When Sky turns 5 this month, there’s going to be a party—a really, REALLY big party. We’re so excited to reach this milestone with the community, so this year we wanted to do something truly special. The result: a festival that brings in-game and in-person experiences together in an event so big it may not even fit in this blog post.
We’ve said before that we wanted to make Sky’s 5th birthday live up to the occasion, something that brings together the magic of an in-person event, shared with a global community across the game. And that’s exactly what SkyFest does!
For two full weeks from July 12th through 26th PDT, the SkyFest 5th anniversary celebration blends a community celebration with real-life events that everyone can be part of, no matter where they are in the world.
The in-game celebration begins at 17:00 on July 12th PDT (UTC -7). Yep, 17:00! This is so the party in Sky starts at the exact same time that the in-person SkyFest celebration starts in Tokyo, Japan! For two days, the in-person event will have talks and presentations about all things Sky—and players can even attend some of these live directly in the game.
Once the event begins, meditate at circles in Aviary Village near the Friendship Constellation statue or the gates to the levels. That will take you to a special version of Aviary Village which will be the center of the SkyFest party.
The town is decorated just for the occasion, and periodically you can watch or even be part of a parade of Spirits who have made their mark on the realms over the years. Explore the village at different times and you might discover all kinds of surprises…
The SkyFest version of Aviary has some changes for the gates to the levels, too. Three familiar portals will take you to these locations made just for SkyFest:
- History of Sky Gallery (Isle of Dawn gate)
- Art of Sky Gallery (Hidden Forest gate)
- SkyFest Cinema (Eye of Eden gate)
These special areas are worth visiting throughout the event—for starters the galleries are packed full of Sky history and development stories. But what we’re really excited about:
from July 12th through 14th, you can catch actual in-game livestreams of talks and more from the in-person Sky-Fest!These events will gather players across the servers, bringing everyone together with Festival Tech to share the energy of the moment as if you were in the audience in Tokyo.
[h2]SkyFest Livestream Schedule[/h2]
[h3]July 12 (all times PDT, UTC -7)[/h3]
19:00 - Guided Tour of Sky’s History with the devs (History Gallery)
Join us on a live tour through the History Gallery as we share stories and more about how Sky became what it is today!
20:00 - SkyFest 2024 Keynote with Jenova Chen (SkyFest Cinema)
Featuring a special animation from the lovely Cocowoll! As for the keynote itself, let’s just say, you don’t want to miss this one…
23:00 - How We Got 10,000 Players into a Level (SkyFest Cinema)
Here’s a peek at how our engineering team created the tech that helped us set a GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™ title!
[h3]July 13[/h3]
18:00 - Design at Record-Breaking Scale in Sky: Children of the Light (SkyFest Cinema)
It’s okay, you can cry! Learn how the team designed the AURORA Concert to make it a memorable and moving experience.
19:00 - Guided Tour of Sky’s Art with the devs (Art Gallery)
Take a tour through the Art Gallery as we talk about some of the art that played a key role in Sky’s development.
22:00 - An Exploration of the Art of Sky (SkyFest Cinema)
How did Sky first come to life in its earliest days? See how art played a key role in the ideas that ultimately evolved into Sky’s world and lore.
[h3]July 14[/h3]
00:00 - Designing to Reduce Toxicity in Online Games (SkyFest Cinema)
How do you make a game that welcomes everybody, with a world that allows compassion and generosity to blossom?
01:00 - SkyFest LIVE Community Concert (SkyFest Cinema)
Sky’s first-ever live in-game concert! Player musicians from around the world will share a memorable performance on Sky instruments. Join the show to hear classic favorites, original compositions, and of course, some of the community’s most beloved Sky songs, played live just for you!
This is a one-time-only concert! It won’t replay after July 14th, so be sure to join us at the SkyFest Cinema to see it!
[h2]So Much More to See![/h2]
There will be something in the Cinema just about every hour of the SkyFest event in Tokyo (17:00-02:00 PDT, which is 9:00-18:00 JST). After the Tokyo SkyFest event closes its doors, the SkyFest Cinema lights back up again starting on July 15th so that you can catch something you might have missed, or that you want to see again.
In between the visits to the galleries and stage, Aviary Village has plenty going on! We don’t want to spoil the surprise, so definitely explore…but we will say, Oreo does have something waiting for you there in Aviary…
During SkyFest, don’t forget about the Secret Area accessible from the Vault of Knowledge. Take a shortcut there via the Events Shop in Aviary Village. The gates are open to all, so you can join the dance party and watch Spirits take the rooftop stage.
And just for the 5th anniversary, the Secret Area will have a display of three capes from past collaborations—the display will allow you to teleport to the special areas that came with each collab, no cape use necessary!
[h2]Event Currency and Souvenirs[/h2]
Don’t forget about event currency while you’re partying! Four star-shaped tokens can be found around the village each day. Use them to unlock some of this year’s new anniversary items, including some souvenirs arriving just for Sky’s 5th birthday!
The event brings a range of items to choose from:
- SkyFest 5th Anniversary Headband: 4 event currency
- SkyFest Jenova Fan: 8 event currency
- SkyFest 5th Anniversary T-shirt: 12 event currency
- SkyFest Star Jar: 16 event currency
- SkyFest Oreo Headband: $4.99 (all prices USD)
- SkyFest Wireframe Cape: $19.99
- This cape comes with a special ability: After SkyFest ends, it can be used to access the SkyFest version of Aviary, including the galleries and SkyFest cinema, where videos will replay after SkyFest on a schedule. (Please note that this cape provides access to the SkyFest event spaces only, so it won’t include access to Secret Area, for example.)
As you may know from past events, numbered items for specific birthday years are only available for their given year. After all, you can’t turn five twice! This means that the headband, T-shirt, and wireframe cape are scheduled to be available only this year. So be sure to unlock them if you’re interested—just like a 5th birthday, they’ll come just this once!
To see the list of items returning from Sky’s earlier birthdays, check out our
patch notes!
And oh, we haven’t forgotten the birthday spells. SO many spells—cakes of different sizes, plus a confetti collar accessory and free balloon hats! Talk to the event guide Spirit or other NPCs in the Secret Area to find out more.
As for the other anniversary items, they can be purchased or unlocked with in-game currency from friendly Spirits in the Secret Area, the Event Guide, or through the in-game shop. Don’t forget free trial spells for them either!
[h2]Like We Said—It’s a BIG Party[/h2]
In-person, in-game, livestreams, new surprises to discover—we are so excited to share everything we’ve prepared for this anniversary. Whether you are there in Tokyo or in the realms with your avatar, SkyFest is where everyone can be part of one of Sky’s most special celebrations, in a global community that has shared their light across the world. We can’t wait to see you there!
