- Go Fest Madrid brings Pokemon Go players together.
- Tons of Shinees and special Pokemon appeared in person.
- Lots of places to take cool photos.
After experiencing Pokemon Go Fest in London – not far from my doorstep, I was pretty excited for my next Go Fest event. Pokemon Go Fest is happening again this year, with locations around the world. The closest to me was Madrid, so I was very excited when I finally booked tickets and went to play. GoFest is a more traditional version of Pokemon Go’s personal event, unlike their new City Safari, which we attended last year in Barcelona.
GoFest is pretty straightforward. A base ticket allows you to visit a huge green space that has been digitally – divided into several zones. These zones, during the 5 and a half hour ticket time, are filled with Pokémon themed to that particular zone. There’s a high shine rate, usually some special Pokemon, and just tons to do within the park.
GoFest Madrid was absolutely huge – much bigger than the park we went to in London with Niantic only using a small part of it. There were so many beautiful pieces to explore, with some places decorated and others left.
Pokemon Go Fest Madrid in-game content
This is a major focus in Pokemon Go when it comes to in-game content. There are many gyms in the park when your time slot is live. These are full of ultra beasts, including Necrozma. Only those who raid in person with a ticket (as opposed to taking away someone outside the park) can get Shiny Necrosma. Those in the park were limited to local raids only, due to how quickly they fill up anyway.
Each of the individual cities had their own special privileges. We’ve got Clefki spawned (typically a regional Pokemon in France), the unknown question mark (which can be shiny), the chance to evolve Furfro into an Asian version of the creature, and the debut of Shiny Crabrawler. Other cities differ slightly when it comes to these Pokemon.
Of all places, there are also special costumed Eevees that – at the time of writing – have not been announced as part of Go Fest Global. I was so happy that I got everyone’s glow in the park!
There are also quests to follow as you move around the park, which can guide you to areas. These result in you getting the Pokemon Marshado – which you only have one shot to get (either in person or at Global GoFest). I actually found Hindu, which was extremely interesting.
Park play is limited to the time of your ticket, at which point the entire park goes dark and nothing spawns anywhere in Pokemon Go. You can actually buy a City Experience Pass for up to three days, which lets you explore the city and see spins from all the different biomes. You can also take some quests for some extra premium items. The city play, in my experience, actually has a better spawn rate than the park experience. This seems to be Niantic’s way of encouraging people to get out and explore. Get out and play is their motto after all.
By yourself in Parque Juan Carlos
The park is massive in Juan Carlos, as I said! There are a few scattered photo points in each of the different areas. My absolute favorite was the maze, which took an existing maze area within the park and filled it with mushrooms and smoke. Going through it ended up in a few freebies – key chains and Pokemon Go patches! There was also a neat psychedelic feel area, along with a large path of cutouts showcasing the various team leaders and the game’s old backgrounds.
Niantic Village was a bit far, but that’s where you can find the Wayfarer information booth and pick up a pin if you have any medals in Pokemon Go. There’s also always a photo op that allows you to download a video of you and your Pokemon. I really love the concept behind them and always attend them!
There are a few interactive zones that are always in Go Fest, firstly the PvP Battlezone, where a coach can help you build an amazing team, especially if you’re willing to spend some Stardust. , and then you can take on other trainers. Hoping to win three matches in a row. This is one of two ways to win an exclusive GoFest Madrid pin, the other being passing the Pokemon Knowledge Quiz inside the Players Lounge tent. The test was extremely confusing because the answer to “how many costume Pikachus are there in Pokemon Go” is – according to them – eight. I literally have 40 in my account and two at the event, but they will accept the same!
Another fun, Madrid-specific, interactive point featured a group of soccer (soccer?) players from Madrid. Every day they were getting autographs and helping you learn how to kick the ball into the goal. You can kick a ball into the pokeball (you’ve got three tries) to win a raffle ticket, which could result in a digital Pokemon Go stop in a city of your choice! I got it on my first try with the help of the footballer. It was a really unique experience and I enjoyed it.
Go Fest Madrid also had food trucks, plenty of places to recharge, a notable trainer area where you could meet your favorite Pokemon Go content creators, and booths with Pokemon Go ambassador programs and campfires. There was information about things. These booths are a great way to learn more about what Niantic is doing with Pokemon Go and companion apps. You can also take a picture with Eevee or Pikachu, depending on who was outside, but it was so hot and sunny in the area that I couldn’t stay in line for long.
It was very hot in Madrid, but there were plenty of areas to get free water bottles and stay out of the sun for a while. There was also a merch booth at Go Fest Madrid, with special t-shirts, but honestly, I like purple which you can order better online and Pokemon should just open a Pokemon Center near me.
Playing with trainers
As a member of the press, I spent my very limited time in Madrid in the park, looking for and catching Pokemon. There’s something so magical about being in a big, open space, everyone doing the same activity you’re doing. Everyone is a big fan of Pokemon. Everyone is willing to talk to you about your Pokemon. When someone drives a Hindu after a raid, everyone is happy. If you’re a Pokemon fan, it’s just a wonderful environment.
Pokemon Go Fest isn’t just a fantastic way to get shiny and rare Pokemon, it’s also a way to find a group of people who feel like you. It was my first solo trip abroad in a while and I really felt at home in the park, with people who love Pokemon Go as much as I do. There were also a lot of Americans in Madrid, like me, probably because of the 4th of July GoFest in New York!
As always, I look forward to my next Pokemon in real life experience!