Pokémon Go held it's first real-world event — Pokémon Go Fest Chicago. It took place Saturday, July 22, 2017. While tickets sold out almost instantly and the event had serious issues, Niantic and the Pokémon community managed to come together in the end for a Legendary night in Chicago.
July 14, 2018: All Pokémon Go Fest Chicago 2018 bonuses unlocked
Pokémon Go has announced that all the the research tasks associated with Pokémon Go Fest Chicago 2018 have been completed, and that means all the Candy bonuses, and Zapdos Day, have been unlocked.
July 14, 2018: Pokémon GO Fest Chicago 2018 has just started and we're here live to bring you all the action!
We're heading into Lincoln Park now! More to come!
- The South Entrance is full of Torkoal and Unown! (North Entrance... not so much?)
- Unown spells out "C E L E B I ?" this year. So yes, Unown ? is out!
- Plusle and Minun also seem to be concentrated at the entrances.
- You can rent and return battery backs at the Valor, Instinct, and Mystic gyms, as well as enter contests, make offers to trade, and take photos with costumed Pokémon like Squirtle and Eevee.
- The Shiny rate does seem boosted. I scored many Shiny Minun and Plusle but also Shiny Wailer and Snorunt and my god kids each got a Shiny Aerodactyl. One got two Shiny Aron as well.
- Gifts from Go Fest are especially cool. You can get postcards with the art from previous start screens/events.
The Special Research Quest is, not surprisingly, Celebi. Here are the spoilers:
- Spin 3 PokeStops or Gyms, Earn 1 Candy Walking your Buddy, Catch 15 Pokemon
- Catch 10 Fire-type Pokémon, Catch 10 Water-type Pokémon, Catch 10 Grass-type Pokémon, Catch 10 Steel-type Pokémon, Catch 10 Rock-type Pokémon, Catch 10 Ice-type Pokémon.
- Catch 7 Unown, Spin 3 Pokestops or Gyms, Hatch 3 eggs. (Here's where you get Celebi.)
- Catch 5 Plusle, Catch 5 Minun.
- Claim rewards. (Yeah, seriously!)
If you want some extra help:
- Get Step 1 done at the entrance way and the team lounges area before you begin the walk. Make sure your buddy is a 1KM type because numerous Field Research tasks require buddy candy too.
- Get Step 2 done during the walk, concentrate on catching Pokémon that a dual-type to speed things up. Before you get to the last area, start incubating at least three 3 KM eggs.
- Get Step 3 done at the entrance way or team lounges area, plenty of Unown there.
- Get Step 4 done at the statue at the South Entrance. It's the only place we found consistently spawning Plusle and at least a few Minun, plus plenty of Unown and a few Torkoals to stock up on.
Random notes:
- The food isn't great and the lines are long, so bring something with you.
- We couldn't find a place to get T-Shirts this year, which was sad.
- There was absolute NO ISSUES with cellular connectivity and only very minor ones with game slowdown. A few people had trouble logging in at some point, but nothing persistent. Kudos to Niantic and the carriers.
I'll have a full write-up on Monday, but overall, it was an amazing event. Smartly planned, skillfully executed, and terrific fun.
July 12, 2018: Pokémon Go teases Gen 4 Starters in Go Fest Chicago art
The official Pokemon Go Instagram account shared a poster for Go Fest Chicago and, well... see for yourself!
