I might be almost 40, but I know my Pikachu’s from my Squirtle’s (no, that isn’t a euphemism). August saw me joining the 2023 Pokemon Go Fest in London - the first time the in-person event has hit British shores. Tickets to the experience were priced at £32 and consisted of a morning or afternoon at South London’s Brockwell Park, with the other part of your day being spent in the city of London. As a South London resident, I picked the afternoon slot for Brockwell Park. As soon as I purchased the ticket through the app, I received an in-game medal as an achievement for attending. Fancy!

Fast-forward to the morning of Sunday 8th August. I got up early and armed myself with my reusable water bottle, a battery pack and my most subtle of Pokemon t-shirts. I jumped on a big red bus and headed into the centre of London to start my mission. My destination: Trafalgar Square. I wanted to go somewhere where I'd have the best chance possible of playing with other people in the area, so heading somewhere iconic that non-London players might go seemed like the best plan. I jumped off the bus and eagerly opened up the game to receive my first mission - a tale of dragons, falling meteors and mega evolution. My plan worked - the nearest raid already had 25 people waiting in the lobby to battle the legendary Pokemon Rayquaza.

For people who don't play the game, here's a quick word quide:

- A Raid is when a powerful Pokemon appears at one of the Pokemon Gyms, and players team up together to take it down and capture it.

- A Pokemon Gym is usually at a landmark of note that players occupy for one of the three teams within the game; Mystic, Valor and Instinct. Players join one of these teams when they first start the game. If a player comes across a gym occupied by another team, they can battle the Pokemon within it and then claim it for their own team.

- A Pokemon is...actually, if you don't know what a Pokemon is, you probably haven't gotten this far anyway.

The next three and a half hours saw me walking around Covent Garden, Chinatown, Soho and Oxford Circus to complete my timed morning missions (with a stop at Buns From Home for a vegan cinnamon bun power-up, naturally). The city is a vast playground, and depending where you start your journey, everyone’s game will feel unique. But even in the bustle of central London, there is the constant digital presence of other trainers that you can see in-game. Sometimes it can be difficult to figure out where they are in real life though. Is that person I passed also playing or just sending a text? Are those people looking at me thinking I’m a maniac as I frantically tap my screen battling in a Raid? Do I know any of the people I’ve digitally teamed-up with to capture the dragon Pokemon Rayquaza?

I took my journey solo, but I couldn't help but give knowing smiles when I passed groups of friends in various levels of Pok-attire having fun together. I think that’s one of the many joys of Pokemon Go, you can play solo or as a team and still have the same experience of being involved with local players. With my morning missions completed and a new legendary Pokemon added to my roster, I had a quick lunch-refuel before jumping on the Victoria Line to Brixton to make my way to an afternoon at Brockwell Park.

Entering the park was a whole new world from the city adventure I'd just completed. Brockwell Park is a huge green space at just over 125 acres, and intergenerational and multi ethnic people filled the hill in front of me; Travelling solo, in pairs and in packs, searching down all the Pokemon and missions that were available. I opened up the app to find out my assignments for the afternoon, and was quickly prompted to find the four different zones within the park; The Dark Jungle, The Fairy Garden, The Volcanic Island and The Hypnotic Glacier. This is where the event really came into its own, building these physical landscapes within the park. Linking the in-game events to physical locations made this feel incredibly immersive, and there were plenty of photo opportunities along the way! (Hi Snorlax!) The most exciting areas had to be The Dark Jungle (with genuine tropical steam!) and The Hypnotic Glacier, which you entered to be transported into a tunnel of mirrors and lights, eventually ending up in a room filled with the Aurora Borealis.

As well as these areas, there was a merchandise hut (obviously) filled with hoodies, tees and plushies galore. After experiencing a two hour queue to the London Pokemon Centre at the World Championships in 2022, I was more than pleasantly surprised (and relieved) with the five minute queue to enter the hut. There was also the chance to get photos with Pikachu and Eevee mascots, take an AR photo with a Pokemon and Niantic and even hangout zones for each Team.

To complete the afternoon mission, players had to make a new friend and trade three Pokemon with other players. This was really smart of Niantic, because it means that everyone has an opportunity to meet new people and interact. Even as a solo player, I found myself in The Trading Post, looking at all the different players who were holding signs for certain Pokemon they were willing to trade for (Turns out - a lot of shinies!), and it was really cool to get to meet other players within the community here.

I completed my afternoon missions, my second legendary Pokemon added to my Pokedex, and left the gates of the park behind me as I headed towards the 118 home. I came. I saw. I walked 25,000 steps. I officially Pokemon'd. Would I do one of these events again? Absolutely. Let's hope the UK becomes a permanent fixture on the annual Pokemon Go Fest circuit.

A Wild Snorlax Appeared...!