Celebrations in Civilization VII are a new gameplay mechanic that add depth to the social and happiness aspects of managing your civilization. Here's a comprehensive breakdown of how Celebrations work:
Triggering Celebrations:
•Happiness Requirement: Celebrations are activated when your civilization reaches a certain threshold of global happiness. Happiness is accumulated over time and can be influenced by various factors like city-state alliances, building constructions, and government policies.
•Indicator: You'll know a Celebration can be triggered when the circle on the bottom right corner of your screen displays "Choose Celebration." This appears once you've accrued enough happiness.
•Mechanics: Unlike previous games where happiness might only prevent negative effects, in Civ VII, happiness directly leads to positive events through Celebrations.
Effects of Celebrations:
•Bonuses: When a Celebration is triggered, you get to choose a bonus for your civilization that lasts for a few turns. These bonuses can include:
▪Increased yields like Food, Production, Culture, or Science.
▪Enhanced production rates for specific types of units or buildings.
▪One-time bonuses like additional social policies or unlocking unique traditions.
•Government Influence: The bonuses available during a Celebration are determined by your current government type. For instance:
▪Classical Republic might offer bonuses in Culture and Wonder production.
▪Despotism could enhance Science and Infantry production.
▪Oligarchy might boost Food and Building construction.
•Duration: These buffs last for a limited number of turns, typically around 10, after which the Celebration ends.
How to Increase Happiness: 
•Happiness Buildings: Construct buildings like altars or villas which directly contribute to happiness.
•Specialists: Placing specialists in urban districts can reduce happiness, but strategic placement can manage this.
•Civics and Technologies: Researching certain civics or technologies can increase your happiness cap or provide happiness directly.
•City-State Alliances: Maintaining good relations with city-states can provide happiness boosts.
•Leader Abilities: Some leaders have abilities that directly increase happiness or reduce the negative effects of low happiness.
Strategic Considerations: 
•Timing: You'll want to time your Celebrations to coincide with key moments in your game, like when you're about to build a crucial wonder or push for a scientific breakthrough.
•Government Choice: Selecting the right government can align your celebration bonuses with your strategy, whether that's rapid expansion, military conquest, or cultural victory.
•War and Peace: War weariness can reduce happiness, potentially delaying celebrations, so managing peace and war carefully is crucial.
Community and Developer Insights:
•User Feedback: There's mixed feedback on Reddit and forums regarding the celebration mechanics, with some players appreciating the new layer of strategy while others find the happiness system a bit opaque.
•Developer Intent: The design seems aimed at rewarding players for maintaining their civilization's happiness, encouraging a balance between expansion, warfare, and internal development.
Celebrations in Civilization VII thus serve as a reward for good governance and happiness management, integrating deeply with the game's broader strategy mechanics.
