Updated
Updated · WLS-TV · Jun 7
Pokémon GO Fest Draws Thousands to Chicago for 10th Anniversary as Grant Park Hosts U.S.-Only Stop
Updated
Updated · WLS-TV · Jun 7

Pokémon GO Fest Draws Thousands to Chicago for 10th Anniversary as Grant Park Hosts U.S.-Only Stop

3 articles · Updated · WLS-TV · Jun 7

Summary

  • Thousands of players packed Chicago's Grant Park on Saturday for Pokémon GO Fest, the app's 10th-anniversary celebration and the event's first return to the city since 2019.
  • Grant Park became a digital playground as visitors traveled from across the Midwest to catch Pokémon outdoors, with temperatures nearing 80 degrees boosting the festival atmosphere.
  • Chicago is the only U.S. host city on this season's schedule, giving fans a rare domestic chance to attend the live event.
  • Organizers said the festival returned because Chicago hosted the first three U.S. GO Fests, making the city a symbolic homecoming for the anniversary weekend that runs through Sunday.

Insights

How will Pokémon GO evolve to survive its next decade after this massive 10th-anniversary celebration?
Does a digital festival truly benefit Chicago, or just use the city as a temporary gaming playground?
Players are mapping our world for robots. What are the hidden privacy costs of catching them all?