Pokemon Go Fest returning to Chicago a year after disastrous debut

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The first Pokemon Go Fest was held last year at Grant Park. | Max Herman/Sun-Times

Pokemon Go Fest, the outdoor festival devoted to trying to catch ’em all with your fellow trainers, will be returning to Chicago a year after its disastrous debut in the city. The event is coming to Lincoln Park on July 14-15, developer Niantic announced Monday.

Last year’s festival, the first of its kind in North America, was plagued by technical issues that prevented fans from being able to log into the augmented reality game, which was more or less the entire point of being there. Fans were supposed to be able to participate in special events and catch rare monsters, but instead were met with overloaded servers.

Niantic ended up apologizing and offering refunds on tickets and $100 in in-game credits to everyone who attended. It later paid out a $1.575 million settlement as a result of a class-action lawsuit.

The 2018 festival, which is being dubbed “Pokemon Go Fest 2018: A Walk In The Park,” is being held in a different location, moving from Grant Park to a 1.8-mile walking course that will “include exclusive activities for Trainers of all ages.”

Single-day tickets will go on sale May 11 for $20 each.


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