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The first thing to mention here is the special instruction, which is spelled out by the answers to 20,11, 12 and 19 across - which gives an occasion that I can honestly say I've never heard of - but it does sound fun 😉

Seriously, this is a subject I know next to nothing about but the clues are fair so no complaints.

FOI was 4d followed by 10a

My lack of knowledge on the subject meant I found this quite difficult and was forever going back and forth to Chambers to check the definitions.

If you do get stuck there's a long anagram in the downs.

There are still a couple I can't fully parse, namely 11a which forms part of the theme title and 22a where I can see a "retiring poet" but have no idea where the other letters come from! I also had to check the definition on Wiki as Chambers doesn't give it.

COD - I've got a three-way tie this week with the title related 29a, the witty 5d with "one who does" and the cheeky 23d.

It's been great to see so many new posters joining our friendly Guardian Prize blog each week. It's always interesting to read the views of fellow solvers. And remember, if you get stuck, don't hesitate to ask for a hint - there are always people on here willing to help.

Thanks to Bogus for an entertaining and fun crossword.

Stay safe:-)

Sorry Geeker, you must have posted while I was proofing my post

Brendan,
Thanks, I prefer for you to open the thread. Mods can remove my duplicate.
...
Many thanks to Bogus, a setter new to me (maybe I've run across him/her once or twice in the distant past, though not sure). A challenging Prize and learning experience, as I'm inexpert in the theme and had to derive several unfamiliar words from the wordplay. Themes generally escape me, but there seems to be a clear one given by one of the across answers [Added: theme is more subtle, as indicated by Brendan].
FOI 17, LOI 20.
Will go with 15D, which held me up for a long time, as COD, though many of the thematic clues are praiseworthy.

No problem Geeker, I've just emailed Norah and asked her to remove one of the threads.

I see, like me, you're not an expert on the subject of the theme.

Brendan, in 22 remove "a" from a syn of "skilful" to complete the word.

Of course, Thanks Geeker - I'm such an idiot 😜

Wiki has an excellent page on what today is but doesn't mention when it began to be celebrated - at least I can't see it.

On closer inspection it does give the first time it was celebrated.

11a - Chambers has just provided the answer as to why it's "ladies with a seedy past" - very good:-)

Oh deary me 11a caused a horrific Google moment - do think through the specific wording before doing an image search!! I had heard the name of the things with a “seedy past” and was curious as to what they look like, but did not think fast enough to avoid a very seedy sight indeed. I have sullied an up-till-now decades-long pristine search history… The actual items I was looking for turned out to be quite lovely, as became evident after adding a key word to narrow down the search!

Well what an entertaining theme. I also had not heard of this event, and am curious as to how many followers there are of this intriguing practice! Surely many precautions need to be taken to avoid catastrophic results…

I enjoyed the extensive use of the theme. I counted at least 19 theme related answers.

Sights for sore eyes aside, 11a is my CoD because it is rather clever.
I don’t quite understand how 13d works but definitely have the right answer.

An entertaining start to the weekend. Have a good one everyone

13d is what I call a "triple definition"...(1) syn for (1st 2 words of clue); (2) syn for (3d word of clue); (3 and most direct) defined by (final 5 words of clue, cross-reference to 2d).