The desert near Pelican Town is a seemingly barren wasteland, but in spring it becomes a lively day bazaar. Called the Desert Festival, this annual, limited-time event drapes dunes with familiar faces, unique challenges, and culinary feats. Discover the secrets of this festival and maximize every Calico Egg by reading this guide.

Stardew Valley Desert Festival: An Overview

Introduced in Update 1.6, the Desert Festival is a Stardew Valley event held from Spring 15 to 17. Getting there requires repairing the bus service, which is the reward for completing the Vault at the Community Center. Once repaired, and if it’s the right dates, ride the bus to the Desert from 10 AM to enjoy the Desert Festival’s festivities. Apart from its schedule, below are some additional points to consider while the Stardew Valley Desert Festival is active:

• The Desert Trader’s shop is still accessible, but Sandy’s store is closed for the duration of the festival.
• Players must use the festival’s unique currency, the Calico Egg, to transact business with its limited-time shops.
• Players can place Calico Eggs in the shipping bin, but they sell for 0 gold coins.
• All Calico Eggs disappear when the festival ends.

Stardew Valley Desert Festival Attractions & POIs

Like other Stardew Valley events, the Desert Festival shares the fun and excitement with players through different attractions and points of interest (POIs). However, this particular Spring event has more features than most of the game’s festivals. The number of attractions and POIs in the Desert Festival even surpasses that of the Stardew Valley Fair.

Calico Egg Merchant

Exchange your hard-earned stash of Calico Eggs for various items at the Calico Egg Merchant stall. Here, the vendor sells items that are permanently available for the duration of the event. However, the NPC also sells limited-time items that rotate based on the current day.

Permanent Inventory

• 10x Mystery Box: 20x Calico Egg
• Mummy Mask: 120x Calico Egg
• Blue Bow: 50x Calico Egg
• Dark Velvet Bow: 75x Calico Egg
• Mega Bomb: 15x Calico Egg
• 5x Spicy Eel: 10x Calico Egg
• 5x Crab Cakes: 10x Calico Egg
• 5x Eggplant Parmesan: 10x Calico Egg
• 5x Pumpkin Soup: 10x Calico Egg
• 5x Lucky Lunch: 10x Calico Egg
• Woodcutter’s Weekly: 100x Calico Egg

Spring 15 Inventory

• Strawberry Seeds: 5x Calico Egg
• Sun Dunes: 30x Calico Egg
• Sandy Rug: 20x Calico Egg
• Desert End Table: 20x Calico Egg
• Calico Stature: 25x Calico Egg

Spring 16 Inventory

• 3x Mixed Seeds: 5x Calico Egg
• Desert Table: 25x Calico Egg
• Desert Chair: 20x Calico Egg
• Decorative Barrel: 10x Calico Egg

Spring 17 Inventory

• Strawberry Seeds: 6x Calico Egg
• 1x Magic Rock Candy: 250x Calico Egg
• Calico Statue: 35x Calico Egg
• Desert Fireplace: 20x Calico Egg
• Desert Flags: 10x Calico Egg
• Desert Rug: 25x Calico Egg

Chef

The Chef stall invites players to create meals from selected items, resulting in unique effects. This process is repeatable, creating multiple opportunities to choose new ingredients each time. The food buffs vary based on the selected ingredients, but they only last 7 minutes. Additionally, all dishes made through the Chef stall restore maximum health and energy, and the effects stack with other food buffs.

Ingredients

• Rich Marinara: +1 Defense
• Mushroom Crème: +1 Mining
• Cherry Soup: +1 Luck
• Pungent Garlic: +1 Attack
• Uncomfortably Hot Sauce: +1 Speed
• Hearty Beans: +3 Defense
• Cave Loaf: +3 Mining
• Rare Fruit: +3 Luck
• Extremely Sharp Cheddar: +3 Attack
• Shrimp: +3 Fishing

