Pokémon GO Fest returns to Chicago, brings fans together

Thousands of costumed Pokémon GO fans filled Grant Park for Day 2 of Pokémon GO Fest on Saturday, June 6, 2026—turning an augmented-reality game into face-to-face friendships, childhood revivals, and a city-backed celebration tied to the franchise’s 30th anniv

On Saturday, June 6, 2026, Grant Park turned into a living game board—costumes, inflatables, and a towering Pikachu framing the moment players fanned out with phones in hand, scanning for rare finds.

Niomi Collard, 34, stepped into the festival after flying in from Tampa, Florida. She didn’t cosplay as a character. but she wore a glamorous purple and pink dress and a skirt piece with a Pokémon GO emblem. When she talked about why she’d spent the money to be here. the answer came with a kind of disbelief that felt shared by plenty of attendees.

“There’s the cognitive dissonance in my head of like I paid a couple hundred dollars to be here, but it’s also going to be a really good memory,” Collard said. “It’s a really fun experience, it’s a really fun time. I’m pretty sure we’re going to be talking for ages after this.”

Just a few steps away. Kei Lavonne. 35. from South Bend. Indiana. wore a Mimikyu costume—an outfit inspired by the Pokémon character that disguises itself as the famous Pikachu because it wants more love. Collard and Lavonne had started the day as strangers. meeting only after noticing each other’s outfits while on their way into Pokémon GO Fest.

“It’s a very fun parasocial relationship you can develop with people that you have interactions with,” Collard said.

Lavonne added that the festival made socializing feel effortless. “It’s been very easy to just start a conversation with anyone because you can just walk up to them and ask them what they caught or what team they’re on,” he said.

For many, that shift—from screen to sidewalk—is the point. Pokémon GO is an augmented reality game that requires players to explore the outdoors to search for virtual Pokémon. and Saturday’s park setup made that mission feel communal rather than solitary. Costumed Pokémon roamed the grounds. inflatable creatures were planted throughout. and the giant Pikachu hovered over the field as attendees moved phone to phone. trying to catch what the game offered that day.

Daniel Isabella and his partner, Tabby Dawson, drove two and a half hours from Kalamazoo, Michigan, to make it for the weekend festival. They wore matching Team Rocket outfits and clipped mini umbrellas—painted to look like a Poké Ball—onto their phones to keep them from overheating in the sun.

Isabella, 26, said he has been a Pokémon fan since childhood. He played Pokémon GO when it first launched, then drifted away until recently—coming back specifically because he was anticipating this weekend.

“It has been a ton of fun to just re-indulge into something that was a childhood hobby … and having a community around it instead of being a nerdy kid in elementary school who got bullied for liking Pokémon,” Isabella said.

He didn’t hide the emotional punch of what the festival represented to him, either. “I’m at an international event with thousands of people and hanging out with my partner and making cool costumes and playing games. ” he said. “And now here. I’m getting made fun of for not liking Pokémon enough. so truly this couldn’t be anything better than it is.”.

There’s a clear thread running through the day’s conversations: the game already lets people connect virtually. but Grant Park gave that connection an address you can walk up to. When strangers share what they caught—or what team they’re on—they don’t just trade information. They make a reason to talk, and the outfits turn that talk into something visible.

The festival is scheduled to return to Grant Park next year.

The return isn’t just a fan celebration—it’s also backed by the city. In October. the Chicago Park District Board approved a two-year permit for Pokémon GO Fest organizers to host the event in Grant Park. Organizers expected to welcome up to 40,000 people and generate $1 million in revenue to support the city’s parks. Under the agreement. the Pokémon GO Fest organizers agreed to refund 10% of the festival revenue to the park district for capital investment in Grant Park.

Pokémon GO Fest is part of a larger anniversary push. The Pokémon franchise is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year with multiple events. including the return of Pokémon GO Fest to Chicago and the Pokémon Fossil Museum exhibit at the Field Museum. which opened last month and runs through April 2027. Pokémon GO Fest returning to Chicago—where the event ran from 2017 to 2019—marks a celebration of the game’s 10-year anniversary.

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