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Special Splatfest refers to certainSplatfestevents in theSplatoon series. The qualifications for what makes a Splatfest considered "special" vary from game to game; generally, Splatfests that feature drastic cosmetic hub changes alongside alternate idol costuming related to the event theming have been called special in promotional material, though there have been several cases of Splatfests that do not fit these criteria also being called such.

InSplatoon 2, non-special Splatfests would always last a single day, while most special Splatfests occurred over two consecutive days; as ofSplatoon 3, nearly all Splatfests, special or not, last two consecutive days by default.

Seasonal Splatfests are special Splatfest events themed around a particular season or holiday.

Anniversary Splatfests take place during the anniversaries of each game in theSplatoon series, with some serving as the final major event marking the end of the respective game's update cycle. Though they do not reoccur, they share many traits with seasonal special Splatfests.

Collaborations in the context of Splatfest events refer to real-life brand tie-ins, resulting in Splatfest events themed around real life media, brands or other promotional content. Collaboration Splatfests tend to be accompanied by real-life tie-in crossover merchandise more so than other special Splatfests.

Encore events describe Splatfests that occur after the game's final anniversary Splatfest, extending the game's event cycle past the related final major content update.Reruns of past Splatfest themes as separate events within the same game occasionally occur, some of which are also encore events.

Differences from standard Splatfest events

Standard special Splatfests tend to have minimal cosmetic and/or mechanical differences from regular Splatfests. Collaboration Splatfests tend to have real-life tie-incrossover themedmerchandise, but otherwise play out the same as regular Splatfests. In contrast, seasonal special Splatfests as well as final Splatfests present drastic cosmetic changes to the standard Splatfest event formula, usually to fit seasonal holiday themes.

Seasonal special Splatfests' and anniversary Splatfests' general criteria are defined and compared in the following table:

Differences	Description	Games
Global coverage and theming	The Splatfest event takes place in allregions.[a]	✓	✓	N/A[b]
Extended duration	The Splatfests' event periods are longer than standard.	✓	✓	✓
Hub changes	Thehub areas receive significant cosmetic changes related to the event's theme.	✗	✓	✓
Alternate idol costumes	Theidols perform wearing alternate themed costumes during the event.	✗	✓	✓
Promotional gear	Gear related to the event theme is released via theNintendo Switch News app.	✗	✓	✓
Themed title screen	The game'stitle screen features a unique logo and stickers. When entering the news broadcast, special sound effects are played.	✗	✓	✓
Modified battle opening screen	The battle opening screen is modified to fit the event theme.	✗	✓	✓
Modified battle results screen	The battle results screens are modified to fit the event theme.	✗	✗	✓
Modified ink visuals	In addition to ink colors changing to match the teams, unique visual effects/textures are added to the ink.	✗	✓	✓
Alternate stickers in stages	The stickers found throughout stages are replaced with themed variants.	✗	✓	✗
Themed music	The music tracks heard in the hubs and/orlobbies are modified or swapped for themed variants.	✗	✗	✓

Notes

Per-game individual special Splatfest criteria

The following tables detail and compare the special Splatfest criteria of all eligible Splatfests per game:

List of special Splatfests

Seasonal

Splatoon 2 introduced seasonal special Splatfests, which are themed after real-life holiday periods. Seasonal Splatfests' main differences from standard special Splatfests is their related drastic changes to the hub areas' decoration, unique alternate costuming for the performing idols and release of tie-in promotional gear shortly before the event period, allowing for players to "dress up" for the event.

As ofSplatoon 3 these events are referred to as "seasonal" special Splatfests;^[1] prior to this, they were called simply "special Splatfests".

Splatoween

AHalloween-themed special Splatfest event that debuted inSplatoon 2 withTrick vs. Treat (2018).

Splatoween event	Game	Date	Notes
Trick vs. Treat (2018)	Splatoon 2	19 October 2018 to21 October 2018
Trick vs. Treat (2020)		30 October 2020 to1 November 2020	Part ofSplatoon 2's encore Splatfests.
Zombie vs. Skeleton vs. Ghost (2023)	Splatoon 3	28 October 2023 to30 October 2023
Wizard vs. Knight vs. Ninja		26 October 2024 to28 October 2024	Part ofSplatoon 3's encore Splatfests.
Zombie vs. Skeleton vs. Ghost (2025)		25 October 2025 to27 October 2025	Part ofSplatoon 3's encore Splatfests.

