Niantic Sustainability Campaign and Friendship Day details for Pokémon GO

New events for Pokémon GO have been announced, specifically the Niantic Sustainability Campaign and Friendship Day. We’ve gathered all the official details in our post below.

Niantic Sustainability Campaign

We’re excited to announce that the Sustainability Week event is coming! In partnership with the Niantic Sustainability Campaign, you and your fellow Trainers can earn in-game bonuses by achieving various sustainability-related goals in the real world. In addition, Binacle will be making its Pokémon GO debut, and there will be a free Sustainability Week T-shirt avatar item available in the shop.

Date + Time

Tuesday, April 20, 2021, at 10:00 a.m. to Sunday, April 25, 2021, at 8:00 p.m. local time

Features

  • Binacle, the Two-Handed Pokémon, will be making its Pokémon GO debut!
  • Pokémon like Grimer, Drilbur, Trubbish, Ferroseed, and more will be appearing more often in the wild. If you’re lucky, you might encounter a Shiny Trubbish!
  • The following Pokémon will be hatching from 5 km Eggs: Diglett, Tangela, Goldeen, Budew, Cherubi, Finneon, and Drilbur.
  • Vileplume, Alolan Exeggutor, Trubbish, Binacle, and more will be appearing in raids.
  • Complete event-exclusive Field Research to earn encounters with Cottonee, Chespin, Binacle, and more.
  • There will also be event-exclusive Timed Research for you to enjoy.
  • A free Sustainability Week T-shirt avatar item will be available in the shop!

Unlock Rewards

You can work alongside players of other Niantic games to unlock special tiered in-game rewards by participating in the Niantic Sustainability Campaign in the real world. The following rewards will be available on Sunday, April 25, 2021, from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. local time.

  • Tier 1(2,500 activations): Five-star raids will appear more often.
  • Tier 2 (5,000 activations): A free bundle containing three Remote Raid Passes will be available in the shop. The rewards from Tier 1 will remain active.
  • Tier 3 (10,000 activations): A 2× Catch XP bonus will be live. The rewards from Tiers 1 and 2 will remain active.

Friendship Day details

We’re excited to introduce Friendship Day, a new event that’s all about having fun with your friends and enjoying various bonuses while playing Pokémon GO. For this first Friendship Day, Grass-type Pokémon will be appearing more often in the wild. Plus, you’ll be able to complete a Collection Challenge to receive a ton of XP, and you’ll have an increased chance of receiving Lucky Pokémon when you trade with a friend!

Date + Time

Saturday, April 24, 2021, from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. local time

Features

  • Various Grass-type Pokémon will be appearing more often in the wild.
  • Complete the Friendship Day Collection Challenge before the event concludes to earn 100,000 XP!
  • Take part in the Friendship Day Global Challenge! For each hourly challenge you complete, you’ll earn 20,000 XP!
  • Green confetti will be appearing on the map in celebration of Grass-type Pokémon!

Bonuses

  • You’ll have an increased chance of receiving a Lucky Pokémon when you complete a trade with a friend. Please note that this bonus will be active until 5:00 p.m. local time on the day of the event.
  • Trade distance will be increased to 40 km.
  • A 3× Catch XP bonus will be active.
  • Incense activated during the event will last for three hours.
  • Lures activated during the event will last for three hours.

I certainly appreciate the Grass-centric Friendship Day announcement and Binacle and its evolution are just so ugly I can’t help but love them! Let us know what you think about these events in the comments or in our Discord server!

PSST- Don’t forget to enter our April giveaway for a special set of four plushies, including Jirachi!