Calendar for Seasonal Events

[RaveRadbury]

Every time we finish up a seasonal event the team is so wiped out that the next event isn't planned. It's also not uncommon for things like finals and mid-terms to hamstring availability, as many community members are in college. I've been wanting to suggest some kind of all-purpose calendar that we could use to guide our planning but that seemed really complicated and I never got around to it.

So I asked ChatGPT to do it for me.

Game Show(?)
Event Day: 1st Saturday of April
Development Start: 1st Monday of February
Development End: 1st Monday of April
Why: The first Saturday of April hits that sweet spot after Spring Break. Starting development on the 1st Monday of February gives you two solid months, wrapping up on the 1st Monday of April, with a few days to breathe before launch.

Summer Ball
Event Day: 3rd Saturday of July
Development Start: 3rd Monday of May
Development End: 3rd Monday of July
Why: The 3rd Saturday of July is a prime time, catching the summer vacation peak. Starting development on the 3rd Monday of May gives a smooth transition from the Spring event, with an end on the 3rd Monday of July to prep for the big day.

Toolbox Tournament
Event Day: 3rd Saturday of October
Development Start: 3rd Monday of August
Development End: 3rd Monday of October
Why: The 3rd Saturday of October lets you tap into those spooky vibes, well ahead of finals. Development starts 3rd Monday of August, keeping it relaxed post-summer, and wraps up the 3rd Monday of October for a smooth rollout.

Winter Ball
Event Day: 3rd Saturday of January
Development Start: 3rd Monday of November
Development End: 2nd Monday of January
Why: The 3rd Saturday of January is ideal for catching people in post-holiday downtime. Development starts on the 3rd Monday of November, giving you plenty of time to work before taking a holiday break. End on the 2nd Monday of January so the team can deal with any last-minute chaos before the event.

General Pacing Notes:
Event always on a Saturday for global participation.
Development always starts on a Monday, keeping things easy to remember and track.
8-week dev cycle per event with a few days’ buffer for final prep.

I think this is a great spot to start from, but obviously it needs real evaluation from real people with real schedules. How does this sound? What would you change?

[Jamarkus]

The winter ball happening on the 3rd of january dosent seem like a good idea. if anything, it should be on the Christmas float, the couple free days after Christmas that most companies give out. most likely people will be off then, so more people can enjoy it.

Also something is telling me if we do a game show, it should be done in march. IDK march seems better.