- Pokemon's 30th Anniversary will be celebrated on February 27, 2026, also known as Pokemon Day.
- Fans can look forward to plenty of in-person live and in-game events.
- Players can also expect new TCG cards, merchandise, and collabs on this occasion.
It’s February again, and this is the month where we get the biggest Pokemon events and surprises of the year. Pokemon Day is celebrated on February 27, and this year the franchise will be celebrating its 30th Anniversary. To commemorate this occasion, games like Pokemon GO, Pokemon TCG Pocket, and others will be getting juicy events and bonus rewards for players. On top of that, we have the official new merchandise and new TCG releases to look out for. That said, let’s dive into all the details of Pokemon’s 30th Anniversary Celebration.
All Pokemon’s 30th Anniversary Celebration Events
Pokemon’s 30th Anniversary Celebration will feature a wide range of events, bonuses, and merchandise for players and fans of the franchise. Here’s everything compiled in a list with start and end dates:
| Events | Start Date | End Date |
|---|---|---|
| Day Out and Night Out Events | Unknown | December 31, 2026 |
| Social Media Promotional Teasers | January 1, 2026 | NA |
| Pokemon GO 10th Anniversary (“What’s your Favorite”) | February 8, 2026 | March 31, 2026 (Special Research will be available forever once claimed) |
| Pokemon Day 2026 TCG Collection | January 30, 2026 | Unknown |
| Pokemon League Events | February 27, 2026 | Unknown |
| First Partner Illustration Collection Series 1 | March 20, 2026 | Unknown |
| McDonald’s and Pokémon Happy Meals Collaboration | Unknown | Unknown |
| Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen Switch 2 Speculation | Unknown | Unknown |
| 30th Anniversary Merchandise | March 2026 | Unknown |
Now that you know about all the events to be featured during Pokemon’s 30th Anniversary, let’s look at all of them with more details.
Day Out and Night Out Events
The Pokemon Company International announced that it will host global Day Out and Night Out events throughout the year. Day Out events will be family-friendly, and anyone can join them. Night Out events will be geared towards adult (18+) fans who grew up with the Pokemon franchise. As of now, there aren’t many details about this, but we expect more information to be revealed later.
Social Media Promotionals and Teasers
The Pokemon Company first teased their Anniversary celebration on January 1, 2026, revealing the Pokemon 30th Anniversary logo. Later this year, we saw more of the trailers and announcements.
- Pokemon feat. Hatsune Miku Project VOLTAGE: Pokémon feat. Hatsune Miku Project VOLTAGE music video, Departure Song, was released on January 28, 2026, in celebration of the Pokemon 30th Anniversary. The song commemorates every single mainline game by showing each Pokémon featured on each of the game covers.
- Super Bowl LX: Pokemon’s Super Bowl commercial for the 30th Anniversary aired at Super Bowl LX on February 8, 2026. It was announced alongside a teaser trailer featuring Jigglypuff. The ad officially announced the “What’s Your Favorite?” feature in Pokemon GO, starring some pop stars, athletes, and actors, as they describe their favorite Pokemon.
Pokemon GO 10th Anniversary (“What’s Your Favorite”)
Alongwith Pokemon’s 30th Anniversary, Pokemon GO is also celebrating its 10th Anniversary with the new “Who’s Your Favorite” feature during the 10th Anniversary event. This feature allows you to take pictures with your favourite Pokemon using the in-game AR+ camera. You can click pictures with any Pokemon without owning them, while also decorating them with stickers and frames.
Pokemon Day 2026 TCG Collection
A Special Pokemon Day 2026 TCG Collection box was released on January 30, 2026, to commemorate the release of the very first Pokémon video games in Japan. The box contains a 2026 Pokémon Day logo and a Cosmos Holofoil print of Pikachu from the Temporal Forces expansion with a Pokémon Day stamp. It also contains three sets for different Pokemon TCG expansions.
Pokemon League Events
The official Pokemon League locations will host Pokemon Day celebrations to celebrate Pokemon’s 30th anniversary around February 27, 2026. These celebrations will see the distribution of a Mirror Holofoil Bulbasaur from the Mega Evolution expansion with a Pokemon Day stamp and the Play! Pokémon logo behind the card text.
The Pokemon Company International also provided Leagues with the following prizes:
- Mega Evolution TCG Series
- Pokemon Day 2026 TCG Collection
- Phantasmal Flames Elite Trainer Box
- Mega Venusaur EX Premium Collection
First Partner Illustration Collection Series 1
To celebrate the joyous occasion of Pokemon’s 30th Anniversary, a First Partner Illustration Collection Series 1 will be released on March 20, 2026. It would feature a special booster pack containing three of nine illustration rare-style MEP Black Star Promos of the Kanto, Sinnoh, and Alola first partner Pokemon. More First Partner Illustration Collections featuring first partner Pokémon from other regions will be released later this year.
Here’s everything that this bundle would include:
- 1 Pokemon TCG pack containing three of all nine promo cards
- 2 Pokemon TCG booster packs
- 1 sticker sheet
McDonald’s and Pokémon Happy Meals Collaboration
McDonald’s Happy Meals and Pokemon Collaborations are always loved by fans. It’s something that we eagerly wait for. While there is no official announcement, we might see a potential McDonald’s and Pokémon Happy Meals Collaboration around Pokemon Day 2026, celebrating the 30th Anniversary of Pokemon.
Leaks have surfaced on X about the potential TCG Happy Meals and Promo cards. The cards include Dragonite, Charizard, Rayquaza, and Roaring Moon. It is also speculated that the Japanese edition of the Pikachu #20/M-P will also get an English print during the 30th Anniversary.
Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen on Switch 2
The remake of the OG first Pokemon games is speculated to return on Nintendo Switch 2. FireRed and LeafGreen are the 2004 remakes of Pokemon Red and Blue that were released for Gameboy Advance. According to the leaks by @Riddler_Khu on X, both games might return on Switch 2 with better graphics and visuals, more in-game content, and polished gameplay. However, if they are stuck on the original GBA hardware, then that might disappoint the fanbase.
30th Anniversary Merchandise
Looking for some wearables, accessories, or softtoys? Plenty of merchandises have been released for Pokemon’s 30th anniversary, and they will be available throughout the year. You can buy them all from the official website of the Pokemon Centre. Some of them are Pokémon TCG accessories, Wearables, an insulated tumbler, Glasses, and more.
On top of that, you can preorder LEGO Pokemon sets from the official LEGO Website. While the Eevee and Pikachu LEGO set is currently available for preorder, the Kanto Starter trio will be released on Pokemon Day.
Pokemon’s 30th Anniversary is on February 27, 2026, which is also known as Pokemon Day.
On February 27, the first Pokemon games were released.
Yes, players can look forward to new cards, products, and merchandise on Pokemon’s 30th Anniversary.
Players participating in live in-person events, and shopping online from Pokemon Centre, can get free gifts during Pokemon’s 30th Anniversary.
