Pokemon Go Fest 2021: Everything We Know So Far

Trainers, Pokemon Go Fest 2021 will take place on July 17 and July 18, 2021. This major event will allow ticket holders to access a Special Research storyline and lots of other in-game bonuses, but special content will also be available for those who won’t want to purchase a ticket.

To mark the fifth anniversary of Pokemon Go (the game launched in July 2016), tickets for this year’s Pokemon Go Fest will cost just $5, rather than the standard price of $14.99. Different features will be available on each day of this two-day event, but you’ll only need to purchase one ticket to access everything across both days.

Here’s everything we know about this year’s Pokemon Go Fest so far!

Day 1 of Pokemon Go Fest 2021 will have the theme of “Catch.” It will run from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. local time.

In a news post, Niantic, the developer of Pokemon Go, shared all of the features and bonuses that will be available for all trainers on Day 1, even if they don’t have a ticket for the event:

• “Hourly habitats are back This year will feature four themed habitat hours—Jungle, Desert Mountain, Ocean Beach, and Cave—rotating throughout the event. During each habitat hour, certain Pokémon will be appearing more frequently in the wild.
  • The Jungle habitat will feature Pokémon such as Scyther, Aipom, Froakie, and more.
  • The Desert Mountain habitat will feature Pokémon such as Skarmory, Shieldon, Hippopotas, and more.
  • The Ocean Beach habitat will feature Pokémon such as Dratini, Swablu, Alomomola, and more.
  • The Cave habitat will feature Pokémon such as Roggenrola, Galarian Stunfisk, Deino, and more.
• Raids on Saturday will feature Pokémon such as Hitmontop, Cranidos, and Deino—plus, Galarian Ponyta and Galarian Zigzagoon wearing special costumes will be appearing in raids!
• Pokémon related to music—such as Chimecho, Kricketot, Audino, and a special costumed Pikachu—will be appearing in the wild throughout the day.
• Get ready for Pokémon GO Fest with a free event shirt avatar item.
• Shiny Whismur, Chimecho, Audino, and Tympole will be making their Pokémon GO debut during the event. If you’re lucky, you may encounter one!”

Ticket holders will have access to even more features and bonuses on Day 1. Niantic also shared those:

• “Pokémon GO Fest 2021 is a music festival, and you’re the show director! Help Professor Willow and the team leaders put on an incredible concert celebration by choosing between certain Pokémon to join the festivities. Complete this Special Research for special rewards, including an encounter with a Mythical Pokémon, a shirt avatar item, and an exclusive avatar pose! After you complete the Special Research, take a snapshot for a surprise!
  • Pikachu Rock Star or Pikachu Pop Star—your choice will determine the in-game music that will play for you during the event. The Pokémon music producer Junichi Masuda has produced brand-new tracks just for Pokémon GO Fest 2021, including a rock-and-rolling track for Pikachu Rock Star fans, a high-energy electro-pop song for Pikachu Pop Star stans, and more!
  • You’ll also get to fill out the rest of your musical group! Will you pick Galarian Ponyta or Galarian Zigzagoon? Gardevoir or Flygon? All these Pokémon will be dressed to impress in special event costumes!
• The Global Challenge Arena is back this year. On Saturday, ticket holders will work together to complete a collaborative challenge each hour. If they complete the challenge in time, they’ll earn a bonus for the remainder of the hour. You can check the Today View to keep track of global progress!
• You’ll be able to complete four Collection Challenges, each themed after a habitat hour.
• During each habitat hour, certain Pokémon will be attracted to Incense.
  • Jungle: Unown F, Unown G, Ludicolo, Chatot, Leafeon, and Serperior.
  • Desert Mountain: Flareon, Unown F, Unown G, Tyranitar, Flygon, and Throh.
  • Ocean Beach: Gyarados, Vaporeon, Azumarill, Unown F, Unown G, and Sawk.
  • Cave: Umbreon, Unown F, Unown G, Gardevoir, Absol, and Galvantula.
• During event hours, Pokémon appearing in the wild and attracted to Incense will have an increased chance of being Shiny! It will be easier to discover Shiny Pokémon (in the wild and those attracted by Incense) on Saturday than on Sunday.
• Shiny Unown F, Shiny Throh, and Shiny Sawk will be making their Pokémon GO debut during the event!”

Day 2 of Pokemon Go Fest will have the theme of “Raid.” It will run from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. local time.

Niantic said all trainers — even those without a ticket — will be able to access the following features and bonuses on Day 2:

• “Sunday’s gameplay will be focused on raids, and some of your favorites will be returning for this epic celebration! Stay tuned for more info.
• Miss any Pokémon on the first day of the event? Don’t worry! All Pokémon appearing more frequently in the wild on Saturday will be appearing again on Sunday during event hours.”

Niantic then detailed the bonuses and features ticket holders will be able to access on Day 2.

• “Earn an extra 10,000 XP in raid rewards when you complete a Raid Battle!
• Spin Gym Photo Discs to earn up to 10 Raid Passes. These can be used for in-person raids.
• Complete Timed Research to earn up to eight Remote Raid Passes. These can be used to join a raid from anywhere.
• Pick up a free event bundle containing three Remote Raid Passes! This will be available in the shop on Sunday, July 18, 2021, from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. local time.
• All Pokémon attracted to Incense from Saturday will be attracted to Incense during event hours on Sunday.”

While each day of Pokemon Go Fest 2021 will have a different theme and major features, there will also be bonuses and features that will remain active across both days of the event.

Niantic detailed the bonuses that all trainers will have access to, even if they don’t purchase a ticket:

• “Trainer photos will be featured in the Today View Share your photos with #PokemonGOFest2021 for a chance to see them featured during the event.
• All Lure Modules activated during event hours will last for three hours
• Special music created by Pokémon music producer Junichi Masuda will be playing in the app throughout the event.
• 1/2 Hatch Distance when Eggs are placed in an Incubator during event hours.
• Pokémon hatching from 7 km eggs include Igglybuff, Chingling, Audino, and more.
• Event-exclusive Field Research tasks, special on-map visual effects, and more!”

Finally, Niantic shared the bonuses that ticket holders will have access to across both days:

• “Open Gifts or spin PokéStops to get special event stickers.
• Take snapshots on both event days for a surprise!
• Unown F and Unown G will be attracted to Incense throughout the event. If you’re lucky, you may encounter a Shiny one!”

Since there are lots of features to keep track of across “free” and “ticketed” players, Niantic created a handy chart that will allow you to compare the features each group will receive access to. You can find it below, or check out the larger version on the Pokemon Go website.

Google Play will be the official event sponsor for Pokemon Go Fest 2021. This will give Google Play members the chance to earn “4x Google Play Points” on every purchase they make in Pokemon Go between now and May 30, 2021. In addition, Niantic said there will be a “special earn rate” for Google Play members between July 12 and July 18.

Starting on July 17, players on Android devices will be able to receive a free Sponsored Gift containing in-game items, though Niantic didn’t announce what the gift will contain.

Outside of these in-game features, Niantic said trainers in the U.S. and Canada will be able to purchase a new Pokemon Go Fest t-shirt from the Pokemon Center website, as well as use the “print-at-home kit” to prepare for this year’s festivities. Finally, a variety of limited-edition items will be available to purchase on Niantic’s Shop, though they’ll only be available to purchase in the U.S.

If you’re interested in buying a ticket for Pokemon Go Fest 2021, check out our guide to see how it’s done!