Dish Combinations

• Earthy Mousse: Mushroom Crème + Hearty Beans
• Sweet Bean Cake: Cherry Syrup + Hearty Beans
• Skull Cave Casserole: Pungent Garlic + Hearty Beans
• Spicy Tacos: Uncomfortably Hot Sauce + Hearty Beans
• Mountain Chili: Rich Marinara + Cave Loaf
• Crystal Cake: Cherry Syrup + Cave Loaf
• Cave Kebab: Pungent Garlic + Cave Loaf
• Hot Log: Uncomfortably Hot Sauce + Cave Loaf
• Sour Salad: Rich Marinara + Rare Fruit
• Superfood Cake: Mushroom Crème + Rare Fruit
• Warrior Smoothie: Pungent Garlic + Rare Fruit
• Rumpled Fruit Skin: Uncomfortably Hot Sauce + Rare Fruit
• Calico Pizza: Rich Marinara + Extremely Sharp Cheddar
• Stuffed Mushrooms: Mushroom Crème + Extremely Sharp Cheddar
• Elf Quesadilla: Cherry Syrup + Extremely Sharp Cheddar
• Nachos of the Desert: Uncomfortably Hot Sauce + Extremely Sharp Cheddar
• Cioppino: Rich Marinara + Shrimp
• Rainforest Shrimp: Mushroom Crème + Shrimp
• Shrimp Donut: Cherry Syrup + Shrimp
• Smell of the Sea: Pungent Garlic + Shrimp
• Desert Gumbo: Uncomfortably Hot Sauce + Shrimp

Emily's Outfit Services

Visit Emily and Sandy’s booth at the Stardew Valley Desert Festival to receive a new outfit that “embodies the player.” This process is repeatable once daily, allowing players to receive up to 3 unique outfits during the event. 61 makeover outfits are available: 34 gender-neutral, 13 male-only, and 14 female-only. The NPC duo provides the player with a complete fashion ensemble, including a shirt, pants, and possibly a hat.

Free Cactus Stall

The Cactus Salesman gives each player in the Stardew Valley server one free cactus decorative item from his stock. Note that receiving this present is only applicable once per event. That means players must wait an entire in-game year before they can receive another cactus from the Free Cactus stall.

Harvey's Medical Station

Getting knocked out in the Skull Cavern while the Desert Festival is active transports the player to Harvey’s Medical Station instead of his clinic in Pelican Town. The previously incapacitated player will revive with only 10 health, but gold coins and any remaining energy won’t disappear. However, Harvey will take 20% of the player’s Calico Eggs in their inventory as payment for his medical services.

Scholar

Visit the Scholar’s stall to participate in a quiz. Answer all four questions correctly to receive 50x Calico Egg. One attempt is available per day, and the questions per try.

Scholar Stall Questions & Answers

• "Who runs the Blacksmith in Pelican Town?": Clint
• "Who runs the Museum in Pelican Town?": Gunther
• "Who runs the Saloon in Pelican Town?": Gus
• "Who runs the Fish Shop in Pelican Town?": Willy
• "Who runs the Animal Shop in Pelican Town?": Marnie
• "Who runs the General Store in Pelican Town?": Pierre
• "What is the date of the season's end?": 28th
• "Where are we?": Calico Desert
• "What season does garlic grow in?": Spring
• "What season does Red Cabbage grow in?": Summer
• "What season does artichoke grow in?": Fall
• "When does the apricot tree bear fruit?": Spring
• "When does the peach tree bear fruit?": Summer
• "When does the Pomegranate tree bear fruit?": Fall
• "When isPierre's Shop normally closed?": Wednesday
• "In what season can you catch carp?": Any Season
• "In what season can you catch Pufferfish?": Summer
• "In what season can you catch salmon?": Fall
• "In what season can you catch Squid?": Winter
• "How many steps have you taken?": Choose the numerically middle value.
• "How much does a chicken cost?": 800x gold coin
• "How much does a cow cost?": 1,500x gold coin
• "How much does a pig cost?": 16,000x gold coin
• "How much does a rabbit cost?": 8,000x gold coin
• "How much does a duck cost?": 1,200x gold coin
• "Where might you catch the Stonefish?": Mine level 20
• "Where might you catch the Ice Pip?": Mine level 60
• "Where might you catch the Lava Eel?": Mine level 100
• "What is George's last name?": Mullner
• "How many garbage are there in Pelican Town?": 8

Note: If the Scholar asks the player to recall the number of steps taken, the middle value will always be correct.

