"Hello, everyone!" says Yuki. "Goldfest will be coming soon, and it's time to showcase our wonderful world to visitors from other lands. Will you help me to plan a great festival?"

Soon the leaves will begin to fall, and around Ancient Worlds, that means festival time! For new citizens, our autumn festival is called Goldfest and you can find out the dates HERE . Plans are underway for this year's festival, but it wouldn't be nearly as much fun without involvement from our citizens!

By popular vote, Edo in Japan was chosen to be the beta testing hood for the Orient, so we thought it would be fun to show off our treasure to the rest of Ancient Worlds, by featuring this neighborhood as the centerpiece of our day of the festival. Edo was the center of the Tokugawa shogunate, and the streets were always bustling as people went about their daily activities. We thought it would be fun to recreate this street atmosphere by asking citizens if they would like to open virutal shops that others could come by and visit, and would continue on after the festival. They do not have to be Japanese themed. So, if you have the notion to open a curry shop, then that's fine! So, if you want to open a shop in Edo for Goldfest, please let one of your scribes know or post any ideas, questions etc. in the Orient Festival Planning thread.

There is also a trivia event in the works, and a few other surprises as well. So, stay tuned for the latest updates on Goldfest 2006. You may have a chance to win the keys to the city and the praises of the Emperor!

Do you have some ideas that you would like to share, or suggestions for events? There's plenty of room for everyone at the festival, so don't be shy! We'd love to hear what you think!