A free Animal Crossing: New Horizons update due out on 23 April will add, among other things, an art gallery to your island’s museum, a visiting flower vendor, and a bunch of new seasonal events.
With the update, the nature-loving Leif will regularly visit players’ islands to open his Garden Store, selling a variety of different shrubs and flower seeds. More flowers is never a bad thing when it comes to making your island look pretty, and Leif’s store is sure to be a big help for people trying to collect all the different flower types.
Another visitor introduced by the update is Jolly Redd, who’ll show up from time to time in his Treasure Trawler with art and furniture to sell. He has both forgeries and genuine artworks, so players will need to try identify which pieces are the real deal; once purchased, authentic sculptures and paintings can be donated to Blathers’ museum to open an art gallery. Jolly Redd also sells furniture, with colours that aren’t available through Nook’s Cranny.
Finally, the Animal Crossing: New Horizons update will pave the way for a handful of new seasonal events in the coming months:
- Nature Day (23 April – 4 May): Adds special Nature Day-themed Nook Miles challenges, like planting trees and watering flowers.
- May Day Tour (1 May to 7 May): Players will be able to take a one-off, limited-time trip to a special island “that looks different to the usual mystery island tours. A special visitor who looks familiar might also be there…”
- International Museum Day (18 May – 31 May): A special Stamp Rally event at Blathers’ museum will see players collecting stamps at various exhibits, in order to earn an in-game reward.
- Wedding Season (1 June – 30 June): Players can visit Harvey’s island to meeting the married couple Reese and Cyrus, as well as taking anniversary photos in a wedding-themed picture studio, with wedding-themed items available as a token of the couple’s gratitude.
Animal Crossing: New Horizon has had one seasonal event so far, that being the Easter-themed “Bunny Day” event that saw players collecting eggs in order to craft Easter-themed items. I don’t think I’ve ever seen the videogame community as united as in its dislike of this event—the eggs in question were universally found in gathering spots, in place of other, far more useful materials. These new events sound a bit less intrusive, at least.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons is available now for Nintendo Switch. We gave it five stars in our review, praising the way it encourages players to slow down and enjoy the journey, instead of just rushing from one goal to the next.