It was pretty fun. Finished the menu on my mayor but gave up on my alt because I couldnt find a lobster. LOL didnt bother preparing a few days before the event.
Yea you don't really need to prepare that much in advance. I saved some mushrooms and Beehives because they might not be available on the day (also I don't want to get stung by bees again), but your villagers who are in their houses cooking will give you mushrooms/ beehives/ fruits as well as exclusive ingredients, so you really just need to fish and dive.
Nothing on the menu is super hard to get, I spent about an hour or so getting everything.
I played for a good two hours this lunchtime. The Harvest Festival has been my fav event since I first did it last year, I find it really fun By the time I'd finished today, I found I had extra of milk, butter, vinegar and sugar, so I was pleased I got to keep them as they look great displayed in my kitchen. Good luck to everyone who hasn't participated yet, get cooking! ^_^