...yeah daily quests for a token grind sounds soooo much more fun than swimsuits/emote minigame and fireworks.

Seasonal Events are meant to be able to be done by anyone crafter/gatherer/new player alike, and are mere distractions. I think this is the best seasonal event by far in FFXIV (the bells were just stupid). I'd rather not have them produce useful (needed) gear beyond the event/novelty factor because not everyone likes to do this kind of stuff, and I don't want to feel like I am missing out on something if I am doing something more productive/not online to do the event during its time. There were a few seasonal rewards like in the past in XI I think maybe, one of which I did not get and I always regretted it (maybe I'm thinking of a different game), seasonal events should just be fun extra little distractions not part of the overall game's itemization. That WoW event sounds absolutely terrible.