Pokemon GO Fest 2020 Taking Place July 25 – 26 Worldwide

Niantic has announced the first details for Pokemon GO Fest 2020, the first ever Pokemon GO Fest that will take place worldwide.

Unlike past events, this year’s Pokemon GO Fest will be one that is available to all players. To take part, you’ll have to purchase tickets from the in-app shop for USD14.99. The festival will introduce new gameplay mechanics, a Virtual Team Lounge, and much more.

Also coming soon is the Niantic Local Business Recovery Initiative, where members of the Pokemon GO community could nominate their favorite local and small businesses to be one of the 1000 storefronts integerated into Pokemon GO for a year for free.

Full details below:

As we look ahead toward summer 2020, we faced a complicated challenge that led us to fully reimagine Pokémon GO Fest and build it into a truly first-of-its-kind virtual experience in gaming.

Bringing the festival to you While we can’t bring hundreds of thousands of people together in a local park, we can certainly recreate the spirit of what Pokémon GO Fest represents. We’ve designed this year’s event so Trainers around the world can go outside to play and celebrate the summer, and do so, of course, while practicing social distancing and being safe.

Pokémon GO Fest 2020 will be a full weekend event taking place on July 25 and 26 from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. local time. While tickets to past Pokémon GO Fest events sold out quickly, this year they will be available to all Trainers. You can now purchase tickets in the in-app shop for the weekend-long celebration for USD$14.99 plus any applicable taxes and fees (or the equivalent in your local currency).

We’re introducing a lot of new gameplay concepts for Pokémon GO Fest 2020 to make it an exciting, interactive and social weekend for everyone participating.

One of the most challenging aspects of hosting a virtual event is figuring out how to connect people together despite their distance from one another. We’re excited to announce that this month, we’re rolling out a new beta feature called Niantic Social, coming first to Pokémon GO, which will serve as a single place to see which of your friends are online and playing Pokémon GO.

We’ll also be launching a Pokémon GO Fest Virtual Team Lounge which will be a way for Trainers to connect, participate in fun activities and giveaways, get a glimpse into the lives of Trainers from around the world, chat with the Niantic developers and get ongoing updates on the event.

Another new element of Pokémon GO Fest 2020 is the new free Print at Home Kit that will help fans get ready to celebrate through a set of printable Pokémon GO Fest activities and decorations.

This new truly virtual Pokémon GO Fest will be another step forward in helping an incredible community of players from around the world come together. You can read more about the specifics of Pokémon GO Fest 2020 at the Pokémon GO Fest website.

Rebuilding our communities As we look to the months ahead as parts of the world start to recover, we’re also thinking about how we can help safely reopen the outdoors and spark adventures again. We believe this starts by supporting small local businesses that are the backbone of our communities.

Today we’re introducing the Niantic Local Business Recovery Initiative, which gives the Pokémon GO community a chance to nominate their favorite local and small businesses to be among the 1,000 storefronts integrated into Pokémon GO for a year for free. We are seeking nominations for local businesses starting in the United States, Japan, Great Britain, Canada, and Mexico.

Once businesses are ready to open up in each region, they’ll be able to use our tools for in-game location to encourage people to safely explore nearby. You can find out more about the program and how to submit your favorite local business through the initiative website.