Turkey Day

The Harvest Festival is an event that happens once a year on the 4th Thursday in November ( this year: November ), which is the same day as Thanksgiving in the United States. Like other holidays, it was absent from. During the event, a banquet is set up with food, though the food cannot actually be eaten. Franklin the turkey also makes an appearance, allowing the player to acquire pieces of the Harvest Series.

While not present in the original Japanese version, the North American localization team added the Harvest Festival for western releases of. During the Harvest Festival, from 3:00 to 9:00 P.M., the player can see Tortimer and several other villagers eating various foods, while a jock villager stands in front of a large table with a giant, empty plate in the center, as well as a knife and fork. If the player speaks to Tortimer, he will give them a Cornucopia, before wishing the player to enjoy the banquet.

However, the player will eventually realize that the empty plate is meant for the "guest of honor", or rather the "dish of honor", Franklin. As a result, Franklin can be seen hiding behind obstacles (such as trees and signs) out of fear that Tortimer will see him. If the player speaks to him, Franklin will explain his situation to the player, before realizing that the only way they could eat him was if they had silverware, and suggests that the player brings him any silverware they find so he can dispose of them. For each piece of silverware that Franklin receives, the player will receive one piece of furniture from the Harvest Series (including the wallpaper/carpet). Duplicates may occur, however. While in one hiding place, Franklin will accept only one "knife and fork" set, so to receive more, the player must move away from the hiding place until Franklin disappears and search for him again.

After being absent in, the Harvest Festival returns in , with only minor changes from its predecessor. One of the main differences is that the silverware is now acquired by speaking to Tortimer by the town hall, who will give the player silverware, thinking that the player will be using it him or herself or will be distributing it to the other villagers. If the player gives the villager the silverware Tortimer asks them to distribute, the villager will reveal a clue pertaining to Franklin's location, but only one clue can be retrieved from each villager per year (ten clues in total).

The Harvest Festival receives a major overhaul in. Franklin appears again, though this time as a chef in the event plaza. He will ask for three ingredients (including, but not limited to flour, milk, fish, and fruit) and a fourth, secret ingredient to make the dish better. To receive one of the ingredients (flour, vinegar, milk, butter, or sugar) the player must go around town trading ingredients with their villagers until they get it. Villagers will also give mushrooms or fruit. Villagers only ask for fish (including Sea Bass, Black Bass, Horse Mackerel, Carp, Crucian Carp, and Barbel Steed). After the player gives them the fish they requested, they will offer a hint on the secret ingredient for the dish currently being working on or a potential later dish. After the player has completed a dish, he rewards a piece of furniture from the Harvest Series or a holiday item. Once the player has given him the ingredients for the final dish, the villagers will stop asking for ingredients.

The secret ingredients can include the following:
 * Beehives
 * Random fruit
 * Other ingredients