Happy Holidays!
Update (12/16/2021): Niantic, the developer of Pokemon Go, announced that the Winter Wonderland bonus of the increased trade distance to 40 km will be available from December 24 at 10 a.m. PT until December 27 at 10 a.m. PT. We’ve updated our post to reflect this change.
Original Story:
Trainers, the holiday season is in full swing and Pokemon Go is preparing to celebrate with a major Winter Holiday event that will kick off on December 16, 2021.
Pokemon Go’s 2021 Winter Holiday event will run from December 16 at 10 a.m. local time until December 31 at 8 p.m. local time.
This event will be split into two timed parts. Some features and bonuses will be available throughout the entire event, and each part will also have its own content. Here’s the breakdown.
The following bonuses and features will be available during the entire 2021 Winter Holiday event:
On December 15 at 1 p.m. PT, the Festive Hat, Festive Jacket, and Festive Shorts avatar items will be added to the game’s item shop. They will continue to be available after the Winter Holiday event ends.
Finally, three holiday bundles will be available to purchase in the shop during this event:
Part 1 of the 2021 Winter Holiday Event will run from December 16 at 10 a.m. local time until December 23 at 10 a.m. local time.
During this time, Swinub, Snorunt, Snover, Vanillite, costumed Pikachu, costumed Stantler, costumed Delibird, costumed Spheal, and costumed Cubchoo will appear in the wild. Alolan Sandshrew and Cryogonal will also have the chance to appear in the wild, though the Pokemon Go website indicated they’ll be rarer than the other featured Pokemon.
A variety of Pokemon will be available to encounter in Raids during this time:
Players will be able to encounter costumed Pikachu, Alolan Vulpix, Swinub, costumed Stantler, costumed Spheal, and costumed Cubchoo by completing event-themed Field Research tasks. Cryogonal will also be available to encounter when completing Field Research tasks, but the Pokemon Go website indicated it will be rarer than the other featured Pokemon.
Part 2 of the 2021 Winter Holiday event will run from December 23 at 10 a.m. local time until December 31 at 8 p.m. local time.
When Part 2 begins, Bergmite and Avalugg will be added to Pokemon Go.
During Part 2, Swinub, Snorunt, Snover, Vanillite, costumed Pikachu, costumed Delibird, costumed Stantler, costumed Spheal, and costumed Cubchoo will appear in the wild. Alolan Vulpix, Cryogonal, and Bergmite will also be available to encounter in the wild, though the Pokemon Go website indicated they’ll be rarer than the other featured Pokemon that are appearing in the wild.
A series of Pokemon will appear in Raids during Part 2:
Next, players will receive a free Egg Incubator the first time they spin a PokeStop each day during Part 2.
In addition, players will be able to complete two Timed Research lines to earn in-game rewards. Both of these Timed Research lines will allow players to encounter Galarian Mr. Mime.
Elsewhere, Swinub, costumed Cubchoo, Smoochum, Galarian Darumaka, Bergmite, and Cryogonal will have the chance to hatch from 7 km Eggs that are collected during Part 2.
Players will also be able to earn encounters with costumed Pikachu, Alolan Sandshrew, Swinub, costumed Stantler, costumed Spheal, and costumed Cubchoo by completing event-themed Field Research tasks during this time. Players will also have the chance to encounter Galarian Darumaka when completing Field Research tasks, but the Pokemon Go website indicated it will be rarer than the other featured Pokemon on this list.
Finally, a mini “Winter Wonderland” event will take place during Part 2. The Winter Wonderland event will run from December 25 at 10 a.m. local time to December 26 at 8 p.m. local time.
During this event, players will be able to complete a Collection Challenge that focuses on trading Pokemon with friends. Players will be asked to trade Swinub, Snorunt, Spheal, Snover, Vanillite, and Cubchoo to complete this Collection Challenge (Spheal and Cubchoo aren’t required to be costumed). If players complete the Collection Challenge during the Winter Wonderland mini event, they’ll receive an encounter with Galarian Mr. Mime.
The trade distance will be increased to 40 km during this event, from December 24 at 10 a.m. PT until December 27 at 10 a.m. PT.
Finally, during this two-day event, players will be able to complete event-themed Field Research tasks to earn encounters with costumed Delibird.
Is your family looking forward to this year’s Winter Holiday event in Pokemon Go? Let us know on Twitter at @superparenthq.
Brandy Berthelson has been writing about video games and technology since 2006, with her work appearing on sites including AOL Games, Digital Spy, and Adweek. When she’s not gaming, Brandy enjoys crafting, baking, and traveling with her husband.
