Pokémon GO’s Season of Shared Skies’ Pokémon GO’s 8th Anniversary Party event guide

Pokémon GO first launched on July 6th, 2016 and forever changed mobile gaming. Now it’s 2024 and Niantic is ready to celebrate Pokémon GO’s 8th anniversary, albeit a tad early. A plethora of party hat-wearing Pokémon return, along with two new additions – Grimer and Muk. Shiny Meltan will be obtainable via the Mystery Box (and cooldown times reduced). Paid and free Timed Research will be available, along with a paid Masterwork Research featuring Shiny Celebi. (For more details about the Season of Shared Skies, you can check out our Season of Shared Skies guide hub.)

Now, check out what’s happening during the Pokémon GO’s 8th Anniversary Party event with our guide below:

 

Pokémon GO’s Season of Shared Skies – Pokémon GO’s 8th Anniversary Party

Begins: Friday, June 28th, 2024 at 10 a.m. your local time.

Ends: Wednesday, July 3rd, 2024 at 8 p.m. your local time.

 

Pokémon debuts – Grimer and Muk wearing a party hat + return of Costumed Pokémon and Shiny Meltan

 

 

There are two new debuts for this event:

• Grimer wearing a party hat (Costumed Grimer): This Costumed Grimer debuts during this event and can be found via wild encounters and One-Star Raids.
  • Muk wearing a party hat (Costumed Muk): This Muk can only be obtained via evolution. You’ll need to evolve a Grimer wearing a party hat with 50 Grimer Candies.

 

The following Costumed Pokémon will return during the event:

• Bulbasaur wearing a party hat (Costumed Bulbasaur): You can find this Pokémon via wild encounters and One-Star Raids.
• Charmander wearing a party hat (Costumed Charmander): You can find this Pokémon via wild encounters and One-Star Raids.
• Squirtle wearing a party hat (Costumed Squirtle): You can find this Pokémon via wild encounters and One-Star Raids.
• Raticate wearing a party hat (Costumed Raticate): You can find this Pokémon via Timed Research task rewards.
• Pikachu wearing a cake hat (Costumed Pikachu): You can find this Pokémon via wild encounters and One-Star Raids. Plus, they’ll be featured during Tuesday, July 2nd, 2024’s Spotlight Hour (happening from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. your local time).
• Nidorino wearing a party hat (Costumed Nidorino): You can find this Pokémon via Timed Research task rewards.
• Eevee wearing a party hat (Costumed Eevee): You can find this Pokémon via wild encounters.
• Wobbuffet wearing a party hat (Costumed Wobbuffet): You can find this Pokémon via Timed Research task rewards.
• Wurmple wearing a party hat (Costumed Wurmple): You can find this Pokémon via Timed Research task rewards.

 

Also, Shiny Meltan will be available during this event and Shiny Celebi returns via a paid Masterwork Research.

 

Note: Going forward, these Pokémon will be referred to as “Costumed” rather than the exact outfit they are wearing.

 

Event Bonuses

• Increased chance to become Lucky Friends.
• Increased chance to get Lucky Pokémon in trades.
• Friendship levels will increase faster than normal through opening Gifts, trading Pokémon, or battling together in raids, Gyms, or Trainer Battles!
• Chance of finding 8 or 88 (or maybe more!) Gimmighoul Coins when you spin a PokéStop with a Golden Lure Module.
• Reduced cooldown time for the Mystery Box (2 days instead of 3 days).

 

There will be additional bonuses throughout the event, but will be limited to specific times:

• Friday, June 28th, 2024 at 10 a.m. to Saturday, June 29th, 2024 at 11:59 p.m. your local time:
  • 1/2 Egg Hatch Distance when Eggs are placed in an Incubator on these days.
• Sunday, June 30th, 2024 at 12 a.m. to Monday, July 1st, 2024 at 11:59 p.m. your local time:
  • 2× XP for catching Pokémon.
• Tuesday, July 2nd, 2024 at 12 a.m. to Wednesday, July 3rd, 2024 at 8 p.m. your local time: 
  • 2× Stardust for catching Pokémon.

