Flagstaff of Festivities

The Flagstaff of festivities is a commemorative item given to those who purchased a ticket to RuneFest 2010.

Including the official logo of the RuneFest, players can wield the flagstaff or place the banner in the ground, allowing other players the option to read the banner and to set off fireworks. It is similar in appearance to the clan vexillum.

Players can obtain the Flagstaff of Festivities by redeeming an item code from Diango, an option which was introduced on 28 April 2010, but was not possible until 30 April 2010 when tickets were first available for purchase. Those who bought tickets to RuneFest 2010 event were emailed item codes for each ticket for which they have purchased. Indirectly, this item has an age requirement of 18, as this is the requirement to attend RuneFest. Some players believe the minimum age to attend was 16, but Jagex said they don't serve alcoholic drinks to people below the age of 18.

The Flagstaff was announced to be receiving several upgrades in the leadup to the RuneFest event date, including setting off fireworks and sounding horns (which the horn on the tip of the staff alludes to). However, the Flagstaff already has the ability to set off fireworks and sound a horn when clicked on to read, so it is possible that the upgrades are already in place.

Controversy
A great deal of controversy has been sparked on the official RuneScape forums. As the flag is only obtainable by paying real-world money, some say it is classified as real world trading. Some players feel this is hypocritical to Jagex's stance on in-game status being separated from real-life status. Jagex has however stated that the Flagstaff itself is a gift that is complimentary to the RuneFest ticket, and it gives no advantage over players who do not have the Flagstaff.

Jagex then went on to clarify that "The flag is not real world trading as it's the ticket you're buying, not the item" and that "Real World Trading is where an illegal company sells beneficial items, services, or gold for real money. As all content in RuneScape is owned by ourselves, they are selling items that do not belong to them and are usually funded through credit card fraud, account theft, and sweatshop labour".

Trivia

 * A glitch was known getting multiple flagstaffs. This was fixed after the Zanaris graphical update.
 * You cannot rest while a Flagstaff of Festivities is equipped.
 * One of the joints appears to be a Seeker eye. (these are more round instead of simple slits)
 * You cannot plant a Flagstaff within close proximity of another already planted Flagstaff. However, if two or more are planted within the same game tick then they will all be planted.
 * This item seems to work on the same game mechanic as the Clan Vexillum, as you cannot have two of them placed in close proximity, and cannot rest while holding it.