Festival of the Bees

Each year in the town of Bannes, at the edge of Larkwood forest, the Festival of Bees is held by the locals who all come together to celebrate the year's harvest of honey and the bees that make it possible. The festival draws great numbers of visitors to the town, who all come to sample the delicacies on offer and to take part in the celebrations - and the honey mead. During the festival, the town's population has been known to double in size, but not a single soul leaves it hungry or thirsty.
A portion of each year's honey from the Bannes Honey Bees is set aside specifically for the festival. From this honey the town's bakers, cooks and brewers make delicate pastries, wonderful honey glazed ham, honey wine, mead and a whole host of other dishes served throughout the three days of the festival. The sweet, crunchy honeycomb is a favourite among children, as is the chewy, golden honey toffee, which makes the whole town smell heavenly while it's being prepared. Visitors to the festival, in addition to sweets, can enjoy a number of different honeyed alcoholic beverages as well as glazed meats with spicy condiments, a number of different types of bread and cakes, and all sorts of dressings, sauces and fruit jellies.
In addition to celebrating the culinary uses of the town's honey, the citizens of Bannes also celebrate their bees with song, dance and offerings made to them. On the last day of the festival, children and adults alike go together into the forest and meadows surrounding the town to pick enormous bouquets of wildflowers. Throughout the day, festivalgoers help bind these flowers into pleasing arrangments which they place around the beehives. This is done to thank the bees for their service and provide them with a feast to equal the one produced by their delicious honey.

Primary Related Location

Bannes