 

And the following bonuses will be available to Trainers who either purchased the Whispers in the Woods Masterwork Research OR completed the previously released Special Research story Distracted by Something Shiny:

• 2× Incense duration
• 2× Daily Adventure Incense duration
• 2× Lucky Egg duration

 

Event Boxes

If any special event boxes or bundles are released during the event, they’ll be listed here once the event is live.

• Anniversary Box (US$4.99 via Pokémon GO Web Store): 3 Remote Raid Passes, 3 Premium Battle Passes, and 1 Incubator.

 

Wild Encounters

• The following Pokémon will appear more frequently in the wild: Costumed Bulbasaur*, Costumed Charmander*, Costumed Squirtle*, Costumed Pikachu*, Costumed Grimer*, Costumed Eevee*, Sprigatito, Fuecoco, and Quaxly.
  • If you’re lucky, you might encounter the following Pokémon: Alolan Grimer*.

 

In addition to the encounters above, various first-partner Pokémon will appear more frequently during select dates:

• Friday, June 28th, 2024 at 10 a.m. to Saturday, June 29th, 2024 at 11:59 p.m. your local time: Chikorita*, Cyndaquil*, Totodile*, Treecko*, Torchic*, and Mudkip*.
• Sunday, June 30th, 2024 at 12 a.m. to Monday, July 1st, 2024 at 11:59 p.m. your local time: Turtwig*, Chimchar*, Piplup*, Snivy*, Tepig*, and Oshawott*.
• Tuesday, July 2nd, 2024 at 12 a.m. to Wednesday, July 3rd, 2024 at 8 p.m. your local time: Chespin*, Fennekin*, Froakie*, Rowlet*, Litten*, and Popplio.

Note: Pokémon marked with an * means that “If you’re lucky, you might encounter a Shiny one!”

 

Meltan and the Mystery Box

Shiny Meltan will be available during Pokémon GO’s 8th Anniversary Party event. To have a chance at encountering a Shiny Meltan (in addition to Meltan’s non-shiny version), you’ll need to unlock and use the Mystery Box.

To obtain the Mystery Box in Pokémon GO, Trainers will have to connect their Pokémon GO account to a copy of Pokémon: Let’s GO, Pikachu! or Pokémon: Let’s GO, Eevee! as well as sending a Pokémon from Pokémon GO to one of those games. You can read in detail how to do this in our How to transfer Pokémon from Pokémon GO and obtain Meltan in Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu & Eevee! guide.

Typically, the Mystery Box has a cooldown time of 3 days in Pokémon GO. During this event, that cooldown time will be reduced to 2 days and the chance of finding a Shiny Meltan among the Incense-like Mystery Box spawns will be increased.

 

Raids

Standard and Shadow Raids will be active during the event.

 

Standard Raids

The following Pokémon will be appearing in Raids:

• One-Star Raids: Costumed Bulbasaur*, Costumed Charmander*, Costumed Squirtle*, Costumed Pikachu*, and Costumed Grimer*.
• Three-Star Raids: Wigglytuff, Poliwrath, and Onix*.
• Five-Star Raids: Ho-oh* (See Additional Notes).
• Mega Raids: Mega Tyranitar* (See Additional Notes).

 

Shadow Raids

The following Pokémon will be appearing in Shadow Raids:

• One-Star Shadow Raids: Shadow Drowzee*, Shadow Poliwag*, Shadow Barboach, and Shadow Foongus.
• Three-Star Shadow Raids: Shadow Hitmontop, Shadow Wobbuffet, and Shadow Sneasel*.
• Five-Star Shadow Raids:
  • Shadow Raikou* (June 2024) (See Additional Notes).
  • Shadow Entei* (July 2024) (See Additional Notes).