FrostyFest

AChristmas and New Year's Day-themed special Splatfest event that debuted inSplatoon 2 withFamily vs. Friends.

FrostyFest event	Game	Date	Notes
Family vs. Friends	Splatoon 2	4 January 2019 to6 January 2019	It was teased during a Nintendo Switch commercial in late November 2018. Shortly afterward, it was announced without a mention of its theme or date. The theme and date were announced on21 December 2018.
Friends vs. Family vs. Solo (2024)	Splatoon 3	13 January 2024 to15 January 2024	It was announced in late November 2023 without a mention of its theme or date. The theme and date were announced on22 December 2023.
Money vs. Experiences vs. Presents		11 January 2025 to13 January 2025	Part ofSplatoon 3's encore Splatfests.
Friends vs. Family vs. Solo (2026)		10 January 2026 to12 January 2026	Part ofSplatoon 3's encore Splatfests.

SpringFest

A spring-themed special Splatfest event that debuted inSplatoon 2 withHare vs. Tortoise.

SpringFest event	Game	Date	Notes
Hare vs. Tortoise	Splatoon 2	19 April 2019 to21 April 2019
Baby Chicks vs. Li'l Bunnies vs. Bear Cubs	Splatoon 3	20 April 2024 to22 April 2024	It was announced in late February 2024 without a mention of its theme or date. The theme and date were announced on5 April 2024.
Morning vs. Afternoon vs. Night		12 April 2025 to14 April 2025	Part ofSplatoon 3's encore Splatfests.

Summer Nights

A summer-themed special Splatfest event that debuted inSplatoon 3 withPalace vs. Theme Park vs. Beach.

Summer Nights event	Game	Date	Notes
Palace vs. Theme Park vs. Beach	Splatoon 3	13 July 2024 to15 July 2024	It was announced on28 May 2024 without a mention of its theme or date. The theme and date were announced on21 June 2024.
Land vs. Sea vs. Air		12 July 2025 to14 July 2025	Announced on20 June 2025. Part ofSplatoon 3's encore Splatfests.

Anniversary Splatfests

Anniversary Splatfests receive extensive promotional coverage leading up to it for longer than usual event periods. The first anniversary Splatfest inSplatoon, as well as the second anniversary Splatfests inSplatoon 2 andSplatoon 3, marked the end of each game's initial update cycle, serving as a final celebration to send off the respective game. However, inSplatoon 2 andSplatoon 3, these special Splatfests were not the last in-game events to take place.

In the case ofSplatoon andSplatoon 2, the outcome of the final Splatfest notably influenced the game's sequel.

Splatoon

Event	Date	Notes
Callie vs. Marie	22 July 2016 to24 July 2016	This was the last Splatfest inSplatoon and was heavily marketed as such. Team Marie's victory influenced the plot ofSplatoon 2's story mode,Octo Canyon.

Splatoon 2

Event	Date	Notes
Squid vs. Octopus	21 July 2018 to22 July 2018	Splatoon 2's first anniversary Splatfest eventSquid vs. Octopus featured many special attributes: Players' characters exclusively matched their respective teams in battle, with Team Octopus players beingOctolings whether or not they had already finishedOcto Expansion. If they normally played as the opposite species, players would keep the rest of their customization such as gender, eye, and skin color. In these cases, they would swap to that species' default hairstyle; for Inkling girls this was the "haircut" style, for Inkling boys this was the "slick style", for Octoling girls this was the "tentacurl" style and for Octoling boys this was the "punk" style. The lifetimeink coverage tracked inSplatNet 2 counted the turf inked as the species the player appeared as during battle; therefore, it only counted as an Inkling if the player was on Team Squid, even if they usually played as an Octoling. Confetti was added to the opening screen and beginning of a match Fireworks were visible in the background of the event'sShifty Station stageSweet Valley Tentacles.
Chaos vs. Order Final Fest: Splatocalypse	18 July 2019 to21 July 2019	Despite being marketed as the final Splatfest inSplatoon 2 and referred to as "Final Fest", it was not actually the game's last Splatfest, with an additional four being held afterwards (three of which were repeats of prior themes). Team Chaos's victory influenced the overall theming ofSplatoon 3 as well as the storyline in the single-player campaignSide Order.

