Pokemon fans, get ready to catch ’em all as The Pokemon Company has announced a lineup of events and initiatives to celebrate its 30th anniversary.
Set to be the biggest Pokemon celebration in Asia, the festivities will take place across seven cities in Asia — Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Taipei, Manila, Bangkok, Jakarta and Hong Kong, the Japanese media franchise announced on Wednesday (June 3).
The first confirmed event in Singapore is the Pokemon Run 30: Singapore Edition happening at The Kallang on Nov 7 and Nov 8 — a fun run event where fans can tackle Pokemon Gym-inspired obstacles alongside a starter Pokemon of choice, fill up their Pokedex with other Pokemons, and enjoy free admission to a Pokemon Festival Zone.
While the full lineup of events has not been released yet, the celebration will include activations involving the Pokemon Trading Card Game (TCG) and Pokemon Go, as well as shopping mall campaigns and more, according to The Pokemon Company.
A key highlight of the festivities is PokeXciting! — a large-scale “city takeover” happening across five cities in Asia, where each city is set to host its own unique Pokemon experience.
The cities included are: Singapore from Nov 7 to Nov 8, Kuala Lumpur from Sept 12 to Sept 13, Taipei from Oct 10 to Oct 11, Manila from Jan 23 to Jan 24, 2027, and Bangkok from Feb 13 to Feb 14, 2027.
More information can be found on the Pokemon Asia 30th Anniversary official site, which launched on Wednesday. Each city involved in the celebrations has its own dedicated portal.
In addition to providing announcements and updates, visitors to the site can also take a trip down memory lane to understand and discover Pokemon’s original history and storylines.
Speaking in a statement on the same day, Susumu Fukunaga, Corporate Officer of The Pokemon Company said that the celebration is “a tribute” to those who have journeyed with the franchise over the decades.
“Whether you are a current trainer or longtime fan returning to the world of Pokemon, we invite you to join us for this milestone experience. Of course, we’re also thrilled to bring the world of Pokemon to new fans in the Asian region,” he added.
“We hope that this event creates a wonderful opportunity for people who are not yet familiar with Pokemon to discover it for the first time.”
Special 30th anniversary expansion, Pokemon Centre refresh
Beyond physical events, Pokemon TCG is also marking its 30th anniversary with the launch of Pokemon TCG: 30th Celebration, a commemorative expansion set for a simultaneous global release on Sept 16.
Every card in the expansion is foil, and will feature Pokemon from different regions, including fan-favourites such as Espeon and Umbreon, as well as Lapras, Drifloon, Zorua and Lyranroc as illustration rares, and Greninja and Sylveon as brand new Pokemon ex.
On May 29, Pokemon Singapore announced the reopening of the Pokemon Center Singapore at Jewel Changi Airport slated for July 1, following a three-month revamp to “better cater to the growing local and regional Pokemon community”.
The refresh will introduce new local-inspired elements to the store, including an interior mirroring Singapore’s cultural identity, a new symbol Pokemon, as well as exclusive merchandise specially designed for the Singapore centre — such as a Pikachu holding a durian fruit.
[[nid:728349]]
carol.ong@asiaone.com
Read the full article here