 

Additional Notes:

• Pokémon marked with an * means that “If you’re lucky, you might encounter a Shiny one!”
• Pokémon appearing in one-star raids will have a greater chance of being a Shiny Pokémon than when found in the wild.
• Standard Raids:
  • Ho-oh* will be available after the event (in Five-Star Raids), until Monday, July 8th, 2024 at 10 a.m. your local time.
  • Mega Tyranitar* will be available after the event (in Mega Raids), until Monday, July 8th, 2024 at 10 a.m. your local time.
• Shadow Raids:
  • One- and Three-Star Shadow Raids will be available daily.
  • Five-Star Shadow Raids will be available on weekends (Saturday and Sunday), unless otherwise stated by Niantic.

 

Timed Research – Paid and Free

There will be two Timed Research quests available during the event – one paid and one free.

 

Paid Timed Research – 8th Anniversary Party Premium Timed Research

During the Pokémon GO’s 8th Anniversary event, Trainers can purchase a ticket to access an event-themed Timed Research. For US$1.99 OR US$2.00 (or the equivalent pricing tier in your local currency), you’ll get the 8th Anniversary Party Premium Timed Research which rewards Trainers with the following (if tasks are completed within the time limit): 1 Incubator, 1 Super Incubator, 1 Premium Battle Pass, 1 Lucky Egg, 1 Rocket Radar, 1 Star Piece, 1 Incense, 1 Poffin, 88,888 XP, and an encounter with Meltan*.

According to Niantic, “[t]ickets are nonrefundable (subject to applicable law and the exceptions set forth in the Terms of Service).” Tickets can also be gifted to Trainers you’re friends with provided that you have a Friendship level of Great Friends or higher with them. This can be done via the in-game shop and by selecting the “Gift” button instead of the “Buy” button. Tickets purchased for friends are nonrefundable as well.

Please keep in mind that Timed Research quests have deadlines. Trainers must complete this Timed Research and claim all rewards before Wednesday, July 3rd, 2024 at 8 p.m. your local time.

 

 

Free Timed Research – 8th Anniversary Party Timed Research

A Timed Research quest will be active during the event and will reward Trainers with the following: XP, Stardust, Costumed Raticate* encounter, Costumed Nidorino* encounter, Costumed Wobbuffet* encounter, Metlan encounter, and more.

A complete list of tasks and the rewards will be shared here once the event is live.

 

 

Note: Pokémon marked with an * means that “If you’re lucky, you might encounter a Shiny one!”

 

Field Research Tasks

There will be event-exclusive Field Research Tasks available and the rewards include the following Pokémon encounters: Bulbasaur*, Charmander*, Squirtle*, Chikorita*, Cyndaquil*, Totodile*, Treecko*, Torchic*, Mudkip*, Turtwig*, Chimchar*, Piplup*, Snivy*, Tepig*, Oshawott*, Chespin*, Fennekin*, Froakie*, Rowlet*, Litten*, Popplio, Sprigatito, Fuecoco, and Quaxly. Venusaur, Charizard, Blastoise, Sceptile, Blaziken, and Swampert Mega Energy will also be rewarded when completing specific tasks. These Field Research Tasks can be found when spinning PokéStops (and acquired if you have an open slot in your Field Research menu) when the event is active.

A complete list of tasks and rewards will be shared here once the event is live.

