{
  "version": "2026-05-18",
  "note": "Star Citizen event dates. Recurring events use a base year (2026) plus a recurrence rule — JS rolls them forward each year. Confirmed events have specific 2026 dates; recurring-only events use the most likely annual window.",
  "events": [
    {
      "id": "ilw-2026",
      "name": "Invictus Launch Week 2026",
      "shortName": "ILW",
      "category": "free-fly",
      "start": "2026-05-14",
      "end":   "2026-05-27",
      "confirmed": true,
      "summary": "UEE Navy's annual recruitment showcase. Free-fly week for military hulls; warbond and concept ship sales tied to the Drake DefenseCon co-event.",
      "expect": [
        "Free fly: military / combat ships",
        "Warbond pledges — Ironclad, Pitbull, Tiburon, Anvil Odin, F8C Lightning, Hull B",
        "In-game ILW parade content at New Babbage"
      ],
      "rsi": "https://robertsspaceindustries.com/invictus"
    },
    {
      "id": "foundation-festival-2026",
      "name": "Foundation Festival 2026",
      "shortName": "Foundation Festival",
      "category": "in-game",
      "start": "2026-05-29",
      "end":   "2026-06-08",
      "confirmed": false,
      "summary": "Anniversary-flavored festival celebrating the founding of the UEE. New-player welcome event with reduced fees, free starter ships rotation, and double-rep bonuses.",
      "expect": [
        "Double mission rep across most factions",
        "Free rentals on starter ships",
        "Newcomer bounty bundles"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "stella-fortuna-recurring",
      "name": "Stella Fortuna",
      "shortName": "Stella Fortuna",
      "category": "in-game",
      "start": "2027-04-01",
      "end":   "2027-04-07",
      "recurrence": "annual",
      "summary": "April-Fools-adjacent good-luck festival. Cosmetic rewards, themed mission pop-ups, four-leaf-clover decorations.",
      "expect": ["Free cosmetic flair drops", "Themed pop-up missions"]
    },
    {
      "id": "coramor-recurring",
      "name": "Coramor",
      "shortName": "Coramor",
      "category": "in-game",
      "start": "2027-02-14",
      "end":   "2027-02-21",
      "recurrence": "annual",
      "summary": "Star Citizen's Valentine's-equivalent. Themed cosmetics, paired missions, pink and red liveries.",
      "expect": ["Coramor-themed ship paints", "Themed FPS missions"]
    },
    {
      "id": "luminalia-2026",
      "name": "Luminalia 2026",
      "shortName": "Luminalia",
      "category": "in-game",
      "start": "2026-12-18",
      "end":   "2026-12-31",
      "confirmed": false,
      "summary": "Winter holiday event spanning the back half of December. Daily login rewards, themed decorations, gifting mechanic.",
      "expect": [
        "Daily login rewards (one gift per day, all rewards on day 7)",
        "Snow on Hurston, festival lights at major stations",
        "Themed cosmetic flair drops"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "anniversary-sale-2026",
      "name": "Anniversary Sale 2026",
      "shortName": "Anniversary Sale",
      "category": "sale",
      "start": "2026-11-19",
      "end":   "2026-12-04",
      "confirmed": false,
      "summary": "Largest pledge sale of the year. Runs adjacent to IAE — every ship in the catalog goes on sale, including normally-out-of-stock concept hulls.",
      "expect": [
        "All ships on sale (including LTI tokens)",
        "Best CCU stocking window of the year",
        "Subscriber flair drops"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "iae-2026",
      "name": "Intergalactic Aerospace Expo (IAE) 2026",
      "shortName": "IAE",
      "category": "free-fly",
      "start": "2026-11-19",
      "end":   "2026-12-04",
      "confirmed": false,
      "summary": "The biggest free-fly event of the year. Every flyable ship rotates through a daily manufacturer showcase, accessible from the IAE expo hall at New Babbage.",
      "expect": [
        "Free-fly: rotating manufacturer per day (14-day rotation)",
        "Daily ship reveals + concept announcements",
        "Best new-pilot acquisition window — combine with the Anniversary Sale"
      ],
      "rsi": "https://robertsspaceindustries.com/iae"
    },
    {
      "id": "citizencon-2026",
      "name": "CitizenCon 2956",
      "shortName": "CitizenCon",
      "category": "real-world",
      "start": "2026-10-23",
      "end":   "2026-10-24",
      "confirmed": false,
      "summary": "CIG's annual real-world conference. Two days of dev panels, gameplay reveals, and the major roadmap update for the year ahead. Streamed live on the RSI website + Twitch.",
      "expect": [
        "Annual progress report and roadmap update",
        "New ship concepts revealed",
        "Squadron 42 status update (varies year to year)",
        "Live audience ticket / digital pass purchase available 60+ days ahead"
      ],
      "rsi": "https://robertsspaceindustries.com/citizencon"
    },
    {
      "id": "banu-festival-2026",
      "name": "Banu Festival of Joy 2026",
      "shortName": "Banu Festival",
