Stardew Valley SquidFest Guide

Squids are ordinarily one of the toughest challenges for fishermen in Stardew Valley. During SquidFest, Squids don’t get any easier to catch, but at least there are more chances to catch them. Here’s what you need to know about this new fishing festival in patch 1.6.

Taking Home the Iridium in the SquidFest Challenge in Stardew Valley

The new SquidFest challenge takes place on the Beach south of Pelican Town on Winter 12 and 13. Unlike most festivals in Stardew Valley, this takes place from dawn to dusk, and more crucially, isn’t a standalone event. You can enter or leave the Beach during SquidFest as often as you like without ending the festivities for the day. Also, perhaps more crucially, your animals are not automatically assumed to have been fed the way they are on other major holidays.

Squids are usually nocturnal (6 PM to 2 AM during Winter), but the SquidFest organizers put a special bait in the ocean that lets you catch Squids at any time of day. This does not make the Squids any easier to catch.

During SquidFest, Willy only keeps his shop open until noon, at which point he goes outside and enters the competition. Pam and Elliot also hang out on the dock as observers for most of the show, although Elliot eventually heads over to the Saloon at night. Nothing else about the villagers’ schedules or activities changes due to SquidFest.

SquidFest Rewards

Note that SquidFest only requires you to catch the listed number of Squids during the event. You don’t have to keep them afterwards or turn them in to the rewards vendor. In fact, you can eat them or toss a couple of them to Elliot for cheap friendship points (my dude likes Squid) and it won’t affect your standing.

SquidFest is effectively broken up into two separate challenges, one on each day, with different stakes and rewards. Your progress on Winter 12 does not carry over to Winter 13, so you’ll need to catch a total of 18 Squid in 2 days to clean out SquidFest’s rewards.

If you’ve earned more than one set of rewards when you choose to redeem them, you’ll get all the items at once.

Winter 12:

• 1 Squid: 20 Deluxe Bait
• 3 Squids: 1 Dish O’ The Sea, and either 2 Mystery Boxes or 10 Winter Seeds
• 5 Squids: 1 Pearl, 3 Coffee
• 8 Squids: The Art O’ Crabbing (book), Squid Kid (furniture)

Winter 13:

• 2 Squids: 1 Trap Bobber
• 5 Squids: 1 Dish O’ The Sea, and either 3 Mystery Boxes or 15 Winter Seeds
• 7 Squids: 1 Treasure Chest (salable for 5,000g), 3 Triple Shot Espressos
• 10 Squids: Squid Hat (clothing), and The Art O’ Crabbing* (book) or 3 Mystery Boxes and 1 Seafoam Pudding

* If you got The Art O’ Crabbing as an 8-squid reward on Winter 12, you won’t get a second copy on Winter 13. Instead, you’ll get the Mystery Boxes/Seafoam Pudding.

How to Catch Squid

You’ll always be able to tell when you’ve got a Squid on the line, as they move rapidly and unpredictably once they’re on the hook. There’s nothing that keeps you from catching a Squid with any kind of fishing pole or at any level of your Fishing skill, but you’ll want all the help you can get. 

Ideally, hit Fishing level 6 before Winter 11 so Willy will sell you an Iridium Rod, then stock up on Deluxe Bait. A Trap or Cork Bobber will also be helpful; the former limits how fast fish can escape from your line, and the latter makes your bar bigger during the fishing minigame. These will usually wear out before you're done with SquidFest, so pack a spare.

Other ocean fish are also still available to catch during SquidFest, such as Herring, Sardines, and Red Mullets. Be sure to clean out your inventory before you head to the Beach, as between fishing treasures, other fish, 4 potential qualities of Squid, and festival rewards, your pockets can fill up quickly.

If you're committed to winning SquidFest, spend some time fishing on the Beach in the days/months leading up to the event fishing. As of patch 1.6, you may catch a Sea Jelly in ocean waters. This is a rare event that's influenced by your luck, i.e. the prophecy from the Fortune Teller. A Sea Jelly, when eaten, restores 75 Energy and gives you +1 Fishing skill for 7 minutes, which can be just the edge you need at SquidFest.

What Do I Do with All This Squid?

SquidFest is a useful way to grind your Fishing skill, and you’ll generally catch enough fish during the event to make a tidy profit off their sale. You do tend to walk away from the event with a whole pile of Squid, though. You could just sell them, but let's talk about your other options.

Squid Facts

• Season: Winter
• Base Sale Price Per Unit: 80g
• Base Energy/Health When Eaten: 25 Energy/11 Health

Squid can be used as an ingredient in any recipe that requires any random fish, i.e. Sashimi. The only recipe in the game at time of writing that specifically requires a Squid is Fried Calamari, which is a great gift to give Pierre. You get the recipe for Fried Calamari in the mail after you hit 3 hearts with Jodi, which is very attainable by your first Winter, even if all you do is talk to her on a regular basis.

Squids are required to complete Willy’s “Catch a Squid” quest, naturally, and may be the object of one of the random quests on the Help Wanted or Special Orders boards. You might want to keep a few Squids around for those.

Finally, if you add a Squid to a Fish Pond facility on your farm, the Squid will slowly produce Squid Ink at a random rate, which can be retrieved from the chum bucket. Otherwise, you have to farm Squid Ink off squid-like enemies in the Mines, which is relatively painless but random. The Ink is used for a couple of the higher-end cooking recipes, one of which is required to open the Movie Theater in Pelican Town.

This is all a long-winded way to say that SquidFest isn’t a must-see, unless you really enjoy Stardew Valley’s fishing. It’s a real challenge for long-time fans and hardcore fishermen, especially if you’re trying to clear out all the tournament’s unique rewards on Year 1. If you’re not into it, though, all you’re missing is access to one magnificently silly hat.