Pokémon Go Fest Paris: Inside a "vacation experience" with exclusive content, new shinies and even more surprises

“I do think Parc de Sceaux is probably the most beautiful venue we’ve ever had a Go Fest at," says Michael Steranka, Pokémon Go’s Senior Product Director, who leads the game’s live direction and strategy on a global scale, having been with the company since 2017.

“It's just so picturesque. And of course, Paris itself as a city is a dream destination for most, and the city offers such an amazing backdrop to play the game in. It gives players so many incredible, you know, sightseeing opportunities to enjoy while they're participating in the city part of Go Fest."

It’s a reflection that’s part of a familiar scene, sat under the shade of an umbrella in the Media & Partners area, after RadioTimes.com had been whisked over to Paris on the Eurostar to experience Pokemon Go’s iteration of the gaming convention experience, but “on steroids” — which is, funnily enough, the phrase Steranka also used when speaking to us last year in 2024’s Go Fest: Madrid.

Despite the deja vu, it’s clear these words are held very near and dear to his heart, hearing how Niantic views "Pokémon Go Fest as the tip of the spear for [their] game".

“It's kind of the epitome of the type of experience we really believe in. In Pokémon Go; it's all about exploration. You're going to a new city sometimes that you've never been to before. Exercise, you know, I've worked up more of a sweat here than the most hardcore exercise regimen I've probably ever participated in, and then real-world social[ising].

"You know, I've met so many players here, and I meet so many players at every Go Fest I go to, and it's just such a fun time to connect with others who share similar passions as you."

Still, to properly understand what makes Pokémon Go Fest so special to its community as a newcomer to the concept, you have to know what exactly is on offer to attendees and why it’s such a good time.

So, here are all the best bits about Pokémon Go Fest: Paris, some of which will hopefully make their way next year to the 10th anniversary event.

What is Pokémon Go Fest?

Like those of the past, three in-person Pokémon Go events are spread across the world this year: Paris as its European leg, Osaka for its Asian leg, and Jersey City in America.

Preceding Pokémon Go Fest 2025: Global (the worldwide version taking place at the end of month all players can participate in), the location-based Go Fests not only give trainers early access to new Pokemon and content — like an encounter with new Legendary, Volcanion — but also exclusive Special Research, raids and fun attractions to enjoy with fellow trainers.

What’s more, there were other debuts, like the early launch of Shiny Frigibax and Carbink, along with exclusive cosmetics of Pikachu in a French suit and Falinks dressed as a steam train — arguably the best outfits launched in the game yet.

Including a giant inflatable Pikachu, a real-life Gym, meet and greets with other mascots like Snorlax and Eevee, quizzes with free prizes, getting to meet notable trainers and game artists, trying out elite-tier grub from its many food trucks, and even grabbing from a selection of exciting merch; plushies, exclusive shirts and hoodies, bags, wallets and more. There was so much extra going on, it only made my two-day trek in Parc de Sceaux go even faster.

After all, even when you’re not playing the game, that aforementioned picturesque quality of Parc de Sceax’s stunningly crafted gardens, water features and jaw-dropping views make Go Fest’s setting so easy to stop playing and get mentally lost in — like when you can’t help but stare at a gorgeous piece of artwork you find at a museum.

Each year, the Go Fest teams do their best to make the most of each location and its surroundings so each iteration feels unique and distinct, and Paris's has raised the bar.

Compared to 2023’s Pokémon Go Fest: London, for example, which split four habitats with different spawns and mission objectives across a very wide open area, the main section of Parc de Sceaux is an almost long, slightly hill-descending, rectangular landscape.

While it would still be a long walk from one end to the other to reach all of the habitats during the Special Research; you could do so while every other gameplay section of the park was in full view. It also not only made navigating each section of the map much easier, but you could do so while being wowed by the majestic view of, say, the park’s prolific Château de Sceaux, with the adorable giant inflatable Pikachu in the distance.

The blistering heatwave Paris had during the peak of Go Fest did make exploring somewhat of a challenge initially, hitting 30 degrees Celsius most of the Friday. Still, organisers thankfully planned well ahead of time by giving plenty of warning to come prepared with suncream, once again placing a good number of ‘hydration stations’, and keeping in mind Parc de Sceaux’s vast selection of tree-based shade to hide under among the edges of its main stretch.

Although the latter made for quite a funny sight, with the vast majority all huddled together under the trees at the side — making the shadeless, sometimes patron-less centre look like No Man’s Land by comparison — it didn’t take away from the fun of catching Pokemon to complete Special research during each day’s 9am to 6pm runtime.

