Pokémon Go Fest returns with an online celebration this July

Pokémon Go Fest returns this summer, and like last summer, it will be an online-only celebration covering two days in July.

The event, fully playable from home, will be July 17-18. In a statement today, Niantic organizers revealed no plans beyond the event dates. But the studio did note that July marks the fifth anniversary of Pokémon Go’s launch. The game became a mainstream news-dominating story over the summer of 2016 — which only seems like 29 long years ago.

Pricing for the event was not mentioned, either. Last year, a $14.99 Pokémon Go Fest Ticket entitled players to participate in the event’s Special Research project, which unlocked Victini. (Previous Fests have introduced Celebi and Jirachi in a similar way.)

Pokémon Go Fest 2020 also launched the Global Challenge Arena and featured run-ins from Team Rocket ne’er-do-wells.

This will be the fifth Pokémon Go Fest; 2017 and 2018’s Fests were held in Chicago, while 2019’s expanded to include Dortmund, Germany, and Yokohama, Japan. The COVID-19 pandemic forced organizers to move the party totally online for the first time last year.