Emporium Under the Sun

Talitha Harbor is part of a twin planet system. Orion and Talitha Harbor are similar sized planets and not tidally locked. They rotate around a gravitational point between them and slowly trade places, once, as they orbit around their sun. Talitha Harbor is closer to Sol during half of one Sol Cycle and Orion is closer during the other half.
For one day of the year Talitha Harbor is directly in front of Orion. This also happens to be the longest day of their [Sol Cycle], for the side of the planet they inhabit. They created a celebration for it and named it the Emporium Under the Sun.
They also have a day of full dark, during winter, where Orion is blocking the sun from them. They have a celebration on this day called the Carnival In the Stars.
It’s celebrated in all three Great Cities, but is especially beloved in the Great City of Pangu, known for their love of art and creativity.

History

The early life of the new colony was filled with hard labor and stress. They were building an entirely new civilization and livelyhood. The Founders knew the Talithans would need downtime and something to keep their motiviation high.
During their long travels from Earth to Talitha Harbor, the crew celebrated Earth holidays and celebrations. They represented members from over twenty countries. There was a wide variety of holidays observed based on the Earthian calendar system. For their new society, however, they needed new celebrations. Special days to bring everyone together.
WIth twin planets, the founds thought it would be fitting to make twin holidays, of a sort.
The Carnival In the Starscame first. This was created for the day with no sun. It is a day focused on community and relaxation. There isn't a 22 hour day of sun, since the planet is still rotating on an axis. So, instead, they focused on the day in which they would block the sun from Orion. It's also their longest day, though that is solely due the tilt of their planet towards the sun.
The founders created another huge community event. However, this one focused on work. Not the work of the Vocations, but that of the Artisans. Those who created art, music, stories, theater, and all forms of creativity.

Execution

Preparation for the Emporium depends on the location.
The Great City of Simmah is on a more rugged continent. Those who don’t mind a more challenging trip will travel to the beaches along Alrescha Sea, which requires travel through a mountain pass. It’s a beautiful area that also features a few caves, which are used as part of their evening celebrations.
Most of the city will travel to the southernmost beach along the Triskele Sea to the west. There are wide roads in that direction which work well for the parade, and vehicle transportation for those who need or want it.
The City of Anunitum has a group that travels to the sea. For them, the festivities take place at the most northern point. The trip is far too long for a parade or hike. Instead, they start moving people in that direction by vehicle early in the morning. Once everyone is there, they set the booths up in a more linear fashion, and the patrons make the parade. It is not a formal parade, though, just a line of booths and a stream of visitors.
The two continents, Anunitum and Simmah, don’t physically touch. But the distance between the two is short enough that Talithans can take short boat rides between the two beaches. Vocation owned boats are always available. The larger ones often turn into party boats.
The event along this coast, with inhabitants of both Great Cities, is by far the largest. A small number of people from the City of Pangu will travel north to join the party.
For the citizens of Anunitum who want a smaller affair, there is an event held on the eastern side of the continent on an ocean facing beach. It’s near the southern end of the city, but not the entire land mass. Most of Anunitum, like the other three continents, is uninhabited.
They will still have a good turnout, but it’s nowhere near the size of the northern Anunitum and Simmah group whose numbers can go over half a million people.
Anunitum also has a smaller group that will meet on their side of the Alrescha Sea. The beaches there are fairly narrow. Their celebration usually attracts those who want to spend more time tuning into nature than others. It’s also common for body-modification artists to join, some traveling from the other two cities. Some Talithans make it an event every sol cycle to have a new tattoo, scarification, piercing, or other form of body modification added. Some choose more temporary options, like henna or hair tattoos.
Pangu has, over time, shifted from a beach party to a street party. Some summers can get very hot for the southernmost city, and it’s more practical to have it in a place where things can be moved indoors if needed. Tents can block rain, but they have nothing than can block the heat except for cooled buildings.
The parade travels through the middle of the city, and the bazaar is set up throughout the city. It is a cacophony of color and noise. Singers, dancers, and other street performers spread out as they see fit, mixed in with artisans selling and displaying their wares. The mix also includes those who craft food as an art with tasty offers for display, some free and others at a cost.
Pabulum still sets up food distribution throughout the city. However, it’s tradition for the Vocation to offer especially bland food that day to better highlight the more flavorful food made by the Artisans.
Set up for the event takes a couple of weeks. Everyone gets involved, which is the only reason it doesn’t take longer. They also have more than a thousand sols of trial and error. The Vocations run the planning strategic side of things and provide basic structures. As with the rest of their society, the individual vocations do their specialized parts.
For the vocations, it’s their way of giving back to the artisan community. The artisans still help with setup, but the vocations do the heavy lifting.

Observance

The Emporium has three stages. For the groups following the most traditional format, it starts with a parade around mid-morning. If all goes as planned, it will start at ten o’clock (they use a twenty-two hour clock). Given the size of the event, it’s not always punctual.
The Talithans who have nothing they want to show case will line up and create a large parade route. Artists, singers, playwrights, etc. will parade through the crowd, showing off whatever they would like. It’s an exhibit of music, quoted verse, costumes, art pieces, and anything else a person might want to show off. There is no limited on who can join or what they can show off as art. Anyone who wants to be in the parade can.
The organizers will try to space out the participants in accordance with their craft. Mainly to keep audio performers, like singers and poets, from walking next to each other and trying to out vocalize the other. Some of these artists want to be put next to each other, whether rival or friend. If they insist, they are allowed, creating a fun spectacle for the onlookers.
These parades can be long. For artists who may struggle because of mobility or health, someone will accompany them and make sure they to can have their day. Solar-powered wheelchairs are readily available resources. Those who need them may still want help, and it will be given to them. If the trip is too long, even with a mobility device, they can dub another to walk in their place.
Talithans who will volunteer to fill the assistant positions every sol, have been dubbed Charioteers. They don’t have any land animals that can pull chariots, so they have given the word into a new meaning.
Once the last presenter or performer in the parade has passed, the people watching will follow. They drop in as the line ends. The artisans will lead the rest of the celebrators into a massive bazaar where goods will be set up for purchase or just to appreciate. There will be music, free food, special food for sale, and dancing.
There are activities geared towards children as well, to include games, sweets, and kid friendly plays. For the events that take place on a beach, there will be sand sculptures, as well as swimming. There is also a sand sculpture showcase during the celebration, which will include sculptures made by anyone old enough to build something. It is an activity simply for fun and to celebrate another avenue of creativity.
The event takes place for as long as the Talithans can stand being out in the sun. There are always medical personnel around in case someone suffers from a heat or sun related energy. Drinking water is always at the ready. Community solcar drivers are also available to take people home if someone wants to leave early and not make the hike back. They will also use the small vans and trucks normally used to transport goods.
Some Talithans stay just long enough to eat some food and look around the bazaar. Others stay throughout the night and sleep on the beach. They use the same sleeping mats used for Carnival In the Stars. The number of over-nighters is much smaller during this holiday than the cozy bonfire night of winter.