Pokemon GO Events: A Comprehensive Guide

Pokémon GO is one of the popular games in the gaming landscape that follows the traditional events year after year, in addition to bringing something new to the huge gaming community worldwide. Ever since the Halloween event in Pokémon GO back in 2016, we have seen the game come a long way in terms of providing the trainers with an unmatched experience with theme-based events. From certain featured Pokémon to exclusive research tasks, Pokémon GO promises an immersive experience throughout the world with its events that allow trainers to go out and have a great time with other fellow trainers.

Since the first event in 2016 to now, a lot has changed in terms of the approach of Pokémon GO with these events. While events like Community Days, GO Fest, Safari Zone, and other major events like Halloween, Water Festival, Holiday event, and others have been a constant with minor changes within, we have recently seen some of the brand new introductions into the game.

Over the years, the events have gotten bigger with much more to play for. From a customised storyline with the research journeys to new Pokémon debuts, we have seen Pokémon GO taking some of the best approaches to make the players' experience better. Safe to say, we are just getting started.

After the Pokémon GO Max Finale in August, we have quite a few massive events lined up, and you certainly do not want to miss those. In this guide, we will take a close look at each traditional Pokémon GO event. Moreover, we will also give you a glimpse of Pokémon GO upcoming events.

What are Pokémon Events?

The Pokémon GO Events are special in-game occasions that are organised by the game to make the experience for the trainers more engaging and exciting. These Pokémon GO events come in different forms: research, raids, special spawns in the wild, and sometimes all in one.

When it comes to Pokémon GO events, there are recurring events every year, like Community Days, GO Fest (Global and In-person), Safari Zones, and others. Moreover, there are special events like Fashion Week, Halloween event, Holiday Event, and others.

In addition to giving joy to the trainers for catching their favourite Pokémon and exclusive custom Pokémon, these events focus on the Pokémon that are meta picks when it comes to PVP and PVE. So, the Pokémon GO events provide an immersive experience in addition to allowing the trainers to progress through the game faster.

Types of Pokémon GO Events

As mentioned earlier, in Pokémon GO, there are various kinds of events. Some of these events, like the community day, are featured every month. Then there are others that are a once-a-year occurrence. In addition to these staple events, Pokémon GO introduces brand-new events every year to keep things interesting for the trainers. Let us now take a deeper look at every massive Pokémon GO event:

Community Day Events

One of the biggest staples of Pokémon GO guide is the community day events. These events are a feature every month in the game, having 11 different community days each year, with last month being a repeat of all the community day events of the year and the year before, in a special community day in December. These community days generally focus on the starters, with a few exceptions of rare Pokémon from different generations. One of the biggest features in the community days is that the Pokémon that is the focus gets a special move (also known as the community day move) once you evolve the Pokémon's evolutionary form (e.g., when you evolve Squirtle to Blastoise, you get the community day move known as Hydro Cannon).

In addition to community days, Pokémon GO announced Community Day Remix events not long ago. These events focus on the Pokémon that have been featured in community days before. However, that is not the limitation of these events. Unlike traditional community days, community day remixes do not have a certain frequency. Oh! You have boosted shiny chances during community days and community day remixes.

Raid Events

While 1-5 star raids are an everyday feature in the game. Many special events are focusing on raids in Pokémon GO. Within every event in Pokémon GO, there are raid bosses based on the theme of the event. During the timeframe of these events, Wednesday is a big day for raids as the 5-star raid bosses appear frequently in the Pokémon GO gyms during 6-7 PM local time. This is also known as Raid hour. Trainers get more chances to raid without travelling a lot during this period.

In addition to raid hour every Wednesday, from time to time, we get a special raid day. Generally, it is a three-hour event that focuses on a certain 5-star raid boss (sometimes 2 or 3, depending on whether it is a legendary trio or duo). You will get a total of 5 free raid passes when you spin the gym disc during these events. Oh! Of course, you have boosted chances of getting the shiny variant of the Pokémon during this time.

Seasonal Events

Seasonal events are comparatively a new feature in Pokémon GO. In order to give the trainers a comprehensive look at the forthcoming events, Pokémon GO made all the small theme-based events fall under an umbrella, known as seasons. These are generally three-month-long periods that comprise the debut of new Pokémon and special bonuses through the themed events that are connected.

Special Research & Limited-Time Events

In addition to daily research, trainers can win hefty rewards from research-focused events. When it comes to research events, there are three things you need to know. First, there are research days. In these events, you spin the Pokéstops and obtain event-themed research during the event timeframe. Generally, the rewards include a certain Pokémon with boosted shiny odds. Generally, these events last for 3 hours.

Then there are Special Research that come with big events like GO Fest or Tour events. Generally, these research events have multiple chapters of different tasks you need to complete and earn rewards from each chapter to reach the final chapter, where you get the focused Pokémon (Legendary or Mythical). Professor Willow will guide you through these chapters himself.

In addition to these two, there are research tasks on Today view time to time during special events like community day, Go Battle Days, and others.

Safari Zone & GO Fest Events

Safari Zone and GO Fest are the biggest events in Pokémon GO. During its inception, trainers had three Safari Zone events that were distributed to three different cities. Each of these events was arranged beautifully in person and aligned with the theme of the occasion. This is why, over the years, it has grown in popularity as trainers from all around the world come here to meet each other and play together. Following these three Safari Zones, we had one big GO Fest, held in one city in a two-day long event.

However, this traditional way changed after COVID-19. In addition to in-person events, there was a Global event arranged for the trainers around the world who could not travel to enjoy these events. Since then, it has stayed that way, and we get a remote event every year in addition to traditional city events. Trainers enjoy hefty rewards and special Pokémon in the wild and raids. Generally, these events come with a ticket fee. When purchased, trainers can enjoy even more rewards and better Pokémon spawns with boosted shiny rates.

Pokémon GO Upcoming Events

Now that you are aware of the staple Pokémon GO Events, let us take a look at the Pokémon GO Upcoming Events:

Tips for Pokémon GO Events

When it comes to maximising the Pokémon GO events, you have to focus on the event bonuses. To win in the game, Stardust and XP are some of the most valuable resources. Consider these as your priority during the events. From powering up your Pokémon to unlocking the second move, these resources will come in handy no matter how levelled up you are. Here are how you can maximise the Pokémon GO Events:

• During the 2x Stardust bonus events or spotlight hours that feature 500 Stardust per catch or more, use a star piece when you catch these Pokémon to earn extra Stardust. The Same tip goes for when you collect the end of the GO Battle League rewards each season.
• For 2X XP during raid events, consider popping up a Lucky Egg to double down on the total XP of catching and raiding. Moreover, when you are hitting Ultra or Best friends with someone, consider the same, as it will double up your 50,000 and 100,000 XP rewards.
• In addition to these two, XL candies are important in the game to reach level 50 with a Pokémon, so consider raiding the Pokémon as much as possible that you want to take to level 50. Also, choose your buddy Pokémon carefully during the raid and other events. Always be ready for the next event for Pokémon GO as the previous one wraps up. Preparing in advance gives you the time to see what is more important between the bonus and the features.