Splatoon 3

Event	Date	Notes
Shiver vs. Frye vs. Big Man	9 September 2023 to11 September 2023	Splatoon 3's first anniversary Splatfest event. It was described as a special Splatfest in promotional material.[2][3] During the event there was a unique battle intro screen featuring confetti as well as newwin andloss theme variants depending on which team the player was fighting for, but no significant cosmetic changes. The likelihood of10x Battles was doubled during this event to coincide with the introduction of relatedSplashtagbadges based on the members of Deep Cut.[4] Banners themed after each member were released via the Nintendo Switch News app.[5] The announcement of the event coincided with that of two other related events: the future release of Deep Cutamiibo,[6] and aBig Run scheduled to occur the weekend before the Splatfest,[7] the latter of which was directly acknowledged by the characters in anAnarchy Splatcast broadcast as threatening the occurrence of the Splatfest.[8]
Past vs. Present vs. Future Grand Festival	13 September 2024 to16 September 2024	This special Splatfest, described as "the biggest Splatfest ever", celebrated the second anniversary ofSplatoon 3. It was not officially identified as the game's final Splatfest, save for one instance where it was referred to as the "grand" finale ofSplatoon 3's Splatfests.[9] It uniquely had its three teams represented by the three different idol groups rather than the three individual members ofDeep Cut.

Collaboration Splatfests

Splatoon

Event	Date	Collaboration	Notes
Red Kitsune Udon vs. Green Tanuki Soba (July 2015)	3 July 2015 to4 July 2015	Maruchan	Japan region-exclusive. Rematched later in the same year withRed Kitsune Udon vs. Green Tanuki Soba (December 2015).
Autobots vs. Decepticons	30 August 2015 to31 August 2015	Transformers: Robots in Disguise	North America region-exclusive.
Squid vs. Octopus (2015)	10 October 2015 to11 October 2015	Kura Sushi	Japan region-exclusive.
Land Food vs. Seafood	21 November 2015 to22 November 2015	Saga Prefecture	Japan region-exclusive.
Red Kitsune Udon vs. Green Tanuki Soba (December 2015)	26 December 2015 to27 December 2015	Maruchan	Japan region-exclusive.
Pokémon Red vs. Pokémon Green	19 February 2016 to20 February 2016	Pokémon	Japan region. Occurring alongside other regions' Pokémon Red vs. Pokémon Blue (due to the same Pokémon game being localized differently in the NA and EU/OC regions).
Pokémon Red vs. Pokémon Blue	20 February 2016 to21 February 2016		North America, Europe and Oceania regions. Occurring alongside Japan's Pokémon Red vs. Pokémon Green collaboration.
Show No Mercy! vs. Focus on Healing	12 March 2016 to13 March 2016	Dragon Quest	Japan region-exclusive.
SpongeBob vs. Patrick	23 April 2016 to24 April 2016	SpongeBob SquarePants	North America, Europe and Oceania regions.
Fancy Party vs. Costume Party	14 May 2016 to15 May 2016	Miitomo	Global region.
Chocorooms vs. Chococones (2016)	19 June 2016 to20 June 2016	Meiji Seika Pharma	Japan region.

Splatoon 2

Event	Date	Collaboration	Notes
Fries vs. McNuggets	9 September 2017 to10 September 2017	McDonald's	Japan region-exclusive. In Private Battles, this Splatfest's ink color set is referred to as Fries vs. Nuggets.
Warm Innerwear vs. Warm Outerwear	9 December 2017 to10 December 2017	Uniqlo	Japan region-exclusive. In Private Battles, this Splatfest's ink color set is referred to as Inner Wear vs. Outer Wear.
The Champion vs. The Challenger	3 February 2018 to4 February 2018	Splatoon manga	Japan region-exclusive. In Private Battles, this Splatfest's ink color set is referred to as Champion vs. Challenger.
Newest Model vs. Most Popular Model	24 March 2018 to25 March 2018	Nike	Japan region-exclusive. In Private Battles, this Splatfest's ink color set is referred to as Newest vs. Most Popular.
New Life-Forms vs. Advanced Technology	21 April 2018 to22 April 2018	JAMSTEC	Japan region-exclusive. In Private Battles, this Splatfest's ink color set is referred to as New Lifeform vs. Future Tech.
Raph vs. Leo Mikey vs. Donnie Raph vs. Donnie	5 May 2018 to6 May 2018 12 May 2018 to13 May 2018 19 May 2018 to20 May 2018	Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles	NAOC/EU region. Done in a tournament format consisting of three separate Splatfests. In Private Battles, the Splatfests' ink color sets are referred to as Ninja Red vs. Ninja Blue and Ninja Orange vs. Ninja Purple, respectively. However, the Raph vs. Donnie ink set is notably absent.
Hello Kitty vs. Cinnamoroll My Melody vs. Pompompurin Hello Kitty vs. My Melody	19 May 2018 to20 May 2018 26 May 2018 to27 May 2018 9 June 2018 to10 June 2018	Sanrio	Japan region-exclusive. Done in a tournament format consisting of three separate Splatfests. The Hello Kitty vs. My Melody ink set is notably absent from Private Battles.
Chocorooms vs. Chococones (2018)	18 August 2018 to19 August 2018	Meiji Seika Pharma	Japan region-exclusive. In Private Battles, this Splatfest's ink color set is referred to as Joyous Yellow vs. Festive Green.
Pocky Chocolate vs. Pocky Gokuboso	10 November 2018 to11 November 2018	Glico	Japan region-exclusive. In Private Battles, this Splatfest's ink color set is referred to as Decadant[sic] Red vs. Tasty White.
Hero vs. Villain	15 December 2018 to16 December 2018	Super Smash Bros. Ultimate	Global.
Ce League vs. Pa League	11 May 2019 to12 May 2019	Nippon Professional Baseball	Japan region-exclusive. In Private Battles, this Splatfest's ink color set is referred to as Field Green vs. Jersey Blue.
Super Mushroom vs. Super Star	15 January 2021 to17 January 2021	Super Mario Bros.35th Anniversary	Global region, unusually occured as a brand-new theme after the three rerun events in 2020. This Splatfest's ink color set is notably absent from Private Battles.

