Pokémon GO Fest returned to Chicago for the first time since 2019 to celebrate the mobile game and its dedicated community. The multi-day event, held from June 5 to June 7, drew in tons of Pokémon fans to honor the game’s history, exploration, and dedicated community, while also featuring exclusive in-game gameplay, including enormous raid battles, unique event experiences, and community celebrations.
Following the conclusion of Pokémon Go Fest 2026: Chicago, the event broke attendance records, selling 90,000 tickets for the experience and 103,605 total tickets for the Grant Park experience, a new record for a Pokémon Go live event in North America. Additionally, more than 717,000 unique players were in Chicago over the event’s weekend.
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Other Facts & Stats from Pokémon GO Fest 2026: Chicago:
Pokémon Go Fest 2026: Chicago results in not only a high turnout for ticketed players, but also for the Pokémon caught throughout the weekend. Inside of Grant Park, 14,845,206 Pokémon were caught, and throughout the citywide gameplay, 62,880,085 Pokémon were caught. All in all, 107,793,707 Pokémon were captured all across Chicago, showing that Chicagoans really embraced the spirit of “Gotta Catch ‘Em All” for the weekend.
“Coming back to where Pokémon GO Fest started nine years ago made this year’s event extra special,” said Michael Steranka, vice president of product for Pokémon GO. “Beyond the sold-out experiences at Grant Park, Pokémon GO stretched across the city of Chicago with partnerships with the Chicago White Sox, the Field Museum, and Lincoln Park Zoo. It was inspirational for me to see players from all over the world travel to Chicago to enjoy Pokémon GO together.”
As a longtime fan and player of Pokémon Go, it was amazing to see trainers of all ages and backgrounds come together in Chicago to celebrate a game that has spent the last decade encouraging people to go outside to explore their communities, bond with loved ones, and even make new friends through their shared love of Pokémon. There were even a few marriage proposals over the weekend, which allowed couples to capture and commemorate their special moments even more.
Pokémon GO holds a special place in my heart because it has really helped me connect with so many friends who may not be big fans of anime, like me, but who do have a deep nostalgic connection to Pokémon. Playing the game has helped my friends and I to switch up our routines by going to different places throughout our communities to play and explore over the years.
It was beautiful to meet and connect with so many other trainers throughout the weekend. There were a ton of people dressed as their favorite Pokémon, with some of them going all out in cosplay as their favorite characters. All in all, it was a great time seeing so many fans enjoy the different aspects of Pokémon GO Fest. From the dedicated team sections and various photo op areas to, of course, the in-game exclusive play. The event truly had something for everyone to enjoy.
Fans of the game and franchise connected throughout the festival.
Another aspect of the event, beyond Chicago’s Grant Park, was also a treat to experience over the weekend. In addition to the main event area at Grant Park, Pokémon GO Fest 2026: Chicago also collaborated with other areas across the city to offer ticket-holders the chance to see and experience gameplay in other parts of the city.
These designated gameplay areas included the Field Museum, Rate Field (home of the Chicago White Sox), Lincoln Park Zoo, and NEWCITY. My favorite area to explore and participate in was the Field Museum campus. The Field Museum is also currently hosting the North American debut of the Pokémon Fossil Museum, which added some extra exclusive rewards for trainers who made the trek to the campus.
Exploring different parts of the museum campus gave me the chance to catch various fossil types in addition to Pokémon like Tyrantrum and Archeops. There were even exclusive museum-area raids that featured Mega Aerodactyl. I was especially thrilled to catch the Excavator Pikachu by completing the Timed Research and Field Research objectives.
Although the game was temporarily suspended on the museum’s campus on Sunday, June 7, due to various overlapping events in the area, it did not affect trainers’ ability to obtain exclusive rewards, such as the Excavator Pikachu encounter.
If you missed this event, don’t worry – Pokémon GO Fest 2026 is going global.
For fans who were unable to attend and participate in the festivities in Chicago, next month will be Pokémon GO Fest 2026: Global, which will take place on July 12 and 12 from 10:00 am to 7:00 pm local time. Trainers around the globe can look forward to free access for all players. This is the first time the global event will not require a paid ticket, allowing all players who log in during the weekend event to access special research tasks, gameplay bonuses, and more shiny encounter rates.
Additionally, the global event will also debut the Mega Mewtwo X and Mega Mewtwo Y forms, which will appear in the Super Mega Raid battles. Following the defeat of Mewtwo, players can capture the legendary Pokémon and will receive specific Mega Energy as a reward.
The global event will also introduce the mythical Pokémon, Zeraora. Players can complete a non-expiring special research story to encounter Zeraora for the first time. Players who attended the in-person event will receive Zeraora candy instead. The global event will also include extended hours and Pokémon type rotations. The event will run from 10 am to 7 pm local time and feature appearances of wild Pokémon that rotate by type every hour. This will allow players to encounter all 18 distinct types and even hunt for rare Pokémon over the event period.
The global event would not be complete without some enhanced gameplay bonuses. There will be some active event bonuses that will include up to nine free raid passes per day from gym phot discs, up to six special trades daily, half the standard Stardust cost for trade, and extended one-hour durations for items like lure modules and incense.
Building a sense of community through gaming.
Pokémon GO Fest 2026 truly captured the spirit of what makes this game so special to me and tons of other fans. After spending most of my weekend exploring Chicago, catching Pokémon, and connecting with players from all walks of life, this event was a great reminder of why this game has held a special place in many people’s hearts for nearly a decade.
Collecting rare Pokémon like the MewTwo’s Mega Evolutions, getting other event-exclusive rewards, and battling in raids are definitely some great highlights of the event. However, what stood out the most to me was the sense of community this game has helped foster over the years.
Pokémon Go, at its core, is a game that encourages people to step outside into their communities, check out new places, and even make new connections through the shared passion for Pokémon. By the end of the event, I didn’t just leave with a bunch of new Pokémon and in-game exclusives; I also left with a renewed appreciation for a game that brings so many people together in a wonderful way.
