can immediately be participated in again. Hydrophobic Sims will not autonomously participate in the contest, while SimBots will short out if they participate.

Sims need to bob 5 apples in order to win. Sims will randomly bob an apple for every under 15 Sim minutes, but 30 minutes for Unlucky Sims. The winner will earn 25 festival tickets and "Winner" moodlet, while the losers will earn 5. If any of the participants has germs, there's a 50% chance that the other contestants will get sick as well.

Haunted house
Children and older can enter the haunted house to test their bravery. Before entering, Coward and Childish Sims may react hesitantly. Sims will spend 10 minutes inside the haunted house and exits. Upon exiting, Sims might vomit, pee self, panic, or just shiver. Coward Sims are more likely to vomit, pee self, or panic instead of just shivering, while Brave Sims will just shrug.

Sims will receive 5 festival tickets after entering the haunted house. There's a 5% chance Sims will also receive Cracklin Nackerbell magic gnome. There's also a chance Sims might get none or one of the following moodlets:



If Sims get the "Cursed by a Witch" moodlet, they will temporarily become a ghost of an old age until the moodlet expires.

Pumpkin patch
Although not technically a festival activity, all premade festival grounds come with a pumpkin patch where Sims can harvest pumpkins and carve them to decorate their house. Normally, the fall festival is where Sims can find and harvest pumpkins, but pumpkins can also be purchased at the grocery.

Snowball fight
Sims can initiate a snowball fight at a ball fight arena, or on a flat ground with deep snow. The mechanics of snowball fight is essentially the same as water balloon fight, with the only difference is that it can only be done in winter with a deep snow. If the snow is not deep enough, Sims cannot initiate a snowball fight. Sims can still initiate a water balloon fight regardless of the season and snow depth, however.

Ice skating rink
The essence of ice skating is the same as roller skating rink, with the only difference is that Sims wear ice skates instead of roller skates. Unlike snowball fighting, Sims can ice skate regardless of the season, because the activity is based on the type of rink used.

In addition to the ice skating rink, Sims can ice skate on a frozen pond or a frozen lake, such as the lake in Twinbrook, Oasis Landing, or Lunar Lakes. Sims can ice skate only if the pond is vast enough, and the pond is frozen solid.

Half-pipe
Sims can snowboard on a half-pipe. Sims can purchase a snowboard at the concession stand or from Buy mode and customize their own snowboard, although it is not required, because Sims will be automatically given a default snowboard when they use the half-pipe. Children have their own smaller snowboard. Other Sims might queue up to use the half-pipe, and when that happens, Sims will take turns in using the half-pipe. Sims will receive 5 festival tickets after they're done snowboarding.

As Sims practice snowboarding, they will increase their hidden Snowboarding skill. The skill goes up to level 3. The higher the skill, the more likely Sims will do tricks, and the less likely they will fall while doing tricks.

The Sims 4: City Living
Festivals are special events introduced in The Sims 4: City Living. They take place around the different districts of San Myshuno over the course of a two-week cycle.

In apartment buildings there is a bulletin board, where Sims can read about the festival to see when the next festival is going to take place and what activities, competitions, and schedules this festival has to offer. Festivals can also be read about on dynamic signs located in different parts of San Myshuno.

When a festival is about to begin, an identifying jingle will play and a notification will appear letting to know that the festival is about to begin. This notification also can be used to teleport Sims to these festivals, if they are located in another neighborhood. Festival objects and activities will appear on the neighborhood where the festival is located in. Around an hour before the festival ends, a notification will notify that the festival is ending. After the festival ends, all objects will disappear and are replaced by normal street objects.

Schedules
Each festival has its own schedule that consists of time, day and location. The only weekdays that don't have a festival are Wednesday and Thursday.

Generic festival objects
Generic festival objects are always available at any festivals regardless of the theme.

Food stand
Sims can buy food from different food stands located in the festivals. The food stand has different menus for each festival and every stand has different food items. Pufferfish Nigiri is always excellent quality in these food stands, thus the chances of dying from it is nonexistent.


 * -|Geekcon =
 * -|Humor and Hijinks =
 * -|Romance =
 * -|Spice =
 * -|Flea Market =

Swag stand
Sims can buy different exclusive items from swag stands relating to theme of the festival. The items include are: snow globes, T-shirts, bubble bottles and different types of fireworks. Snow globes found in these festivals can be obtained from boxes that are located around the city, however, T-shirts are completely exclusive to the festival and buying unlocks it in Create a Sim. Getting a free T-shirt is by completing the spice eating challenge in the Spice Festival. The Flea Market does not have a swag stand.


 * -|Geekcon =
 * -|Humor and Hijinks =
 * -|Romance =
 * -|Spice =

Hackathon
During Geekcon, the computers at the festival start to glow. It indicates that there is a competition called Hackathon going on, that is only for Sims with a high programming skill and having it increases the chances of winning either a computer or a Future Cube. However, it does not stop Sims with a lower programming skill or Sims who doesn't have that skill at all from competing in the competition.

