Splatfest

"Pick a side and battle it out in these special Turf War events. Find out about the latest Splatfests in Inkopolis Plaza, and be sure to pledge allegiance to your favorite side in the week leading up! Then help your side win by competing in Turf War battles!"

- Splatoon's official website

Splatfest, known as Festival or Fes in Japan, is a special event that takes place in Splatoon, during which Inklings choose between two teams, such as Cats or Dogs, and compete in the Turf War mode for Super Sea Snails.

Description
Splatfest is a recurring event hosted by the Squid Sisters, Callie and Marie. During this event, Inklings are able to choose between two teams and participate in battles against each other. Inklings are limited to two colors during the Splatfest, reflecting which side they're on. The clothing section of the equip screen also becomes locked and all players are forced to wear the Splatfest Tee, which changes in color and design based on an Inkling's chosen team. Inkopolis Plaza and all the stages are decorated with a flood of Miiverse posts from the Splatfest/Festival tag on the Splatoon community, some of which take the form of neon signs, banners and even fireworks. Darkness also descends over Inkopolis and all Turf War stages. Fireworks go off periodically in the plaza, and specks of light resembling fireflies or fire embers can be seen rising into the sky.

Each Splatfest lasts 24 hours, during which time the region involved will be isolated and Splatfest players will only face off against players of their own region. Meanwhile all other regions will continue to play amongst each other. Super Sea Snails are awarded to participating players upon Splatfest's conclusion.

Preparation
Before a Splatfest begins, Inkopolis Plaza experiences a variety of visual upgrades to prepare for the event. One week before a Splatfest, a voting booth appears next to the Miiverse Mailbox and the event's theme is announced. Inklings also receive a themed Splatfest Tee, a piece of gear that is wearable for a limited amount of time. Two days before a Splatfest, neon signs adorned with up-and-down-pointing arrows appear on walls and buildings. The day before it takes place, the Plaza becomes noticeably more crowded and two large trucks supporting stage scaffolding appear in the area's center.

Reward Tiers
Super Sea Snails are awarded to participants based on the size of their team, matches won, and ground covered, which dictate each player's Splatfest Title.

Splatfest EXP is earned by participating in and winning matches. Winning a match earns you 3 EXP, and your participation bonus is based on how much BP worth of ground you covered in ink during the match. If you cover 200–399 BP worth of ground, you earn 1 bonus participation EXP; if you cover 400+ BP worth of ground, you earn 2 bonus participation EXP. One can earn a maximum of 5 EXP per match if your team wins and you cover at least 400 BP worth of ground during the match.

Once Splatfest concludes, the results are announced during a broadcast. The results are based on team popularity, the percentage of the vote each team received, and wins, the percentage of matches each team won. Win percentage is worth double the value of popularity. Players are awarded Super Sea Snails based on the Splatfest Title they have earned. Players on the winning team will earn double the Super Sea Snails.

Victory
The final score is calculated based both on popularity and on wins. The formula is as follows:

Despite this, when the Squid Sisters announce the results, the highest of the popularity percentages gets highlighted, and so does the highest of the win percentages.

List of Splatfests
The following is a list of all Splatfest events and their durations. On each event in the table, the first choice is always sided by Callie while the second is sided by Marie.

Miiverse
Before and for the entire period of Splatfest players can post messages of support for their side to a special channel on Miiverse that will be displayed throughout Splatfest. This is done through a special option that shows up during Splatfest.

Delays
While the first Splatfest event, in Japan, went by flawlessly, the first North American Splatfest was delayed. The reason given was because of matchmaking issues with Japanese players. . The original schedule for the event was from June 20th (Sat) at 6 AM PDT to June 21st (Sun) at 6 AM PDT, and some days later, it was revealed that it would be moved to July 4th (Sat) at midnight PT.

The first European Splatfest event, that was meant to start on the 27th of June at midnight CEST, was equally postponed, so that it would take place on the same day as the North American one.

Quotes
"Sometimes the citizens of Inkopolis just wanna party, you know? To satisfy this urge, they throw an event called a Splatfest. To take part in a Splatfest, head to the Pledge Box and pick a team. This is the spot. Don't forget!"

- Info Box

"Callie: Before we reveal today's stages, some special news! Marie: What is it? What is it?! Callie: We've received word from...on high. Marie: You don't mean...?! Callie: That's right! There's going to be a Splatfest soon! Marie: OHH! What's the theme? What's the theme?! Callie: Just a moment! The theme is descending as we speak! Marie: Let's see it! Let's see it! Callie: ...Aaaand it's here! We've got the Splatfest theme! Marie: Let's hear it! Let's hear it! Callie: All right then, I'll announce the theme! Marie: *gulp* ... Callie: The theme for the upcoming Splatfest is... Marie: Wait for iiiiiit..."

- Squid Sisters before Splatfest

"Callie: Aaaaand that's it, folks! Time to tally those scores! Marie: Uerghh... My throat's sore after all that singing... Callie: We're gonna need that Splatfest Tee back. Sorry! Marie: Results will be announced soon! See you then!"

- Squid Sisters after Splatfest

Trivia

 * Team Dog and Team Milk Tea's victory in the first North American Splatfest and third Japanese Splatfest marks the first, second and currently the only times that Marie's team emerges victorious. All other Splatfests held up to that point have shown Callie's side as the winner.
 * During a Splatfest, Regular & Ranked Battles take a brief hiatus and are not available.
 * Some randomly selected players are able to join as early as 5 minutes before the official start time for faster matchmaking.
 * In a Splatfest, if one team joins a server for long enough and the other team doesn't connect, members of the same team will join and battle with regular colors. Splatfest EXP can be earned in these matches, but they do not affect the total win percentage for either team.
 * About midway through the Roller Coasters vs. Water Slides Splatfest in North America, the colors became randomized for a few rounds instead of the standard purple vs. green before returning to normal. It is unknown why this happened.
 * Team Roller Coaster's victory in the second North American Splatfest marks the first and currently only time the less popular team won.
 * In Inkopolis Plaza, while Callie and Marie are performing, their dresses and hats and Callie's highlights at the end of her hair is also the same colour as the team that they're cheering for.