In this guide we will cover all festivals that happen during spring in Harvest Moon: Back to Nature.
New Year’s Festival
Date: Spring 1
Location: Town Square or the Inn
Time: 6:00 PM to 7:50 PM
The New Year’s Festival takes place on the 1st day of Spring. You can only attend one celebration, either at the Town Square or at the Inn. It’s best to go to the Town Square since the girls will be there.
Town Square: The girls will be at the Town Square. For every girl you speak with, their affection will increase by +500. You can ask a girl to dance if she has a high affection (at least purple).
Note: You will dance with your wife instead if you are married.
The Inn: Speaking to anyone at the Inn will increase their affection by +5. Most of them will offer you a drink. If you consume too much alcohol, you may pass out and wake up in your bed.
Spring Goddess Festival
Date: Spring 8
Location: Town Square
Time: 10:00 AM to 2:50 PM
One day prior to the event, you can invite a girl to attend the Goddess Festival with you. The girl will accept your invitation if her affection level is at least purple or higher.
On the day of the festival, the girl will be at your farm waiting for you. Speak with her and head to the Town Square. If you don’t talk to her before going to the Town Square, her affection will drop.
If you are married, you will automatically accompany your wife to the festival.
After the dance, she will invite you to her favorite place. If you agree to go, she will gain +3000 affection and the day will end after your conversation.
Spring Thanksgiving Festival
Date: Spring 14
Location: Depends on the girl
Time: 6:00 AM to 5:00 PM
To show their affection for the girls, boys give them cookies on this day. You can’t use the cookies from the Inn since it’s consumed immediately. You can only use cookies made from cooking.
Girls receive +1000 affection for the first gift on this day.
You can find a detailed guide for the cookie recipe here: How to Get Cookies in Harvest Moon: Back to Nature.
Local Horse Race
Date: Spring 18
Location: Town Square
Time: 10:00 AM to 2:50 PM
You can only enter the race in the second year when your horse grows up. Instead, you can watch the races and place bets on the horses by buying tokens from Mayor Thomas.
You can exchange tokens for valuable items like jewelry, rare ores, medicine, and a Power Berry.
Tip: Horses with low odds are likely to win a race. You can make a safe bet on them to gain a small amount of tokens. Betting on yourself and winning the race is the best way to gain lots of tokens.
If you want to join the race, check the guide on how to win here: How to Win the Horse Race in Harvest Moon Back to Nature
Cooking Festival
Date: Spring 22
Location: Town Square
Time: 10:00 AM to 2:50 PM
The Cooking Festival is a contest to see who made the best dish. You can’t win the contest in your first year since you need to have the kitchen first to cook dishes. A detailed guide on how to win the Cooking Festival can be found here: How to Win the Cooking Festival in Harvest Moon Back to Nature
