Last month, Niantic confirmed that Pokémon GO Fest would return this year. Today, not only have they confirmed the musical angle teased in 2021’s logo, but also revealed what’s in store for Trainers during the two-day event – ticket holder or not!
The event will have themed days, with Saturday (Day 1) dedicated to catching and Sunday (Day 2) focusing on raids. Below are all the features that will take place regardless if you buy a Pokémon GO Fest ticket according to the official Pokémon GO blog:
Pokémon GO Fest 2021 Day 1: Catch!
On Saturday, July 17, 2021, from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. local time, all Trainers will enjoy the following features, regardless of whether they have an event ticket.
- 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!
Pokémon GO Fest 2021 Day 2: Raid!
On Sunday, July 18, 2021, from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. local time, all Trainers will enjoy the following.
- 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.
Both days
And that’s all for what’s exclusive to each day! All Trainers can expect both event days to feature the following.
- 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!
This will be the 5th year Niantic has hosted Pokémon GO Fest and the 2nd it has been transformed into a worldwide event. Due to this, Niantic is dropping the standard $14.99 ticket price down to $4.99! If you purchase a ticket, you’ll get the following exclusive perks during the weekend:
Pokémon GO Fest 2021 Day 1: Catch! (Ticket Holders only)
On Saturday, July 17, 2021, from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. local time, Pokémon GO Fest 2021 ticket holders will be able to enjoy the following features!
- 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!
Pokémon GO Fest 2021 Day 2: Raid! (Ticket Holders only)
On Sunday, July 18, from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. local time, ticket holders will be able to enjoy the following.
- 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.
Both days (Ticket Holders only)
Ticket holders can expect both days of the event to feature the following.
- 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!
Plus, Trainers that used Android devices will be getting an extra boost! Due to Google Play being an official event sponsor, “[f]rom now until May 30, Google Play members will get 4× Google Play Points on all purchases made in Pokémon GO, including tickets. There will also be a special earn rate from July 12th to July 18th.” Then on “Saturday, July 17th, will be eligible for an exclusive Sponsored Gift to help power their Pokémon GO Fest experience.”
Following last year’s GO Fest event (which shifted to stay-at-home and worldwide due to the COVID-19 pandemic), Niantic will bring the print-at-home kit filled with activities back and have a new Pokémon GO Fest T-shirt available via PokémonCenter.com (US and Canada only).
For more details, you can check out the official page for Pokémon GO Fest 2021.
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Written by Jennifer Burch
Illustrator, designer, writer and big Nintendo geek, you can find Jennifer with an N3DS within reach 24/7. As the oldest of three, she has survived many Mario Party, Super Smash Bros. and Mario Kart sessions intact in addition to getting her brothers hooked on some really weird games. (Cubivore anyone?)
