Pokemon Go Fest Invades Grant Park Chicago

Pokémon Go‘s yearly in-person event, Pokémon Go Fest, officially hits Chicago this weekend. The fest promises massive citywide exploration events, as well as a big ticketed meetup in Grant Park to play the game based on Nintendo’s hit franchise. This is the 9th annual event, and the first time since 2018 that the event is coming back to Chicago.

Announced back in April, the Chicago fest works in tandem with a separate Pokémon Go Day celebration in Copenhagen the following weekend and Tokyo Pokémon Go Fest the weekend before. It runs from June 5 to 7th and acts as a celebration of all things Pokémon Go, including rare Pokémon, bonus resources like food, eggs, and Poké Balls.

Pokémon Go Fest began as a community event bringing together all the local players together for bonus raids, rare Pokémon, and content, but has expanded to offer options for those unable to attend. For those in attendance in Chicago this weekend, there’s a special ticket event called the Super Mega Raid, where trainers work together to take on Mega Mewtwo X or Mega Mewtwo Y.

By battling the Mega Mewtwo variants, players will get access to the first appearance of the rare Zeraora, the thunderclap Pokémon, the wild bull Pokémon of the Paldea region, and the shiny variant of Wash Rotom. There are also bonus incubators for Pokémon egg hatchings, and tons of extra currency to be unlocked during the event.

Ticketed players can also participate in limited local research events in four different districts of the city, encouraging exploration and following curated routes around the town that include Spark and Professor Willow acting as mini tour guides within the game itself.

Pokémon Go Players Can Score Exclusive Merch

Image via Niantic/Nintendo/Pokemon Company/Game Freak

To celebrate the live activities, Pokémon Go is collaborating with 100 Thieves clothing for exclusive Pokémon Go Fest merch. This limited-edition capsule collection is available until June 7 and includes a hat, t-shirt, and hoodie, with versions of each piece featuring Mega Mewtwo X and Mega Mewtwo Y. Players who purchase a hoodie will receive a voucher code they can use to obtain the same item in Pokémon Go.

With Pokémon celebrating its 30th anniversary this year and Pokémon turning 10, this Chicago event is set to be one of the biggest and best Pokémon Go Fest events yet. Even though the event is in Chicago, players in other parts of the world will also have ways to join in the fun.

Pokémon GO Fest will be streamed live on Twitch, and players who tune into the June 7 broadcast for at least 45 minutes will earn items like a Lucky Egg and 50 Ultra Balls. This is the ultimate celebration of Pokémon, and no fan will want to miss out.

Release Date

July 1, 2022

Card Count

88