The Final Fantasy XI Online Harvest Festival has already begun and the event will continue until November 1. During this time players can visit various event stalls, get new abilities and items from costumed NPCs, as well as take part in the Wake of the Lilies quest. 

Official Press Release:

The start of the always fiendishly fun annual Harvest Festival has been set for Thursday, October 18, 2007 at 01:00.

This year´s festival has all the makings of a truly memorable celebration; everyone´ s favorite bomb decorations will adorn the streets of the three nations, specialty shops will deal in seasonal sundries, and both classic and all-new costumes will debut!
The townspeople from San d´ Oria, Bastok, and Windurst are decked out in their most horrifying ensembles and awaiting your arrival!

Event Dates
01:00, Thursday, October 18, 2007 to 01:00, Thursday, November 1, 2007

Event Locations
The Harvest Festival will take place in the following areas:
Southern San d´Oria / Northern San d?Oria
Bastok Mines / Bastok Markets
Windurst Waters / Windurst Woods

Event Stalls
Specialty stalls will be present for a limited time, and can be found at the following locations during the Harvest Festival:
Northern San d´Oria (D-8)
Port Bastok (L-8)
Windurst Waters (G-10)

Special Event: Wake of the Lilies
This year the Harvest Festival will play host to the Wake of the Lilies, a special event akin to last year´s Dark Lilies.

The exorcist NPCs will once again be making their annual pilgrimage to this season´s festivities. They can be found at the following locations:

Northern San d´Oria (D-8) Gertrude
Bastok Markets (G-8) Brian
Windurst Waters (F-5) Roger

Following the completion of an exorcist´s request, players will be required to wait one Vana?diel day before being accepting a new request.

Costumed NPCs
It´s just not a Harvest Festival without treats¡ªand treats are exactly what all costumed NPCs are after!
By trading certain treats to costumed NPCs, not only can a character gain the ability to dress up like a monster or beastman themselves, but can also receive some familiar Harvest Festival items!

Treats will mostly be foods falling under the Sweets category. However, NPCs will not accept certain types of sweets.
Players will be unable to perform some actions while donning a costume, such as using magic or items, opening doors, etc.
To take off a costume, characters may either select and cancel the Costume status icon, or simply change areas.

Bomb Decorations
Throughout the festivities, players will be able to enjoy the illumination of the now-famous bomb decorations.

As in previous Harvest Festivals, one can´t help but wonder what might happen if two particular characters in full costume were to get near some of these decorations while in the same party...

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