Animal Crossing Pavé and Festivale: What to expect in New Horizons

Yet another year has come and gone with Animal Crossing Toy Day and New Year's firmly in the rearview mirror. Now it's time to turn our attention to the year's first in-game celebration found in the form of Festivale. Islanders are visited by Pavé, the fabulous peacock, who brings with him plenty of color, games, and cheer to light up the cold winter months. Here's everything you need to know about Animal Crossing Pavé and Festivale.

One of the reasons that Animal Crossing is one of the best Nintendo Switch games is because it allows us to celebrate real-world holidays and seasonal events in-game. To learn more about other festivities, check out the Animal Crossing events calendar.

When is Animal Crossing Festivale?

In 2021, Animal Crossing Festivale will be on February 15th. This festivity takes place the day before real-world Mardi Gras. Since the real-life holiday shifts depending on the year, Festivale is celebrated in either February or March.

What is Festivale?

Festivale is marked by Pavé the Peacock appearing on your Resident Service Plaza and confetti falling from the sky. Your villagers will dress in sparkling clothes and feathery headdresses. When you talk to Pavé, this fabulous bird sends players off to collect feathers.

Some can be caught with a net as they float down alongside the confetti, while others need to be won by playing games with villagers. If players collect the proper color and amount of feathers, then Pavé rewards them with a dance. Players should note that this peacock especially loves rainbow feathers.

Festivale games

In New Leaf, players could experience a few games with their villagers, including Charades, Made Ya Look, and finally Rock, Paper, Scissors. If the player won any of these games, New Leaf villagers rewarded them with a feather. We wouldn't be surprised if these games are also in New Horizons:

• Charades: Villagers say a few things and then emote to finish their sentences, then players select from a menu what they think their villager was hinting at.
• Made Ya Look: Players got three chances to turn their heads the same way as the villager they were talking to.
• Rock, Paper, Scissors: You select one of the three options from a menu before you and the villager you talk to shout out your choices. Paper beats rock, rock beats scissors, and scissors beats paper.

Will there be Festivale DIY recipes?

Nintendo hasn't revealed any Festivale DIY recipes yet, but considering that just about every other holiday throughout the year has had some, we thoroughly expect to see them come Festivale. If nothing else, we know there will be fun Festivale items and decorations to collect as seen in the above image. We'll update as we learn more.

New Reactions

Nintendo has also revealed that new reactions, clothing, and seasonal items will come to New Horizons in February. For a limited time the Viva Festivale Reaction Set can be purchased from the green cabinet at Nook's Cranny. This set includes the following reactions:

• Feelin' It
• Let's Go
• Viva and Confetti

New Clothing

Starting February 1 the Able Sisters shop will sell Festivale clothing. You'll definitely want to dress in style for the big day to match your villagers and your feathery visitor.

New Seasonal Items

From February 1 through February 14 players can purchase special seasonal items from the Nook Stop at Resident Services or the Nook Shopping app. These items cover Valentine's Day, Groundhog Day, and sports:

• Chocolate hearts
• Heart-shaped bouquets
• Groundhog Day items
• Big Game Celebration items

Animal Crossing Pavé & Festivale

It's time to celebrate the start of the new year with Festivale and our favorite fabulous peacock. Let us know if you're excited for the Festivale festivities in the comments below.