A trip like no other

While Parc de Sceaux usually doesn’t have many PokéStops or Gyms, watching that change in an instant – with dozens of them suddenly appearing along with a surge of Pokémon spawns – is one of the most satisfying sights for a Pokémon Go player – as seen in our ‘immaculate vibes at Pokémon Go Fest TikTok’.

Having this suddenly huge playing field to enjoy Pokémon Go in, with tons of other players around, makes it feel like you’re in a virtual theme park, but it’s even better because you know almost everyone there is a lover of Pokémon like you.

Even when not counting the tons of players who travel from all over to Pokémon Go Fests, "the French Community [has kept] growing massively," as said by Moise Kabongo, Niantic’s Country Marketing Manager for France.

The local community for the game has been so dedicated: "Paris represents the second-biggest city in Europe, where Pokémon have been caught the most."

When I asked Kabongo if he had noticed any big similarities or differences between Go’s other player markets, like the US or UK, he honed in on a strong point that Pokémon Go players, no matter where they are, seem to share a common way of thinking.

“I think Pokémon Go is a game that brings people together who are like-minded. So that's why the game is still working this well after almost 10 years”, he said, which is why "Go Fest attracts players from all across the world".

That sentiment only adds to the overall allure of Pokémon Go Fest that Steranka touched on during my own conversation with him as to why Go players should give one of these in-person events a chance, if they feel up to it — feeling like a unique vacation on multiple levels.

Unlike at a typical gaming convention, "you're not just at a panel receiving information. You're an active participant, and so you get to progress your personal account and catch amazing Pokémon that you might not have the opportunity to catch otherwise," he explains.

"For more than anything, Go Fest really tries to create this sort of vacation experience for our players. You'll get to see a beautiful park that you've probably never been to before, and you'll get to explore the beautiful city, all with the backdrop of Pokémon Go to help enrich those memories."

Play however you like

Despite the community-driven core of Go Fest, though, what’s really been refreshing about Paris's version in particular is how flexible it makes the need for social interaction, depending on what kind of player you are.

At its peak attendance on Saturday, where hundreds (if not thousands) of players were out exploring — surely a fair mix of introverts and extroverts — the Special Research missions, raids and other activities didn't force anyone to socialise with strangers too heavily. Sure, you can make some new pals if you really want to, but it's not foisted upon you.

Some missions, like Special Research around Legendaries Zacian and Zamazenta and their newly added crowned formes, do require you to take on five-star raids with multiple participants, but actually, speaking to folks outside of joining the raid party isn’t required.

Besides that, none of the Special Research around Volcanion requires you to go up to other players and try to organise trades or battles. There were plenty of big groups who either came together or just met for the first time, but there were plenty of solo players too, just enjoying the game in their own company.

If anything, that’s what Pokémon Go that Go Fest: Paris seems to have really maintained that fine balance of. Introverts can still go to bask in a real-world version of that global sense of community they hold dear, but they aren’t pressured to step out of their comfort zone either — giving them the option to just chill in the shade, catch a load of new Shinies, and bask in the pretty French gardens if they like.

Still, when some of the biggest community-based features of the events happened, like the huge Gigantamax Inteleon raid, which drew in over 1000 players at the same time, they felt just as epic whether you were with a crew of your best mates or on your own.

Bringing everyone together

On the other hand, that emphasis on togetherness touches on one of the best things about Pokémon — either bringing people together or it being a huge part of their lives, whether through friends or significant others.

Surprisingly, there were a lot of people among the latter. At Go Fest: Paris alone, six Pokémon Go couples got engaged — assisted by the lovely team at Battenhall PR who helped organise much of Go Fest altogether.

Then, another couple who got engaged at Go Fest: Madrid last year came to Paris during this year’s event for their honeymoon.

Lucky enough to witness one of these myself while in the queue to meet Mimikyu, who now looks like they’re officiating, I can’t help but think this demonstrates how special Pokémon has become. Next year, will be the franchise’s 30th anniversary and Go’s 10th, and with that, it’s become a multi-faceted part of people’s lives.

That fact has gone far enough that even the developers and organisers behind Pokémon Go and Go Fest are diehard players themselves, injecting their own affection for the game into their work.

When asking about any specifics regarding the 10th anniversary celebration, Kabongo noted that the team is "very excited" and "really looking forward to the next year," even though they can’t give anything away right now.

Whatever comes though, Go Fest 2025: Paris has definitely raised the bar.

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