Gotta catch ‘em all! Pokémon GO Fest Chicago sets attendance record

Pokémon GO Fest 2026: Chicago ended with a new attendance record, according to a press release from Pokémon GO. The company said 90,000 tickets were sold for the Grant Park event, with 103,605 total ticketed participants across the city.

The announcement confirmed that more than 717,000 unique active players took part in Chicago from Friday, June 5, through Sunday, June 7, making it the largest Pokémon GO live event in North America. It also said players caught 107,793,707 Pokémon across all of Chicago during the weekend.

Pokémon GO Fest returned to the city where the first event was held nine years ago, as the game approaches its 10-year anniversary in July, according to the press release.

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Play spread beyond Grant Park: Six couples engaged during event

Michael Steranka, vice president of product for Pokémon GO, said, “Coming back to where Pokémon GO Fest started nine years ago made this year’s event extra special.” He added that the event extended beyond sold-out experiences in Grant Park through partnerships with the Chicago White Sox, the Field Museum and Lincoln Park Zoo, per the announcement.

The press release said the weekend included exclusive gameplay, community celebrations and citywide exploration. It also noted that six couples got engaged during the event using the Eevee and Pikachu mascot photo opportunity as a backdrop.

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Festivities planned for July 

Looking ahead, Pokémon GO Fest 2026: Global is set for Saturday, July 11, and Sunday, July 12. The company said the global version will offer free access for all players, with no paid ticket required.

The release said the global event will include Mega Mewtwo X and Mega Mewtwo Y in raid battles, the first chance to encounter Zeraora through special research, and daily gameplay from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. local time. It also confirmed players will get up to nine free raid passes per day, six special trades daily and reduced Stardust costs for trades.