Splatoon 3

Event	Date	Collaboration	Notes
Grass vs. Fire vs. Water	12 November 2022 to14 November 2022	Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet	Global.
Power vs. Wisdom vs. Courage	6 May 2023 to8 May 2023	The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom	Global.
Red Bean Paste vs. Custard vs. Whipped Cream	17 February 2024 to19 February 2024	7-Eleven	Japan region-exclusive.
Lightly Salted vs. Consommé vs. Salted Seaweed	23 March 2024 to25 March 2024	Calbee	Japan region-exclusive.

Rerun Splatfests

Reruns are Splatfest events in which the same Splatfest theme is repeated as a separate, near-identical event within the same game. Also described as bonus^[10][11] or revival^[12][13] Splatfests, in most cases rerun events reuse the same dialogue forInkopolis News andAnarchy Splatcast.

It is unclear what the impact of a rerun Splatfest's alternative outcome is, as they typically are not acknowledged after the fact.^[14]

Splatoon

Splatfest	Date	Notes
Cats vs. Dogs (October 2015)	17 October 2015 to18 October 2015	Originally serving as thefirst Splatfest for the North Americaregion in July 2015, the theme was reused for the Europe and Oceania region during October 2015. The related dialogue was altered for the European English localization.
Red Kitsune Udon vs. Green Tanuki Soba (December 2015)	26 December 2015 to27 December 2015	Originally held inJuly 2015, it got a rematch in December 2015. It is the only returning Splatfest theme to be recognized as an official rematch in dialogue.

Splatoon 2

Splatfest	Date	Notes
Mayo vs. Ketchup (2020)	22 May 2020 to24 May 2020	Originally serving as thefirst Splatfest inSplatoon 2, it returned in May 2020. It lasted for 48 hours compared to the original 24, started worldwide at the same time and shared its results across all regions. In the event's announcement it was referred to as a "bonus one-time Splatfest",[10] though subsequent reruns followed after it.
Chicken vs. Egg (2020)	21 August 2020 to23 August 2020	Originally held inMarch 2018 in both the North America & Oceania and Europe regions, it returned in August 2020 as a global Splatfest. It lasted for 48 hours compared to the original 24, started worldwide at the same time and shared its results across all regions. The Japanese dialogue was new, as the event previously had not occurred in the Japan region. It was announced in commemoration of the game's third anniversary.[15]
Trick vs. Treat (2020)	30 October 2020 to1 November 2020	Originally held inOctober 2018, it returned in October 2020. It was the only seasonal Splatfest to get a rerun inSplatoon 2.

Splatoon 3

Splatfest	Date	Notes
Dark Chocolate vs. Milk Chocolate vs. White Chocolate (2025)	8 February 2025 to10 February 2025	Originally held inFebruary 2023, it returned in February 2025. Part ofSplatoon 3's encore events.
Zombie vs. Skeleton vs. Ghost (2025)	25 October 2025 to27 October 2025	Originally held inOctober 2023, it returned in October 2025. Part ofSplatoon 3's encore events.
Friends vs. Family vs. Solo (2026)	10 January 2026 to12 January 2026	Originally held inJanuary 2024, it returned in January 2026. Part ofSplatoon 3's encore events.