      "category": "in-game",
      "start": "2026-08-12",
      "end":   "2026-08-26",
      "confirmed": false,
      "summary": "Banu-themed festival celebrating cultural exchange between human and Banu societies. Wikelo's Emporium typically rotates rare stock for this event.",
      "expect": [
        "Wikelo's rare Banu armor + paint stock rotation",
        "Banu-themed missions across the 'Verse",
        "Cosmetic Banu-styled hangar decorations"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "xenothreat-recurring",
      "name": "XenoThreat Dynamic Event",
      "shortName": "XenoThreat",
      "category": "in-game",
      "start": "2026-07-15",
      "end":   "2026-08-05",
      "recurrence": "quarterly",
      "summary": "Recurring large-scale dynamic event — XenoThreat insurgents attack UEE supply lines. Multi-phase event culminating in a fleet battle near Pyro Gateway.",
      "expect": [
        "Multi-day escalating threat phases",
        "High-XP combat missions",
        "Unique XenoThreat-faction loot drops"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "save-stanton-recurring",
      "name": "Save Stanton: Restock Run",
      "shortName": "Save Stanton",
      "category": "in-game",
      "start": "2026-06-10",
      "end":   "2026-06-24",
      "recurrence": "quarterly",
      "summary": "Cooperative supply-chain event. Players ship cargo to refuel station after a faction sabotage. Direct cargo turn-ins + bonus rep with the affected stations.",
      "expect": [
        "Cargo bonus payouts (1.5-2x base)",
        "Faction rep bonuses",
        "Boss-NPC encounters mid-event"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "jumptown-recurring",
      "name": "Jumptown Drug Run",
      "shortName": "Jumptown",
      "category": "in-game",
      "start": "2026-09-02",
      "end":   "2026-09-09",
      "recurrence": "quarterly",
      "summary": "PvP cargo event at Yela's Jumptown drug lab — pick up boxes of premium contraband, survive the run, sell to the highest bidder. Open-PvP zone for the duration.",
      "expect": [
        "30k+ aUEC per box turnover",
        "Open PvP zone — fly armed",
        "Spawns 3-4 times per year, ~1 week per spawn"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "siege-of-orison-recurring",
      "name": "Siege of Orison",
      "shortName": "Siege of Orison",
      "category": "in-game",
      "start": "2026-10-01",
      "end":   "2026-10-14",
      "recurrence": "quarterly",
      "summary": "Heavily-scripted FPS event — defend Orison's floating platforms against the Nine Tails insurgency. Multi-platform assault with bombs to disarm, hostages to rescue.",
      "expect": [
        "FPS-focused mission line",
        "Reward armor flair + crew rep",
        "Unique Crusader Industries cosmetics"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ship-showdown-recurring",
      "name": "Ship Showdown",
      "shortName": "Ship Showdown",
      "category": "community",
      "start": "2026-09-15",
      "end":   "2026-10-06",
      "recurrence": "annual",
      "summary": "Community bracket-style vote for favorite ship in the catalog. Each match-up posts community-made highlight content. Subscriber-exclusive paints for the winning hull.",
      "expect": [
        "Bracket voting on the RSI website",
        "Subscriber winner-paint reward",
        "Community spotlight content all month"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "daymar-rally-recurring",
      "name": "Daymar Rally",
      "shortName": "Daymar Rally",
      "category": "community",
      "start": "2026-06-18",
      "end":   "2026-06-20",
      "recurrence": "annual",
      "summary": "Community-organized racing event across Daymar's surface. Open registration; ground vehicles and atmospheric ships only. Multi-class brackets.",
      "expect": [
        "ROC / Cyclone / Storm AA classes",
        "Atmospheric ship class (Pisces, Khartu-Al, M50)",
        "Spectator stations along the route"
      ],
      "rsi": null
    },
    {
      "id": "murray-cup-recurring",
      "name": "Murray Cup Racing Season",
      "shortName": "Murray Cup",
      "category": "community",
      "start": "2026-07-01",
      "end":   "2026-09-30",
      "recurrence": "annual",
      "summary": "The official UEE-sanctioned racing season. Multiple bracket-style races at the Murray Cup arena on ArcCorp. Open to all racing-class hulls.",
      "expect": [
        "Multiple class brackets (Light, Heavy, Open)",
        "Live tournaments throughout the summer",
        "RSI-streamed final"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "categories": {
    "free-fly":   { "label": "Free Fly",      "color": "cyan",   "glyph": "◇" },
    "in-game":    { "label": "In-Game Event", "color": "amber",  "glyph": "◆" },
    "real-world": { "label": "Real World",    "color": "purple", "glyph": "▣" },
    "sale":       { "label": "Pledge Sale",   "color": "green",  "glyph": "$" },
    "community":  { "label": "Community",     "color": "bone",   "glyph": "▸" }
  }
}