Pokémon Go Fest 2021: Dates, details, raid battles and more news
More to catch and more to do!
Pokemon Go Fest 2021 is right around the corner, and fans of this critter-catching mobile game must be thrilled! The 2020 version of the event was cancelled due to COVID-19, so it's nice to see things returning to something like normality in the game.
If you haven't checked out Pokemon Go for a while, you may be surprised by how much there is to do now. Gone are the days where all you could do was catch Pokemon - now you can do all sorts of things and there are always updates, like the weekly Pokemon GO Spotlight Hour, and the list of shiny Pokemon is larger than ever!
For all we know so far about Pokemon Go Fest 2021, read on below!
When is Pokemon Go Fest happening in 2021?
After taking a year off for obvious reasons, Pokemon Go Fest is officially happening in 2021 and the developers from Niantic have confirmed it on their official site. Pokemon Go Fest 2021 will take place on the 17th and 18th July and you'll be able to get involved from anywhere on the planet.
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What will happen in Pokemon Go Fest 2021? Full details revealed
Earlier in the month, Niantic released a big blog post providing a whole lot of details about Pokemon Go Fest 2021, which is themed around a music festival! There will be festival-themed quests to complete throughout the weekend, and some hefty rewards are on offer for those who succeed.
We already knew that there were going to be a lot of legendary Pokemon in raids, which will be a great chance to get some more candy, but now more information has dropped (in another chunky Niantic blog). Thanks to this, we've learned that raids during the event will be split up into hours with each hour having a theme - wind, fire, frost and thunder.
As for what Pokemon you can battle in each hour, here is the breakdown.
Wind hour Pokemon Raids
- Altered Forme Giratina
- Cresselia
- Ho-Oh
- Latias
- Latios
- Mewtwo
- Regigigas
- Therian Forme Tornadus
- Virizion
Lava hour Pokemon raids
- Entei
- Groudon
- Heatran
- Moltres
- Regirock
- Reshiram
- Terrakion
- Therian Forme Landorus
- Yveltal
Frost hour Pokemon raids
- Articuno
- Azelf (the Americas and Greenland only)
- Kyogre
- Kyurem
- Lugia
- Mesprit (Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and India only)
- Palkia
- Regice
- Suicune
- Uxie (Asia-Pacific only)
Thunder hour Pokemon raids
- Cobalion
- Dialga
- Raikou
- Rayquaza
- Registeel
- Therian Forme Thundurus
- Xerneas
- Zapdos
- Zekrom
Also on the raid front, Niantic has said "Galarian Ponyta and Galarian Zigzagoon wearing Meloetta-inspired hats will be appearing in one-star raids, as will Deino. If you’re lucky, you might encounter a Shiny Galarian Ponyta, a Shiny Galarian Zigzagoon, or a Shiny Deino! Galarian Weezing, Hitmontop, and Cranidos will be appearing in three-star raids."
As for what else is coming, special trades will be increased and you will be able to do 6 per day from July 16th to July 18th. More Pikachu variations are on the way, including shiny ones, and these will be wearing a special Meloetta-inspired hat for the occasion.
Some Pokemon will be getting new movesets, too: if you evolve Kirlia and Vibrava, you will get a Gardevoir that knows Synchronoise and a Flygon that knows Earth Power.
And there is even more for those of us that have a £4.99 ticket to the virtual event -. Pikachu Pop Star will know Draining Kiss, Pikachu Rock Star will know Meteor Mash, and there is a special research task coming where you can choose between the two.
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- For the latest news and expert tips on getting the best deals this year, take a look at our Black Friday 2021 and Cyber Monday 2021 guides.
What is the Pokemon Go Fest 2021 Ultra Unlock?
After the main event ends, players around the globe will unite to take on Pokemon GO Fest 2021 Ultra Unlock. The number of treats that appear during the Ultra Unlock depends on how many challenges are completed by players. Here is what Niantic have to say on that:
"If Trainers complete a total of eight global challenges, they’ll gain access to Ultra Unlock Part 1: Time. The flow of time will be disrupted! Pokémon from various eras will be appearing more often. Part 1: Time will run from Friday, July 23, 2021, at 10:00 a.m. to Tuesday, August 3, 2021, at 8:00 p.m. local time.
"If Trainers complete a total of 16 global challenges, they’ll gain access to Ultra Unlock Part 2: Space. As Part 1: Time wraps up, we’ll set our eyes to its other dimensional counterpart: space! Space itself will be distorted as Pokémon from various places appear! Part 2: Space will run from Friday, August 6, 2021, at 10:00 a.m. to Tuesday, August 17, 2021, at 8:00 p.m. local time.
"If Trainers complete a total of 24 global challenges, they’ll unlock Ultra Unlock Part 3: ???. What will happen once Parts 1 and 2 are over? Will these abnormal events continue to happen? What awaits us during Part 3? Stay tuned, Trainers—we’ll keep you posted on our findings! Part 3: ??? will run from Friday, August 20, 2021, at 10:00 a.m. to Tuesday, August 31, 2021, at 8:00 p.m. local time."
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