Shrouded Figure

The Shrouded Figure acts like a totem, allowing players to be teleported to their farms. Each teleport attempt costs 250x gold coins.

Skull Cavern

Marlon offers one-day Skull Cavern-related quests to Stardew Valley players during the Desert Festival. These missions are as follows:

• Monster Hunt: Slay ten Serpents, Mummies, or Purple Slimes to receive 35x Calico Egg.
• Deep Dive: Reach the 30th level to receive 50x Calico Egg.
• Treasure Hunt: Collect 12x Omni Geode or 15x Iridium Ore to receive 40x Calico Egg.

Additionally, players can enter the dungeon without the Skull Key while the event is active. Calico Egg nodes can also appear in the Skull Cavern, rewarding players with 1 to 3 Calico Eggs per gathering spot. The chances of these nodes appearing also increase as players descend further into the dungeon. Calico Eggs may also appear in containers, on rocks, and from monster drops. Players also receive an Egg Rating per five floors. Interacting with the statue on these floors activates a random buff that persists throughout the current Skull Cavern run.

The Races

As the name of this POI implies, players can bet on different creatures to see which of them is the fastest. Each win grants 20x Calico Egg, but the first winning bet of the day made on the snail, Escar-go, grants 100x Calico Egg instead. Note that players must be within the festival’s main area for the race to run. Giving 1x Calico Egg to the Suspicious Man next to the Oasis makes one of the contestants have a higher-than-normal chance of losing.

Traveling Cart

The Traveling Cart reappears as a vendor in the Desert Festival. As always, this merchant’s wares are randomized, and the shop's stock changes each event day.

Willy's Fishing Quests

Players can request a fishing-related quest from Willy once per day. Unlike other NPCs, Willy offers a specific mission depending on the day.

• Spring 15: Catch 3x Sandfish to receive 25x Calico Egg.
• Spring 16: Catch 1x Scorpion Carp to receive 50x Calico Egg.
• Spring 17: Fish up a treasure chest that contains Willy’s Golden Bobber to receive 30x Calico Egg.

Villager Shops

Two random villagers from Pelican Town will set up shop every day at the Desert Festival. The NPCs’ stalls are available from 12 PM to 12 AM. Each Pelican Town villager also sells permanent stocks, but the items sold depend on which NPC is selling them.

Abigail

• Abigail’s Bow: 60x Calico Egg
• Abby’s Planchette: 70x Calico Egg

Alex

• Magic Hair Gel: 100x Calico Egg
• Alex’s Bat: 70x Calico Egg
• 5x Muscle Remedy: 25x Calico Egg
• Fried Egg: 10x Calico Egg
• Milk: 10x Calico Egg
• Pancakes: 10x Calico Egg
• Hashbrowns: 10x Calico Egg

Caroline

• Exotic Palace: 120x Calico Egg
• Green Tea: 10x Calico Egg
• Tea Sapling: 30x Calico Egg
• Classic Lamp: 40x Calico Egg
• Dandelion: 10x Calico Egg

Clint

• Coal: 5x Calico Egg
• Copper Ore: 2x Calico Egg
• Iron Ore: 4x Calico Egg

Demetrius

• Periodic Table: 70x Calico Egg
• Nautilus Shell: 50x Calico Egg
• Spice Berry: 10x Calico Egg
• Deluxe Speed-Gro: 2x Calico Egg

Elliott

• Elliott’s Pencil: 70x Calico Egg
• Tricorn Hat: 100x Calico Egg
• Crab: 30x Calico Egg
• Squid Ink: 30x Calico Egg

Emily

• 5x Cloth: 25x Calico Egg
• Prismatic Shard: 500x Calico Egg
• Sea Urchin: 5x Calico Egg
• Mixed Flower Seeds: 8x Calico Egg

Evelyn

• Wallpaper: 20x Calico Egg
• Cookie: 20x Calico Egg
• Mixed Seeds: 4x Calico Egg
• Mixed Flower Seeds: 2x Calico Egg
• Daffodil: 15x Calico Egg

