Pokemon Go Fest 2021 is here, and players will have a whole weekend of challenges, features, and new Shiny Pokemon to encounter. Here’s everything happening on Day 1.
The highlight of every trainer’s year is the annual Go celebration, Pokemon Go Fest. This year’s two-day event is extra special, as it’s the 5th anniversary of Go and the 25th anniversary of the Pokemon franchise as a whole.
Day 1 of this special event will encourage trainers to focus on catching. There will be an exciting Raid schedule, rotating Habitat Hours based on different environments, and the return of the Global Challenge Arena.
In order to help you prepare for the highly-anticipated event, we’ve rounded up all the information you need to know ahead of Pokemon Go Fest 2021 Day 1 (Saturday) below.
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Pokemon Go Fest 2021 Day 1 date & start time
Day 1 of Pokemon Go Fest 2021 takes place on Saturday, July 17, 2021, from 10AM to 6PM.
Fortunately, the event takes place in each trainer’s local time, so you won’t need to worry about those pesky time differences.
How to prepare for Pokemon Go Fest 2021 Day 1
As with any event in Pokemon Go, preparation is key. You’ll have eight hours in total to make the most of all the exciting features. Here’s everything you need to do to get ready for Day 1:
- If you want to take part in the ticketed experience, you’ll need to purchase a Go Fest ticket from the Item Shop in advance.
- Make sure you have loads of Poke Balls and enough space in your Storage for all the Pokemon you’ll be catching.
- Save up plenty of Berries to make it easier to catch any rare or Shiny Pokemon you encounter during the event.
- Stock up on Lure modules, especially elemental ones like Rainy Lures and Mossy Lures, as they’ll last three hours during Go Fest.
- Save your 7km Eggs, as there will be special featured Pokemon during event hours and 1/2 Hatch Distance.
- Purchase a few Incense, as Pokemon like Unown F and Unown G will be attracted to them during event hours.
Pokemon Go Fest 2021 Day 1 free features
There are a number of features during Go Fest 2021 that all trainers can enjoy, regardless of whether they’ve purchased an event ticket or not. These include Habitat Hours and special costume Pokemon.
Hourly Habitats
There will be four rotating Habitat Hours during Go Fest 2021. Each hour will feature a unique lineup of Pokemon that will appear more frequently in the wild. The four Habitat Hours are as follows:
- Jungle will feature Scyther, Aipom, Froakei, and more.
- Desert will feature Skarmory, Shieldon, Hippopotas, and more.
- Ocean Beach will feature Dratini, Swablu, Alomomola, and more.
- Cave will feature Roggenrola, Galarian Stunfisk, Deino, and more.
Raid Schedule
More information on the Raid lineup will be announced closer to the date, but for now, we know the following Pokemon will appear in Raids on Go Fest 2021 Day 1:
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| 1 Star Raids | 3 Star Raids | 5 Star Raids | Mega Raids |
| Galarian Ponyta (Meloetta Hat) | Galarian Weezing | Mewtwo | Mega Gengar |
| Galarian Zigzagoon (Melotta Hat) | Hitmontop | ||
| Deino | Cranidos |
New Shiny Pokemon
As well as music-themed Pokemon appearing more often in the wild, the following Shiny Pokemon will be making their long-awaited debut during Go Fest 2021:
Pokemon Go Fest 2021 Day 1 ticketed features
Trainers who purchase a ticket for Go Fest 2021 will get access to exclusive features like a Special Research story, Incense spawns, and the ability to choose either Rock Star Pikachu or Pop Star Pikachu.
Special Research
As part of the ticketed event-exclusive Special Research story, trainers will help Professor Willow and the team leaders put on a concert celebration.
They’ll choose between Pikachu Rock Star or Pikachu Pop Star, and fill out the rest of the group with Galarian Ponyta, Galarian Zigzagoon, Gardevoir, and Flygon. All of these will have special Meloetta-themed costumes.
By completing the Special Research, trainers can earn an encounter with the Mythical Gen V Pokemon Meloetta, a shirt avatar item, and an exclusive avatar pose.
Global Challenge Arena & Ultra Unlock
The Global Challenge Arena is back for Go Fest 2021, allowing ticket holders to work together to complete a different collaborative challenge each hour. If successful, Trainers will get to enjoy a bonus for the remainder of that hour.
This year will also feature Ultra Unlock. If players complete enough global challenges, they’ll unlock Time, Space, and a final mystery reward to be enjoyed in the weeks after Go Fest. More information on Ultra Unlock rewards can be found here.
Incense Pokemon
Trainers who hold a ticket for Go Fest 2021 will also be able to attract the following Pokemon with Incense during the rotating Habitat Hours:
- Jungle will attract Unown F, Unown G, Ludicolo, Chatot, Leafeon, and Serperior.
- Desert will attract Flareon, Unown F, Unown G, Tyranitar, Flygon, and Throh
- Ocean Beach will attract Gyarados, Vaporeon, Azumarill, Unown F, Unown G, and Sawk
- Cave will attract Umbreon, Unown F, Unown G, Gardevoir, Absol, and Galvantula.
Additionally, Pokemon attracted to Incense on Day 1 will be more likely to be Shiny!
That’s everything you need to know about Day 1 of Pokemon Go Fest 2021. You can find out about everything happening on Day 2 right here, and visit our Pokemon GO main page for more news, leaks, and guides.