Pokémon GO Fest 2020: Start time, Habitat rotation schedule, Ultra Unlock bonuses, tickets and more

Pokémon GO Fest is set to be a different experience this year, transforming the traditionally outdoors event into a ticketed online celebration open to all. 

Previous Pokémon GO Fest events have seen trainers swarm to a specific ticketed area for a chance to catch exclusive Pokémon and earn bonuses, with last year’s event taking place in Yokohama, Japan. 

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Niantic have turned Pokémon GO Fest into a virtual global event taking place across Saturday 25th July to Sunday 26th July. 

So what do you need to know about Pokémon GO Fest 2020? Here’s the lowdown on how to get involved and what bonuses you can earn. 

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When does Pokémon GO Fest 2020 start and can I still buy a ticket?

Pokemon GO Fest takes place this weekend (Picture: Niantic) 

Pokémon GO Fest 2020 runs from 10am to 8pm local time on Saturday 25th July and Sunday 26th July. 

You can still purchase a ticket for the event too, which are available for $14.99 (£15) and can be purchased via tapping the Pokémon GO Fest 2020 image in the app. 

After you purchase, a ticket will appear in the Item Bag. You’ll then receive a medal once you open the app which signifies you have access to the event. 

You’ll be able to purchase tickets for the event until Sunday 26th July at 6pm, although be warned you may miss out on some early rewards if you leave it late. 

What are Virtual Habitats and what is the rotation schedule? 

Pokemon GO Fest offers Pikachu hats too (Picture: Niantic) 

Throughout the first day of Pokémon GO Fest, there will be five themed habitats which will be rotated each hour, offering the chance to catch different Pokémon. 

The five habitats are fire, water, grass, battle and friendship - with the specific Pokémon types available corresponding with the habitat. 

Each habitat will appear twice throughout the day in every region, although the times will differ across each time zone. You can check out the schedule below for the UK (BST) and US East Coast which are the same, along with US West Coast (PT). 

Saturday 25th July (UK BST & US ET) 

• Battle Habitat - 10am BST
• Friendship Habitat - 11am BST
• Fire Habitat - 12pm BST
• Water Habitat - 1pm BST
• Grass Habitat - 2pm BST
• Battle Habitat - 3pm BST
• Friendship Habitat - 4pm BST
• Fire Habitat - 5pm BST
• Water Habitat - 6pm BST
• Grass Habitat - 7pm BST

Saturday 25th July (US PT) 

• Water Habitat - 10am PT
• Grass Habitat - 11am PT
• Battle Habitat - 12pm PT
• Friendship Habitat - 1pm PT
• Fire Habitat - 2pm PT
• Water Habitat - 3pm PT
• Grass Habitat - 4pm PT
• Battle Habitat - 5pm PT
• Friendship Habitat - 6pm PT
• Fire Habitat - 7pm PT

Which Pokémon will be available in Pokemon GO Fest? 

It’s unclear which Pokémon will be available at the moment, although over 70 species will be up for grabs over the weekend.

Nine species however have been unlocked from the Pokémon GO Anniversary Challenge, which are listed below. 

• Chimecho
• Alomomola
• Chansey
• Ferroseed
• Alolan Grimer
• Alolan Marowak
• Dratini 
• Litwick
• Togetic

What are Ultra Unlocks? 

As with prior Pokémon GO Fest events, Niantic is giving trainers specific challenges they’ll need to work together to complete. 

There are 32 challenges in the first day of Pokémon GO Fest, with every eight challenges completed earning trainers access to future Ultra Unlock events which span an entire week and revolve around specific types of Pokémon. 

You can check out specifics of each Ultra Unlock event below. 

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Pokemon GO is bringing in Ultra Unlocks too (Picture: Niantic) 

Dragon Week - 31st July to 1st August

In Dragon Week, wild Pokémon available will include Alolan Exeggutor, Horsea, Dratini, Trapinch, Swablu, Bagon and Gible. Rayquaza will also be available in five star raids. 

There will be a Timed Research quest too, where you’ll encounter two Deino upon completion. A shiny Deino will also be available in this event. 

Enigma Week - 7th August to 14th August

This week focuses on mysterious Pokémon, with wild Pokémon available including Jigglypuff, Staryu, Clefairy, Lunatone, Solrock, Baltoy, Bronzor and Elgyem. 

Deoxys will be available in five star raids, while a shiny Deoxys and shiny Staryu will also be available. 

Unova Week - 14th August to 21st August

The final Ultra Unlock week is themed around Gen 5 Pokémon, with wild creatures available including Sewaddle, Cottonee, Emolga and others from Unova. Bouffalant will also appear in the wild but only around the New York City region in the US. 

Genesect will be in five star raids, while shiny Genesect and shiny Roggenrola will also be available. 

Virtual Team Lounge

When you perhaps want a break from catching Pokémon, Niantic is also offering the Virtual Team Lounge, where you can chat with trainers and watch live content streamed by Niantic. 

This will start with a Pokémon GO Fest Kick-Off speech from Niantic CEO John Hanke on Friday 24th July at 10pm BST, where he’ll signal the start of this year’s event. You can check out the schedule here. 

We will update this page as more announcements about Pokémon GO Fest 2020 are released.