Ultimate Gaming Test
Another competition in Geekcon alongside Hackathon is the Ultimate Gaming Test. It is indicated when the motion based gaming consoles start to glow, and is usually towards to Sims with a high video gaming skill. But like Hackathon, Sims with a low video gaming skill or Sims who doesn't have that skill at all are still able to compete. The Ultimate Gaming Test requires Sims to play through different video games in order to win. When the competition ends, a notification will appear telling the points from 0-100 to the Sim who participated and if the Sim passed the test, they will receive either a computer or a Future Cube as a prize.

Other activities
At Geekcon, Sims will gain skills faster than normally. Sims in costumes (called cosplayers) will spawn at this festival and Sims can take selfies with them. Along with food stands and swag stands, the festival has two rockets that grants Sims to have an opportunity to explore space. One of the rockets is already built, but the second rocket has to made from scratch. Video game consoles are also present that Sims play with. There are multiple video gaming consoles, but only one television with one console connected, meaning that the other consoles are not being able to be used and Sims can not buy them either. An observatory is also located in this festival.

Pranksters vs. Jokesters
Being the main idea of this festival, Sims can choose sides by drinking the tea respective of the team Sims want to join. Dark tea is for Pranksters and light tea is for the Jokesters. When a Sim has joined one of these two teams, a notification will show up and tell the player what team the Sim has joined. Gaining points in this competition is very simple. Mischief interactions the Pranksters do give them points and comedy interactions the Jokesters do will give them points. Jokesters have also been granted a mic that helps the team by the interaction of telling jokes. The team with the most points in the end wins and a fireworks show will be held with the colors being the main color of the winning team. The members of the winning team is also awarded several prizes at the end of the festival. Voodoo dolls can also be used to manipulate the festival.

When in the respective teams, Sims gain new interactions to use for winning. Jokesters can "Impersonate Pranksters", "Impossible Sausage Mime", "Poke Fun at Pranksters", and "Be Sarcastic about VooDoo", while Pranksters can "Imply Jokester Sabotage", "Convince Tea is Poisonous", "Imply Tea Sabotage", and "Sing the Prankster Theme Song".

Other activities
Two bubble bars are present in this festival along with a bar, food and swag stands, and a mic. Sims that are not joining the competition can do other activities such bubble blowing, enjoy good and exotic foods of the food stands, festival exclusive T-shirts and fireworks, sing or tell jokes with the mic, or just hangout at the bar.

Sakura Tea
At the Romance festival there are two sakura tea spots. Sims can drink the tea, which gives them the "Botanic Fragrance" flirty moodlet. This moodlet will make having romance easier.

Romance Guru
Romance festivals features a new NPC called the Romance Guru. This NPC will tell Sims about their future love relationship or their active love relationship(s). These thoughts by the guru will give the Sim who asked the guru a moodlet depending on the future the Sim has just heard.

Other activities
The Romance festival includes a wedding arch with bunch of benches in front of it, making the festival a fantastic place for Sims to get married. Painting easels are also located for artistic Sims, a street gallery to sell paintings, planter boxes that include different types of flowers and a small bar with a bartender.

Spice Curry challenge
The main activity of the Spice festival is the Spice Curry challenge. Sims who would like to attend it have to take a plate of spicy curry from the table and eat it. Sims who have not gained the special Spice Hound trait will gain a uncomfortable moodlet. There is a special "spice tolerance" that affects how the Sim will do in this challenge. After winning, the Sim who won will gain a free Spice festival themed T-shirt and can brag about the challenge to other Sims.

Other activities
Spice festival features bubble bars for Sims to enjoy, a garden where Sims can harvest fresh produce from, a mini bar, a performance space, and a grill with an NPC cooking food. There are a lot of food stands along with some swag stands, that sell special spices which can be used in foods.

Buying and selling
During a Flea Market various object will spawn and Sims can buy them. These objects are usually cheaper then their counterpart in Buy Mode and are found in the Household Inventory after purchasing. The objects will be random each time the festival occurs. There are also multiple street galleries and tables located at the festival. These will usually be run by an NPC Sim and offer various collectibles. It is a good way to gain possible rare ones.

Sims can set their own street table during this festival and sell their own products. They will work similarly as in other communal areas, but it is recommended to use these during the Flea Market, as a lot Sims will appear and will most likely buy the products.

Trading
Trading is a big part of Flea Market. Sims can "Ask to Trade Collectibles" with other Sims if there is a collectible in their inventory. Doing this will grant the Sim who used the interaction a random collectible of the same type the Sim traded to the another Sim. However, the opposing Sim might not always be in the mood for trading, but the Sim can easily solve it by improving their relationship. Sims can trade crystals, fossils, frogs, metals, My Sims trophies, posters and snow globes.

Other activities
The Flea Market offers little in terms of other activities. There only two bubble blowers, a performance space for Sims to showcase their instrument skills, and multiple food stalls, but no swag stands as products and collectibles can be bought from the street galleries and tables.