Last weekend, one of the live events for this year’s Pokémon GO Fest took place in London. Our MeinMMO author Franzi Korittke was on site and checked out the event. She shares her impressions and why she thinks the game should always be like this.
What event is this about? The big global GO Fest 2023 is already on the starting line, which is why the associated live events must not be missing. Therefore, on August 4th, the corresponding starting signal fell in London and Osaka. For 3 days, ticket holders could explore the cities and the selected parks, catch plenty of pocket monsters, complete raids, and benefit from bonuses.
After I visited the live event for the GO Fest in Berlin last year and was more than thrilled, I had the need for a repeat and therefore traveled to the GO Fest in London. What I particularly liked and what I think should be improved, I have summarized for you below.
Lots of Stops & Great Scenery
As I am a repeat offender and have not attended such an event for the first time, my expectations were correspondingly high. Last year, I was thrilled by the fantastic setups, the community on-site, and the overall atmosphere. This year, it was even surpassed in some aspects. What I liked so much, I have summarized for you below.
Event kick-off on Thursday: Since the event took place not only in Brockwell Park but also in the city center, Niantic had already arranged for additional stops in advance. Thus, enthusiastic trainers could get a taste of the upcoming event weekend near the Tower Bridge on Thursday.
And it was worth it, as numerous PokéStops stretched along the Thames and adorned the picture of this year’s live event. Moreover, one could take suitable photos against a great backdrop, for example with a Pokémon GO hot air balloon.
Lots of Stops and Cool Scenery: But even in Brockwell Park, one could not complain about too few PokéStops. Additional points were also set up here, which were only active as long as one possessed a valid ticket for the park. And the sight was overwhelming.
Besides the different virtual habitats that one could wander through in the park, the scenery on-site was also appropriately adapted. In the Fairy Garden
, one could find huge pink flowers or an artificial volcano in the Volcanic Island
as well as a jungle-like passage in the habitat Dark Jungle.
In the habitat Hypnotic Glacier
, a sort of glacier hall was set up where one could discover wonderful color plays and lighting effects matching the ice and water Pokémon. And of course, the Eevee and Pikachu mascots were also present and available for photos.
The Pokémon Bus: However, my personal highlight was the Pokémon bus, which was provided by the Pokémon Company on-site. The double-decker bus was not only a real eye-catcher from the outside, but I was even allowed to admire it from the inside.
The bus was decorated inside with many details featuring numerous Pokémon motifs. Additionally, there was a special wall made of plush Pokémon and other great exhibits. For instance, one could discover the popular Master Ball.
Special Atmosphere & Good Organization
Feeling on site: As in the last year, there was a great atmosphere in London. Numerous players from all over the world came together to catch Pokémon, play raids, solve tasks, or make new contacts.
Through the established trading and trainer battle zones, it was also easy to connect with other players and exchange information. I met not only a few German players but also got to know some new people from other countries, with whom I still keep in touch after the event.
Better organization: Furthermore, I found the surrounding arrangements this year to be a bit better than last year. This is mainly because the park did not seem as overcrowded from my perspective, as some trainers were always roaming in the city area. Thus, it was easy to find a seat at times or connect to one of the fixed PokéStop power banks.
And the entry into the park was totally chill and went super fast. While there were long lines in Berlin and trainers had to wait forever for their entry, you could enter the park here without problems and start playing immediately.
Exploring new areas: After my time in the park was over, I decided together with another player not to head to the sought-after hot spots of the city to continue playing, but rather walk from the park into the city center.
By doing this, we avoided the crowds that went to popular points like Piccadilly Circus and explored impressive areas of London that we probably would never have seen otherwise. And even though we were a bit off the beaten path, we were able to benefit from numerous spawns.
Missing Routes for Timed Research
Criticism of the research: However, there was also one thing that I did not like so much and which I found to be ill-considered: the timed research. I started playing in the park first, to then go to the city in the afternoon.
For this reason, I began my timed research in the park, which was generally not difficult. However, on stage 2, I was shocked because I was supposed to follow a route. But there was a problem, as there was not a single route present in the park.
Why was this a problem? One had to wait to solve the quest until reaching an area where routes were already present. This is generally not a problem in London, and I was still able to complete my research on time. However, I found it a bit strange that this was not set up by the developers in the park.
So, for those who did not want to spoil themselves like I did regarding what tasks were yet to come, there were concerns about having to rely on the habitats from the park to complete the research, and therefore not being able to finish it completely. Fortunately, that was not the case.
From my perspective, it would still not have been a problem to set up the route in the park beforehand and let it lead through the habitats, as trainers needed to visit all of these anyway to complete the special research and collector challenges. There is definitely still room for improvement here.
My Conclusion: I want more of these events
One of the best events: In retrospect, the GO Fest in London was one of the best experiences I’ve had in Pokémon GO so far. The entire feeling with numerous trainers, the special settings, the many PokéStops, and of course, the chance to meet new people showed me how grand the game can be.
And of course, I was also happy about some strong, special and shiny monsters. In particular, I was excited about the new monsters like Mega-Rayquaza, Mega-Diancie or Rocara. And I can now also claim a shiny Liliminip, which made its debut on that day.
Such experiences should happen more often: It is therefore very unfortunate that these unique experiences are only limited to these large events. Due to the pandemic, local communities are hardly existing in many places anymore, which is why many trainers only play alone. The GO Fest provides a successful change and great experiences that I think should happen much more often.
I would therefore wish that there are more of such events, even if perhaps on a smaller scale. Both Berlin last year and London this year have certainly shown me that it can be worth taking the trip and being part of such an event. I will definitely return.
Were you also at one of the GO Fest live events last weekend? If so, how did you like it? Or do you prefer to play just for yourself? Please feel free to write it down here on MeinMMO in the comments and exchange with other trainers.
In the coming weeks, there are still many events in Pokémon GO. We will show you all events in August.