Encore Splatfests

Encore Splatfests^[16] are events that take place after a game's final anniversary Splatfest, extending the game's event cycle past its final major content update.

The first encore Splatfest event wasSplatoon 2'sMayo vs. Ketchup (2020), which was announced as a "one-time bonus" Splatfest^[10] that took place unexpectedly, seemingly due to theCOVID-19 pandemic. Two other rerun events with the same system followed within the same year, despite Mayo vs. Ketchup (2020) having been called a one-time rerun. These encore Splatfests carried over traits from the anniversary SplatfestChaos vs. Order, lasting 48 hours with global region settings and an increased chance for10x and 100x Battles to occur. This global region, 48-hour long, increased chance for special battles Splatfest system was later carried over as the default for nearly all ofSplatoon 3's Splatfests, special or not.

Certain rerun Splatfests also qualify as encore Splatfests. Rerun encore Splatfests typically contain repeated dialogue, though encore Splatfests with new themes do not. Similar to rerun Splatfests, it is unclear what the impact of an encore Splatfest is, as onlySplatoon 2's sole encore event with a new themeSuper Mushroom vs. Super Star has been acknowledged after the fact.

Splatoon 2

Splatfest	Date	Notes
Mayo vs. Ketchup	22 May 2020 to24 May 2020	Originally serving as thefirst Splatfest inSplatoon 2, it returned in May 2020. It lasted for 48 hours compared to the original 24, started worldwide at the same time and shared its results across all regions. In the event's announcement it was referred to as a "bonus one-time Splatfest",[10] though subsequent reruns followed after it.
Chicken vs. Egg	21 August 2020 to23 August 2020	Originally held inMarch 2018 in both the North America & Oceania and Europe regions, it returned in August 2020 as a global Splatfest. It lasted for 48 hours compared to the original 24, started worldwide at the same time and shared its results across all regions. The Japanese dialogue was new, as the event previously had not occurred in the Japan region. It was announced in commemoration of the game's third anniversary.[17]
Trick vs. Treat	30 October 2020 to1 November 2020	Originally held inOctober 2018, it returned in October 2020. It was the only seasonal Splatfest to get a rerun inSplatoon 2.
Super Mushroom vs. Super Star	15 January 2021 to17 January 2021	Global region, unusually occured as a brand-new theme after the three rerun events in 2020. This Splatfest's ink color set is notably absent from Private Battles.

Splatoon 3

Splatfest	Date	Notes
Wizard vs. Knight vs. Ninja	26 October 2024 to28 October 2024	Encore Splatoween event.
Money vs. Experiences vs. Presents	11 January 2025 to13 January 2025	Encore FrostyFest event.
Dark Chocolate vs. Milk Chocolate vs. White Chocolate	8 February 2025 to10 February 2025	Encore rerun of aFebruary 2023 event.
Morning vs. Afternoon vs. Night	12 April 2025 to14 April 2025	Encore SpringFest event.
Land vs. Sea vs. Air	12 July 2025 to14 July 2025	Encore Summer Nights event.
Zombie vs. Skeleton vs. Ghost (2025)	25 October 2025 to27 October 2025	Encore rerun of a Splatoween event fromOctober 2023.
Friends vs. Family vs. Solo (2026)	10 January 2026 to12 January 2026	Encore rerun of a FrostyFest fromJanuary 2026.

Other Splatfests with special attributes

The following Splatfests inSplatoon 2 have either been referred to as special in promotional material, or included special mechanics atypical of standard Splatfest events:

Special event	Date	Notes
Tsubuan vs. Koshian	23 September 2018 to24 September 2018	A moon appeared in the sky aboveInkopolis Square during these Splatfests as a reference to theTsukimi moon viewing festival. A small squid-shaped formation was visible on the upper-right of the moon's surface. This moon returned inTrick vs. Treat.
Retro vs. Modern	22 September 2018 to23 September 2018
Knight vs. Wizard	16 March 2019 to17 March 2019	During the Splatfest, players wearing the matching headgear and shoes obtained from theOctoling Girl,Octoling Boy, orOctoling Octopus amiibo would have theirSplatfest Tees cosmetically changed during matches to appear to wear the full amiibo outfits. Erroneously,Hare vs. Tortoise's modified opening screen was enabled during this event.

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References