Ah, the Summer Starlight Festival. Truly a wonderful time of year. A day for consuming vast quantities of food, watching fireworks (silent to ensure animals don't panic) and simply marvelling at the shower of shooting stars that happens at exactly midnight each year. Oh, and a small trip to the Temple of the Asteria for those who happen to be slightly religious but honestly, that's more a formality than an actual part of the celebrations.

People from around the world travel to the city for the festival. Admittedly it's mostly because of an apple based alcohol called apple brandy that's served as freely as water but let something be said for the food as well, many treats running more towards the sweet side of things. Like chandra (donuts in the shape of a star that are filled with spiced apples and dusted with powdered sugar) and notos (donut holes that are soaked in mint-and-mango flavoured syrup and topped with an assortment of chopped nuts). Though there is savoury food like amapola (pretty much samosas that are stuffed with various different types of fillings, the most popular being cheese-and-potato), aalto (potato chips/fries covered in a cheese sauce) and damia (chicken pieces glazed with spicy peach chutney served on a skewer with a side of chips/fries).

Stalls selling everything from food to jewelry to clothes to alcohol pop up in both the city square and the streets surrounding it, people from far flung lands eager to make some money as well as show off a part of their cultures. People start setting up at about 10 in the morning and only really start packing up at sunrise the next day.

The city square is truly something to behold during the festival. Floating lights made of magic, the statue of Bloise the Brilliant cleared of debris, its fountain decorated and switched on, performers putting on plays, a massive bonfire that people dance around, musicians playing everything from sea shanties to Elven marriage songs... many people spend almost the entire festival here.

The Starlight Festival is most people's favourite time of year, especially thieves. The large number of people, the open stalls, the lack of city guards (most of them tend to get drunk on apple brandy and spend the evening either face down in a gutter or in bed with someone they really don't want their wives to find out about)... It's a starving thief's dream come true.

This year's festival promises to be extra special, a full moon expected. It has been nearly 300 years since a full moon has occurred at the same time as the festival, an occasion that many believe will bring on an age of prosperity. No clue where they got that from but okay.

So feel free to spend the festival however you wish. Try the food, drink the booze, catch a play... Just be sure to be in the city square at midnight. A surprise awaits.