Any suggestions for religious festivals?

[Phlebas]

Some good ideas already.

You also mention that the city is in an extinct volcano. Perhaps the reason this occurs every ten years is that this is how often the clerics must renew their bindings on the fire elemental who powers the volcano (& wants it to be not-quite-so-extinct). Thus the celebration is religion masking a very serious matter which could destroy the city. You could have elements of the 'celebration' be secret aspects of the day-long invocation which the clerics are involving the crowds in without telling them the true purpose (must avoid city-wide panic, right?).

-Given that it happens only every ten years or so, this might be a time for some of the really bizarre fringe groups, religious fanatics, or whatever other groups you might have, to come out and participate in the town's ceremonies, hold their own bizarre and twisted rituals to "honor" the dragon, or otherwise harass people. They might be just what they appear-crazy, if harmless, fanatics who just want to participate in the ceremonies like anyone else...they might be foreign spies who've come to the festival disguised as pilgrims, eager to get information on the city's defenses when their guard is down...robbers and assassins out to kill and rob people, using the chaos of the festival to distract peoples' attention...

-So Undead Draconic entity trapped in the volcano kept bound by the 10-yearly civic ritual, and the city which has built up over the centuries and now thinks of the Dracolich as a god - and now the high priests has been found slaughtered......

Hey guys, stop reading my notes and giving the plot away to the players....

Since my players read this board I'm not going to give too much away, but yes, the ten year thing is significant and 'other' stuff is happening during the festival. Yes, cranks and other parties are tryin to intervene, and yes a huge dracolich will appear and devour the party/city for the grand finale. (actually it wont be a dracolich but something BAD will happen if the party mess it up)

 

[Phlebas]

What are the city's relations with its neighbors like? This festival would be a good time for allies to show their support and subjects to bring their tribute, making the procession more varied and lavish.

A festival of a popular god should be a lot of fun, and include a lot of different kinds of fun -- games and contests of all kinds, songs and stories and speeches about the city's history and heroes and the deeds of good dragons, special foods that are only served at this festival, drinking, dancing, a carnival atmosphere in which everybody sets aside their cares for a while and celebrates being under the protection of the dragon-god and the dragons. Maybe everyone wears dragon masks, and those who wear copper dragon masks tease people with gold masks for being too serious.

Its a city-state, and a city god so i suspect there will be more informal 'just turning up for the party' meetings going on than formal affairs. Like I said the 'elite' in the sages guild and arcane guild follow the gods of learning and magic, so this will be a party for the 'people' of the city. The campaign is pretty inwardly focused on the city as well so I don't want to confuse the issue with a hoard of new NPC's

the everyone wearing dragon masks / chinese dragon style procession thing has huge amounts of potential for chaos and confusion. BWAH, HAH, HAH ... sorry, evil DM coming out there

 

[wedgeski]

Consider, Phlebas...

You win bonus points.