Seemingly out of the blue, Pokémon GO launched and became the hottest trend of summer 2016. Everywhere, there's someone on the app checking into PokéStops and catching Pidgey after Pidgey.
As time went on, its popularity fell off a bit but has maintained a sizeable player-base and consistently staying in top 20 apps lists. To mark one year of Pokémon GO, Niantic is hosting a pair of events to celebrate a year of success.
Summer Solstice
The first event Niantic is hosting is the Solstice Event. This is the latest in-game event for Pokémon GO following the rock-focused Adventure Week from May. This new event will be focused on fire- and ice-type Pokémon. Along with those, there will be XP boosts for throwing Poké Balls accurately, and Lucky Eggs will be available at a discount in the game's shop.
This will also be the last event before Niantic releases a new update later this summer for new gameplay features. The update in question is going to focus on group features that will encourage collaborative efforts between players. Just be aware that, in preparation for the update, Niantic has temporarily disabled gyms for the time being. Solstice starts June 13 and will run through June 20.
Enjoy The Festivities
The second event Niantic is prepping for may not be what fans are expecting. Rather than doing something else in-game, Niantic is organizing Pokémon GO's first real world event — Pokémon GO Fest. The event is going to take place in Chicago, Illinois at Grant Park on July 22. While details about what Niantic is planning for it are scarce, the team is promising a day of festivities to celebrate a vibrant community of Pokémon trainers. For anyone looking to go, start planning your trip now and make sure to purchase your tickets for the fest starting June 19.
Niantic did clarify that this wasn't the only event planned, with events being organized for European and Japanese fans. For European players, Niantic will be planning events all across Europe from June to September, though no dates have been nailed down. Then, there will be an event called "Pikachu Outbreak" to take place in Yokohama, Japan. There are no details yet about what it's going to entail, although given the name, the first possibility could be an escape-room experience given the popularity of the cooperative experience.
Either way, these events should make for a memorable summer for both Niantic and Pokémon GO fans.
