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Pokemon Go Fest returns to Chicago after last year's mess

Tickets to the festival celebrating the hit AR mobile game will cost $20 for a day pass. Free events are coming this summer to Germany and Japan.

Joan E. Solsman Former Senior Reporter
Joan E. Solsman was CNET's senior media reporter, covering the intersection of entertainment and technology. She's reported from locations spanning from Disneyland to Serbian refugee camps, and she previously wrote for Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal. She bikes to get almost everywhere and has been doored only once.
Expertise Streaming video, film, television and music; virtual, augmented and mixed reality; deep fakes and synthetic media; content moderation and misinformation online Credentials
  • Three Folio Eddie award wins: 2018 science & technology writing (Cartoon bunnies are hacking your brain), 2021 analysis (Deepfakes' election threat isn't what you'd think) and 2022 culture article (Apple's CODA Takes You Into an Inner World of Sign)
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Joan E. Solsman
Pokemon GO Fest Chicago attendees hold their phones dressed like pikachus and trainers

Attendees at the Pokemon Go Fest in Chicago's Grant Park last year tried to play the game. 

 Getty Images

Pokemon Go is reviving its festival in Chicago, after the confab was a mess last year, and spreading the concept to Europe and Asia this summer. 

Pokemon Go Fest: A Walk in the Park will take place July 14 and 15 in Chicago's Lincoln Park, with single-day tickets on sale Friday for $20 on the event's website, according to an update on Pokemon Go's blog Monday. An open, ticketless European event called Safari Zone will happen June 30 to July 1 in Dortmund, Germany. Another Safari Zone fest is planned for later this summer in Yokosuka, Japan, followed by other live events in Asia. 

Pokemon Go was a breakout hit two years ago, a mobile phenomenon from game maker Niantic that familiarized millions of consumers with the concept of augmented reality, a technology that overlays digital images on the real world. 

But the first stab at a flashy live event last year in Chicago was a mess. After attendees couldn't access the app and long lines prevented them from attending key goings-on, the crowd booed Niantic CEO JohnHanke when he went on stage, chanting "We can't play."

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