BuccaneerBass

Organiser: The various guilds of the city, who each take responsibility for their chosen field of profession.
e.g. the cobblers guild, the armsmasters guild, the butchers guild,...

Description: Each year, at Corvis Founding Day, the various guilds of the city (including the military) take this opportunity to recruit the new apprentices. Each guild can inspect and appoint the various youngsters who reached the appropriate age to take up a craft. Most wanted are of course the positions with
1) "The Stormblades"
2) "Militant order of the arcane tempest" (a.k.a. gun mages)
3) "The academy of warcasters" (where the training of journeyman warcasters first takes place)

Agenda:

06.00: Gathering of the youngsters on the town square.
07.00: The guilds take their first tour of the town square.
11.00: The guilds present their list of 'chosen ones' to the main guild of the year (varies each year, according to a set schedule).
12.00: The various guild elders gather to discuss the apprentices who have been chosen by more then one guild. This actually takes very little time, since most positions are actually granted weeks before the festival, by the parents and their political connections.
15.00: The reading of the names. Each guild elder reads the names of the chosen apprentices. Typically, the academy of warcasters starts with this procedure, provided they have chosen an apprentice.
18.00: The draft. Each potential apprentice, not chosen by a guild, and of able body is then 'chosen' by the Cygnaran military to start their one year apprenticeship in the 'Cygnaran trenchers'.
19.00 - 00.00: Any remaining youngsters (typically those who suffer from some physical or mental handicap) can be picked up by anyone who shows interest in them, most often resulting in a not to pleasant (or legal) 'career choice'.

Social Crowd: Youngsters of the appropriate age to start an apprenticeship, their parents, and guild members.