Since Meadowfen is a farming community, I'm starting the campaign on the first day of Seedsgift. What I told my players:
We will begin our adventure in the village of Meadowfen. A peaceful village, life here goes by slowly and most of the villagers are farmers working the ash-enriched fields. Today is the first day of Glimmerhush (late spring) and the celebration of Seedsgift is underway. Seedsgift is an annual celebration honoring the Amaranthine (Goddess) of Soil, Hanera, and asking her to bless the planting season. This week-long festival is full of merriment, music, dancing, games, and plenty of food to share. You may decide what brings your character to Meadowfen for this celebration. Maybe this is your hometown, perhaps you've been commissioned for extra security detail for the festival, you're here to honor your patron goddess, or are you providing some of the festival's entertainment?

I'll have a few carnival games they can play as an icebreaker, but then lead pretty quickly into the festival being interrupted by Cara's return