I no longer have the time to really have a hand in the organization of this edition of Kosh’harg. But considering the Kosh’harg events are a joint effort from any volunteers we can get in the guild, I will say that I fully stand behind what’s being hosted by those who do decide to stick their necks out. I do understand that there can be some concern about the presentation of the Kosh’harg, but I do think it is worth pointing out a few things here.
I believe it is safe to say that the organizers fully realize the meaning of the Kosh’harg Festival, as there are more than enough religious, traditional and “typical orcish” events on offer. When you decide to host a festival for a full week, however, you are bound to fill up a few time slots with some events that may feel slightly less “authentic” than those typical, bi-annually occurring events. You can call them window-dressing if you like, an IC attempt to appeal to a larger audience in order to make the Kosh’harg more accessible for the modern Horde as a whole or simply a means to provide a little something for everyone who wants to have a chance to do some typical festival-like things on the Horde side. One way or another though, each of these events are optional. Anyone who attended a Kosh’harg in the past knows that the festivities will simply continue to go on elsewhere when these events are ongoing. So it is not like anyone will be forced to set aside their festivities to partake in any kind of activity that they would consider heresy. Nor does it have to mean that you will be unable to attend a festival because there will be one or two events that your character does not like. Then again, that is something for you and your character to decide.
Having said that though, I will point to a snippet from the Spring edition of this year’s Kosh’harg:
Costume Contest
The Kosh’harg Festival is the epitome of a traditional orcish festival. Though nowadays accessible to all allies of the orcish race, some may still have a bit of trouble blending in. The Costume Contest is an excellent way to find inspiration for your very own traditional orcish garb! Or perhaps you wish to show off what you have come up with yourself? Three judges will rate the finest costumes to set foot in Garadar and will hand out prizes to the victors!
Looks familiar? That is because it is pretty much the exact same premise as this year’s “Miss Kosh’harg”. I’d say the only difference lies in the presentation, which is where I would actually agree that one could make the event seem a little less “'Murican”-sounding. Give it an orcish name, slap an orcish theme on it and no one will be none the wiser. Or so I would think, because none of the above was ever an issue during previous iterations of the Kosh’harg, despite it most certainly being there as well. I would think that people would have discussed such an activity previously as well, if it was truly such a problematic element to the Kosh’harg. So in this case, I think that a lot can be made more acceptable simply by keeping presentation in mind.
Even so, all we have to go by so far is the name of the activity, but that does not tell us anything about the event itself. So with that in mind, I would advise people to just give it a chance if they are so inclined. Perhaps things will not be so sacrilegious IC after all. Or, if they are, they can kick up a fuss or grumble and ramble to their heart’s content. I am sure it can be something that can be kept in mind for the next time then, in that case.
Some people like their festivals the same every single year, others do like to switch it up a little. The same ritualistic events do not seem to be going anywhere, so those who do want things to stay the same will always have those to attend. Those who want a little variety to their bi-annual festivals get to try out a few new things now and then to switch things up. Either way, I am sure any events (or other elements of the festival for that matter, like how peace keepers have been a constant point of contention in the past) that happen to not work out all too well will be kept into account for the next time in order to improve the overall experience. For now though, there’s no telling what the actual event will look like without having actually seen it, so I am compelled to ask people not to judge too quickly, as I myself do not recall any complaints from this Spring’s costume contest and people seemed to enjoy that one just fine. 
