The GO Fest 2021 in Pokémon GO will take place globally again this year. Additionally, there will be several locations in the ‘real’ world where small live events are supposed to occur.
This was announced: As announced through the official Pokémon GO Twitter channel, there will be multiple live events for GO Fest 2021 that are supposed to take place on-site in 22 cities.
This is reminiscent of past GO Fests before 2020, which traditionally took place at specific locations in the real world. However, in 2021, these live events are more like smaller additional events. In the announcement, Niantic states: “While we can’t gather to the same extent as in previous ‘Pokémon GO Fest’ events, this year’s live events (of course outdoors and with social distancing) are worth visiting if you’re nearby!”
To participate, one must register in advance (this can be done via this link through Nianticlabs).
Where do the events take place? A total of 22 cities have been announced, spread across the world. Events have also been announced for Germany and Austria. The cities are (via pokemongolive):
- Europe
- Dresden (Germany)
- Essen (Germany)
- Hamburg (Germany)
- Linz (Austria)
- Sevilla (Spain)
- Paris (France)
- Warsaw (Poland)
- Bristol (United Kingdom)
- Edinburgh (United Kingdom)
- Liverpool (United Kingdom)
- London (United Kingdom)
- United States
- San Francisco (California)
- Denver (Colorado)
- Atlanta (Georgia)
- Chicago (Illinois)
- Indianapolis (Indiana)
- New York City (New York)
- Nashville (Tennessee)
- Austin (Texas)
- Seattle (Washington)
- Washington, D.C.
- Asia-Pacific
- Auckland (New Zealand)
You Can Expect at the Small Events for GO Fest 2021
What happens at the live events? The live events are planned exclusively for Saturday, July 17, 2021, and will run between 10:00 AM and 6:00 PM. Primarily, according to the announcement, they will be places where players can find and utilize “great photo spots.” Other bonuses are not yet known.
In an interview with “Mercury News,” Michael Steranka, the Product Marketing Director of Niantic, said: “If you’ve been to Chicago, Yokohama, and Dortmund, we’ve done large park takeovers and setups. Due to the pandemic, we wanted to approach it differently. It’s definitely a much simpler approach. The intent is to create places that players can visit” (via Mercury News).
These could be used, for example, to trade Pokémon with other players. At the same time, Niantic emphasizes in the announcement that participants must adhere to the local health authority guidelines. They are working closely with authorities – upcoming events may also change depending on guidelines and restrictions.
What else happens at GO Fest? GO Fest will take place on July 17 and 18 and features special research, legendary raids in various forms, and different spawns. GO Fest is the largest event of the Pokémon GO year.
Basically, GO Fest 2021 will take place globally as it did in 2020. All bonuses can be utilized worldwide. For the game, it is not necessary to travel to one of the live events. These are rather seen as an addition if you are nearby.
What do you think of the live events? Can you imagine going to one of the events – or would you rather skip it? Let us know in the comments!