George

• Retro TV: 200x Calico Egg
• Coffee: 10x Calico Egg
• Vinegar: 5x Calico Egg
• Morel: 30x Calico Egg
• Artifact Trove: 10x Calico Egg

Gus

• Dusty Skull: 50x Calico Egg
• Escargot: 30x Calico Egg
• Lobster Bisque: 30x Calico Egg
• Squid Ink Ravioli: 30x Calico Egg
• Eggplant Parmesan: 30x Calico Egg

Haley

• Haley’s Iron: 70x Calico Egg
• Art Photo: 30x Calico Egg
• Art Photo 2: 30x Calico Egg
• Pink Cake: 20x Calico Egg

Harvey

• Harvey’s Mallet: 70x Calico Egg
• Radio Desk: 40x Calico Egg
• Model Planes: 30x Calico Egg
• 5x Coffee: 10x Calico Egg

Jas

• Wallpaper: 20x Calico Egg
• Ancient Doll: 1x Calico Egg
• Fairy Seeds: 5x Calico Egg
• Rabbit’s Foot: 100x Calico Egg
• Magic Rock Candy: 300x Calico Egg

Jodi

• Wallpaper: 20x Calico Egg
• 3x Crispy Bass: 25x Calico Egg
• Mixed Seeds: 5x Calico Egg
• Mixed Flower Seeds: 2x Calico Egg

Kent

• Wallpaper: 20x Calico Egg
• Fiddlehead Fern: 10x Calico Egg
• Staircase: 30x Calico Egg
• Wood Chipper: 25x Calico Egg
• Hazelnut: 10x Calico Egg

Leah

• Leah’s Whittler: 70x Calico Egg
• Short Bookcase: 40x Calico Egg
• Hardwood: 3x Calico Egg
• Salad: 20x Calico Egg

Leo

• Wallpaper: 20x Calico Egg
• Poi: 20x Calico Egg
• Tropical Curry: 30x Calico Egg
• Banana Sapling: 100x Calico Egg

Marnie

• Wallpaper: 20x Calico Egg
• Grass Starter: 2x Calico Egg
• Hay: 1x Calico Egg
• Truffle Oil: 50x Calico Egg

Maru

• Maru’s Wrench: 70x Calico Egg
• Iridium Bar: 50x Calico Egg
• Goodnight Shirt: 25x Calico Egg
• Strawberry Seeds: 10x Calico Egg

Pam

• Beer: 20x Calico Egg
• Mead: 20x Calico Egg
• Pale Ale: 30x Calico Egg

Penny

• Penny’s Fryer: 70x Calico Egg
• Strawberry Decal: 100x Calico Egg
• Night Sky Decal 1: 30x Calico Egg
• Night Sky Decal 2: 30x Calico Egg
• Night Sky Decal 3: 30x Calico Egg
• Pirate Flag: 100x Calico Egg

Pierre

• Pierre’s Sign: 50x Calico Egg
• Calico Egg: 150x gold coins
• Squid: 10x Calico Egg
• Wheat Flour: 2x Calico Egg
• Oil: 4x Calico Egg

Robin

• Wallpaper: 20x Calico Egg
• Wood: 1x Calico Egg
• Stone: 1x Calico Egg
• Furniture Catalogue: 1,000x Calico Egg

Sam

• Sam’s Skateboard: 50x Calico Egg
• Sam’s Old Guitar: 70x Calico Egg
• Maple Bar: 20x Calico Egg
• Joja Cola: 2x Calico Egg

Sebastian

• Seb’s Lost Mace: 70x Calico Egg
• Frozen Geode: 10x Calico Egg
• Energy Tonic: 25x Calico Egg

Shane

• Chicken Decal: 60x Calico Egg
• Pizza: 5x Calico Egg
• Egg: 1x Calico Egg
• 3x Pepper Poppers: 30x Calico Egg

Vincent

• 10x Fiber: 1x Calico Egg
• Bug Meat: 1x Calico Egg
• Sap: 1x Calico Egg
• Cave Carrot: 2x Calico Egg
• Skeletal Hand: 2x Calico Egg
• Clay: 1x Calico Egg
• Chipped Amphora: 1x Calico Egg