I've tried to find the answer, but searching the forum has been a bit daunting in trying to find the answer. How exactly do you get themed pets from an event? I just started playing at the beginning of this month, and I'm seeing all these pretty themed pets and was curious how to go about getting one when the next event rolls around.

Thanks in advance, sorry if it seems like a bit of a dumb question!

Well, it really depends. Each themed pet generally has 'it's own festival/event". This means that you can only get it during that festival/event or through buying/breeding one (although it'd be a purebred and not considered a themed). For example, Mahi Mahi Aurleons 'belong' to the 2015 Summer Festival, and you can only get one if you hurry and buy a bunch of stuff, buy or trade for one, or get someone to breed one for you because the 2015 Summer Festival has already ended.

I hope this helps!

Yup, you get themmed during festivals or events in those festivals. For the ressents one you can try to get one in advenced search or Sylesti Seeking if you can put your hand on somes Seeking Tools. If you want have one particular themmed keep a eye on the Pet Auctions for them too or try the wishing well. ^-^

Thanks, that kind of answers it... But what did you do during the summer festival to be able to get one? Were there particular games or things you had to do to be eligible? I just want to make sure I got my ducks in a row for the next one!

Well, it changes for each festival, so you'll just have to read whatever Krin posts.
Well, there was a exploration zone where you wandered around, found chests, and fought bosses to get shovels, fishing poles, clams, avatar items, and gold. You would then use the shovels and fishing poles to search a beach for water, clay, and fish. You would also open the clams for pearls. Then, you would take the fish, three vials of water, three bricks of clay, and a fish and make a theme pet!
Ta-da! I suck at explaining stuff

Forgot to ping, :)

For regular themed pets, they're found at random in the same way wild pets appear on the map, although labelled differently (Bold, purple text saying they're rare when run into, are always alone in battle, have Theme name rather than being labled "Wild _______" on HP bar, always rare or higher), or in the 'Node' on the Explore map that has a chance to generate Eggs.
For the Exclusive pets, there's the Contests- which typically consist of leaderboards for each species, with the top four scorers getting an Exclusive of the species they got points in, 3vis for 1st, 2vis for 2nd through 4th- and there's Creation.

Contests, Battle: Each pet on your team giving a point for its own species for each opponent defeated. A team of three of the same species taking out a team of three wild opponents will, thus, grant you nine points in their species on the boards.

Contests, Nurturing: You nurture Sylesti, and get a point in the relevant species for each nurture.

Contests, Releasing: Didn't show up this fest, but was present during last Spring fest. You get a point for every pet of a species that you release.

Maze: The Amazing Maze can get you a Fabled Exclusive, if you manage to get all the way to the last room.

Creation: Varies.
At the moment it is the Summer Fest's Sylesti Seeking, in which the creation of a pet requires three water, three clay, a pearl (Trait determination: silver > 1vis, gold > 2vis, prismatic > 3vis) and the relevant 'fish' species (eg. Seaslug makes the Sea Slug Vulnyx)

Last Spring fest it was Gardening, and you required the relevant Seed for species, a pot, fertiliser for traits, and water, light and weedkiller to speed the growth (though the fertiliser and water/light/weedkiller were not necessary)

Last Winter it was Baking, and you needed baking utensils, the correct amount of both species-specific ingredients (obtained via battle/baskets), and Spice from the correct species (vis. determined by the wild pet 'spiced' in order to obtain it. Rare pets, when spiced, gave Rare Spice, Epic pets gave Epic Spice etc. Spicing wild pets meant they could not be caught)

So what will happen for Autumn Fest (the next one on the seasonal roster)? We don't know.

oh wow!! Thank you both, that was a great explanation! I'll have to keep my eye out for the next one, it sounds like tons of fun. I've got the nurturing thing down for sure! Oooo now I can't wait for the next season festival.