The Flower Dance in Stardew Valley: Partner and Shop Guide
The Flower Dance in Stardew Valley happens every Spring 24 in a secluded meadow in Cindersap Forest. Enter the forest between 9:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. in game time to attend. You can browse Pierre’s festival shop and speak with villagers even if you do not have a dance partner; to dance with a marriage candidate, you need at least four hearts with them. One correction that can save a trip: the Flower Dance shop does not sell Strawberry Seeds. Those are sold at the Egg Festival.
When and where is the Flower Dance?
The festival is held on Spring 24 every year. To reach it, enter Cindersap Forest between 9:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. The festival meadow is in the forest’s far west, across the bridge south of the Wizard’s Tower; that area is accessible during the Flower Dance. These are times on Stardew Valley’s in-game clock, not real-world event times. The Stardew Valley Wiki’s Flower Dance page confirms the date, entry window, and location.
Do your regular errands before attending. Pelican Town’s homes and shops are locked during the festival, so you cannot use the day to visit the usual stores. The festival returns you to the Farm at 10:00 p.m. after the dance. Before then, you can walk around the meadow, visit the stall, and talk to the gathered villagers.
Who can you ask to dance?
You can invite one of the game’s 12 marriage candidates. The eligible bachelors are Alex, Elliott, Harvey, Sam, Sebastian, and Shane. The eligible bachelorettes are Abigail, Emily, Haley, Leah, Maru, and Penny. You cannot choose a non-marriage-candidate villager as your partner.
The candidate must have at least four friendship hearts with you before accepting. Each heart equals 250 friendship points, so four hearts represent 1,000 points. Check the Social tab in the menu to see your current heart meter. This is a requirement for the dance invitation, not for entering the festival: you can still attend if you have not reached four hearts with anyone.
How to build friendship before Spring 24
Start early in Spring if you have a particular partner in mind. Talk to that villager once per day, then give gifts they like or love. Gift tastes differ by character, so check the gift guide before spending scarce items. On a normal-quality gift, a loved item gives 80 friendship points and a liked item gives 45. You can give up to two gifts each week; giving both adds a 10-point bonus the following Sunday. A birthday gift is especially valuable because its friendship points are multiplied by eight, and it can be given even after you have used your two weekly gifts. The friendship guide explains the heart thresholds and gift bonuses.
There is no guaranteed shortcut that works equally well for every candidate. Choose someone you can find consistently, learn a few gifts they love, and keep talking to them. Completing an item-delivery quest for that villager can also help. Four hearts in the first Spring is achievable with planning, but it may take more effort than a few last-minute gifts.
How to invite a partner and start the dance
- Enter Cindersap Forest during the 9:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m. window on Spring 24.
- Talk to your chosen marriage candidate until the dance invitation appears. This normally takes two conversations with them at the festival.
- Select the invitation. They will accept if your friendship meter is at four hearts or higher.
- Visit Pierre’s stall and speak with other villagers before talking to Mayor Lewis. Speaking to Lewis starts the dance sequence; afterward, the festival ends and you return to the Farm at 10:00 p.m.
Dancing with your partner adds 250 friendship points, or one heart, with that character. If you do not invite anyone, the festival still goes ahead with the villagers’ usual dance pairs. Talking to villagers at the festival also counts as your daily conversation with them if you have not already spoken that day.
Marriage does not automatically assign your spouse as your partner. A married player can still invite a marriage candidate, and the spouse may dance with another villager. In multiplayer, players can also dance with one another.
Flower Dance shop: items and prices
Pierre runs a stall at the meadow. The offerings are mostly decorations, flowers, and a collectible Rarecrow. Prices below are in game gold; seasonal plants and ceiling leaves come in two decorative variants.
| Item | Price | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Seasonal Decor | 350g | A seasonal decoration for your farm. |
| Seasonal Plant (two variants) | 350g each | An ornamental plant that changes with the seasons and does not need watering. |
| Tub o’ Flowers | 250g | A decorative planter that blooms in spring and summer. |
| Tub o’ Flowers recipe | 1,000g | Lets you craft the flower planter later. |
| Daffodil | 50g each | Spring flower; 10 are available. |
| Dandelion | 50g each | Forage flower; 10 are available. |
| Rarecrow #5 | 2,500g | A collectible rare scarecrow. |
| Wall Flower and S. Wall Flower | 800g each | Two indoor wall decorations. |
| Ceiling Leaves (two variants) | 400g each | Overhead indoor decorations. |
For completion, consider the Rarecrow if you do not already own it. If you are decorating, the Tub o’ Flowers is the lower-cost choice, while its recipe is useful if you want to craft more later. You do not need to buy anything to receive the festival’s friendship benefit.
If you came for strawberries, plan for the Egg Festival on Spring 13, where Strawberry Seeds are sold for 100g. They are not part of Pierre’s Flower Dance inventory.
Flower Dance checklist
- Before the festival: reach four hearts with the person you want to invite, and finish any normal-town errands.
- On Spring 24: enter Cindersap Forest between 9:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. in game time.
- At the meadow: talk to your candidate, shop, and greet villagers before speaking to Mayor Lewis.
- For Strawberry Seeds: visit the Egg Festival instead; the Flower Dance shop does not carry them.
The festival’s storybook setting is described in ConcernedApe’s original Stardew Valley festival update, which introduces the townsfolk gathering in a secret meadow to socialize and dance.