 

• Task: Catch 8 Pokémon
  • Reward: 10 Poké Balls OR 5 Great Balls OR 2 Ultra Balls
• Task: Catch 7 different species of Pokémon
  • Reward: Rowlet* encounter OR Litten* encounter OR Popplio encounter
• Task: Make 8 Nice Throws
  • Reward: 25 Venusaur Mega Energy OR 25 Charizard Mega Energy OR 25 Blastoise Mega Energy OR 25 Sceptile Mega Energy OR 25 Blaziken Mega Energy OR 25 Swampert Mega Energy
• Task: Make 5 Curveball Throws
  • Reward: Snivy* encounter OR Tepig* encounter OR Oshawott* encounter
• Task: Use 6 Berries to help catch Pokémon
  • Reward: Chespin* encounter OR Fennekin* encounter OR Froakie* encounter
• Task: Take 3 snapshots of Wild Pokémon
  • Reward: Chespin* encounter OR Fennekin* encounter OR Froakie* encounter
• Task: Earn 4 hearts with your Buddy
  • Reward: Turtwig* encounter OR Chimchar* encounter OR Piplup* encounter
• Task: Power up Pokémon 9 times
  • Reward: Sprigatito encounter OR Fuecoco encounter OR Quaxly encounter
• Task: Spin 2 PokéStops or Gyms
  • Reward: Chikorita* encounter OR Cyndaquil* encounter OR Totodile* encounter
• Task: Send a Gift with a Sticker
  • Reward: Bulbasaur* encounter OR Charmander* encounter OR Squirtle* encounter

 

Note: Pokémon marked with an * means that “If you’re lucky, you might encounter a Shiny one!”

 

PokéStop Showcase

During the event, PokéStop Showcases will be active. The theme of these contests is to submit the biggest Pokémon being requested. This section will be updated once the event starts.

• Saturday, June 29th, 2024 at 10 a.m. to Sunday, June 30th, 2024 at 8 p.m. your local time: Bulbasaur, Charmander, Squirtle, and Meltan
• Monday, July 1st, 2024 at 10 a.m. to Tuesday, July 2nd, 2024 at 8 p.m. your local time: ???

 

Stickers

There will be an assortment of event-themed stickers featuring Bulbasaur, Charmander, Squirtle, Grimer, and Meltan. You can get them by spinning PokéStops, opening Gifts, and/or purchasing them from Pokémon GO’s in-game shop (with PokéCoins) during the event.

 

 

Avatar Items

New avatar items themed after Mankey and Noctowl will be released during this event. Plus, the Oricorio Hats that were previously available in the Alola to Alola Special Research will be added to the store. They will be available for purchase (with PokéCoins) via the in-game shop. These avatar items will still be available to purchase after the conclusion of this event.

The new avatar items are the following: Noctowl Loose-Fitting Jacket (200 PokéCoins), Mankey Loose-Fitting Jacket (200 PokéCoins), Loose-Fitting Pants (Dark Gray) (100 PokéCoins), Pom-Pom Style Oricorio Hat (150 PokéCoins), Pa’u Style Oricorio Hat (150 PokéCoins), Baile Style Oricorio Hat (150 PokéCoins), and Sensu Style Oricorio Hat (150 PokéCoins).

 

 

Paid Masterwork Research – Whispers in the Woods Masterwork Research

During the Pokémon GO’s 8th Anniversary Party, Trainers can purchase a ticket for a new Masterwork Research. For US$4.99 OR US$5.00 (or the equivalent pricing tier in your local currency), you’ll get the Whispers in the Woods Masterwork Research which rewards Trainers with a guaranteed encounter with Shiny Celebi and more.

Sales for this Masterwork Research will go live on Friday, June 28th, 2024 at 10 a.m. your local time (and sales will end on Wednesday, July 3rd, 2024 at 8 p.m. your local time). According to Niantic, “[t]ickets are nonrefundable (subject to applicable law and the exceptions set forth in the Terms of Service).” Trainers who completed the Distracted by Something Shiny Special Research will not be able to purchase this Masterwork Research.

Trainers who purchase this Masterwork Research OR have completed the Distracted by Something Shiny Special Research will also have the following bonuses during the Pokémon GO’s 8th Anniversary Party event:

• 2× Incense duration
• 2× Daily Adventure Incense duration
• 2× Lucky Egg duration

 

Tasks and rewards for this Masterwork Research will be added here once they’re available.

 

 

 

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