Pokémon GO Fest 2021 Details Announced – $5 Tickets, Shinies, and Cosplay Pikachu

Serving as the fifth anniversary of Pokémon GO everyone knew that GO Fest 2021 would be big, but few might have guessed all that Niantic had in store. The two day virtual event returns again this year, with Niantic once again avoiding an in-person celebration due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Players around the world will be able to participate in the event, with a vastly cheaper ticket being offered that will truly enhance the experience. We finally have all of the Pokémon GO Fest 2021 details, so check them out below.

Pokémon GO Fest 2021 Details

The full announcement from Niantic is chock full of info about the upcoming Pokémon GO Fest 2021 event. We’ve tried to break down the most important pieces below, giving you answers to your most burning questions.

When is Pokémon GO Fest 2021

The GO Fest 2021 event will take place on July 17th and 18th, 2021 from 10am to 6pm local time each day. This year’s event has a shortened amount of active time, with many last year complaining that there simply was too much going on to take part in all of it. The truncated schedule should make it easier to plan and coordinate with any other players to enjoy everything that’s going on. What is all of that? Keep reading to find out.

What are the Pokémon GO Fest 2021 Bonuses

There are a ton of different bonuses that will be live during Pokémon GO Fest 2021. They are split in two ways, with some bonuses active for each day: Saturday and Sunday. Then there are those that will be available to all players and ones exclusive to players who purchased the Pokémon GO Fest 2021 ticket. The tickets this year are at a special discount, costing just $5 or your local equivalent. See if we think it’s worth buying here.

Bonuses – Both Days, All Players

• Lure Modules will last 3 hours
• 1/2 hatch distance for eggs placed in Incubators
• Special egg hatch pool for 7km eggs
  • Igglybuff
  • Chingling
  • Audino
  • and more
• Event exclusive Field Research tasks
• Special on-map visuals and in-game music composed by Junichi Masuda
• Trainer photos featured in the Today View
  • Use #PokémonGOFest2021
• Print-at-home kits available online
• Google Play members receive 4x points for purchases in Pokémon GO
• Android users can receive an exclusive Sponsored Gift in-game
• A Pokémon GO Fest 2021 t-shirt will be available at PokemonCenter.com

Bonuses – Both Days, Ticket Holders Only

• Unown F and Unown G will spawn via Incense
  • Shiny Unown F and G will be available
• Take in-game snapshots “for a surprise”
• Special event stickers from gifts and Poké Stops

So that’s what players will be able to enjoy on both days, whether they buy a ticket or not. But the biggest bonuses are limited to exclusively Saturday or Sunday, so keep reading to see what will be going on.

Pokémon GO Fest 2021 Day 1 (Catch) Bonuses

Pokémon GO Fest 2021 Day 1, which takes place on Saturday, July 17th from 10am to 6pm local time will be themed after catching Pokémon. Many of the bonuses will be focused on exploring the area and catching creatures spawning in the wild. Here are the bonuses, split between all players and those with a GO Fest 2021 ticket.

Day 1 Bonuses – All Players

• Hourly Habitats return. Themed after Jungle, Desert Mountain, Ocean Beach, and Cave biomes (perhaps a New Pokémon Snap reference?)
  • Jungle – Scyther, Aipom, Froakie, and more
  • Desert Mountain – Skarmory, Shieldon, Hippopotas, and more
  • Ocean Beach – Dratini, Swablu, Alomomola, and more
  • Cave – Roggenrola, Galarian Stunfisk, Deino, and more
• Unique raids
  • Hitmontop
  • Cranidos
  • Deino
  • Galarian Ponyta and Galarian Zigzagoon in special costumes
• Pokémon related to music spawning in the wild
  • Chimecho
  • Kricketot
  • Audino
  • A special Costumed Pikachu
• New Shiny Pokémon
  • Whismur
  • Chimecho
  • Audino
  • Tympole

Day 1 Bonuses – Ticket Holders Only

• Increased shiny odds for all Pokémon in the wild and attracted to Incense during event hours
• Exclusive Pokémon attracted to Incense during each habitat hour
  • Jungle: Unown F, Unown G, Ludicolo, Chatot, Leafeon, and Serperior.
  • Desert Mountain: Flareon, Unown F, Unown G, Tyranitar, Flygon, and Throh.
  • Ocean Beach: Gyarados, Vaporeon, Azumarill, Unown F, Unown G, and Sawk.
  • Cave: Umbreon, Unown F, Unown G, Gardevoir, and Galvantula.
• New Special Research themed after a music festival
  • Choose Pikachu Rock Star or Pikachu Pop Star (see above)
    • Can only receive one during the event, but they can be traded
    • In-game music changes to match
    • Produced by Pokémon music producer Junichi Masuda
  • Choose Galarian Ponyta or Galarian Zigzagoon in festive costumes
  • Choose Gardevoir or Flygon in festive costumes
  • Rewards an avatar shirt and item
  • New Mythical Pokémon at the end
    • Take a snapshot “for a surprise”
• Collection Challenges for each habitat hour
• Global Challenge Arena
  • Work with other ticket holders to complete challenges and earn rewards
• New Shiny Pokémon
  • Unown F
  • Throh
  • Sawk

Pokémon GO Fest 2021 Day 2 (Raid) Bonuses

And that brings us to Sunday, July 18th, or Day 2 of Pokémon GO Fest 2021. This will be focused more on raids, with spawns taking a bit of a back seat. Here are the bonuses, once again split up for all players and those with tickets.

Day 2 Bonuses – All Players

• All Pokémon from Saturday will spawn in the wild on Sunday as well (see above)
• Returning “favorites” in raids

Day 2 Bonuses – Ticket Holders Only

• Earn an extra 10,000 XP for completing raids
• Earn up to 10 raid passes by spinning gym photo discs
• Timed Research
  • Rewards up to 8 Remote Raid Passes
• A free event bundle in the in-game shot with 3 Remote Raid Passes
• All Pokémon attracted to Incense on Saturday will return on Sunday (see above)

And that’s all of the Pokémon GO Fest 2021 details we have so far. There’s a ton going on, and more will be revealed as we get closer to the July event. Check back for more news and tons of guides to help you get the most out of everything that’s happening.