Pokemon Go’s 8th Anniversary Party event: Shiny Meltan, Party Hat Grimer, more

Complete guide to Pokemon Go’s 8th Anniversary Party featuring exclusive Pokemon, bonuses, and strategic tips

Event Overview & Key Dates

Pokemon Go’s milestone 8th Anniversary Party brings an extensive celebration packed with exclusive content and limited-time opportunities for trainers worldwide. This commemorative event honors the game’s initial launch on July 6, 2016, marking eight years of continuous adventure and community engagement.

Niantic has crafted a special anniversary celebration featuring rare Shiny encounters and numerous Pokemon adorned with festive party hats, creating a vibrant atmosphere throughout the Shared Skies season.

The anniversary festivities officially commence on Friday, June 28, 2024, at 10:00 AM local time and continue through Wednesday, July 3, 2024, until 8:00 PM local time. This extended duration provides ample opportunity for trainers to participate regardless of their scheduling constraints.

Strategic Tip: Mark your calendar for the specific daily bonus rotations to maximize your gameplay efficiency during each phase of the event.

Featured Pokemon & Shiny Hunting

The anniversary celebration introduces several exclusive costumed Pokemon, with many having potential Shiny variants available. Pokemon marked with an asterisk (*) indicate those capable of appearing in their rare Shiny forms during encounters.

New costumed additions include:

  • Grimer wearing a party hat*
  • Muk wearing a party hat
  • Wild encounters feature these costumed Pokemon with Shiny potential:

  • Bulbasaur wearing a party hat*
  • Charmander wearing a party hat*
  • Squirtle wearing a party hat*
  • Pikachu wearing a cake hat*
  • Grimer wearing a party hat*
  • Eevee wearing a party hat*
  • Additional starter Pokemon rotate on specific dates:

    June 28 at 10 am – June 29 at 11:59 pm local time: First wave of starters

    June 30 at 12 am – July 1 at 11:59 pm local time: Second wave of starters

    July 2 at 12 am – July 3 at 8 pm local time: Final wave of starters

    One-star Raids feature these Pokemon with elevated Shiny odds:

  • Bulbasaur wearing a party hat*
  • Charmander wearing a party hat*
  • Squirtle wearing a party hat*
  • Pikachu wearing a cake hat*
  • Grimer wearing a party hat*
  • Pro Tip: Activate your Mystery Box during the event period for a chance to encounter Shiny Meltan, typically only available during special events. Coordinate with friends to maximize Meltan encounters during lucky egg sessions.

    Common Mistake: Don’t transfer costumed Pokemon without checking their IVs first, as these limited-time variants cannot be obtained again once the event concludes.

    Event Bonuses & Daily Rewards

    Throughout the entire event duration, trainers benefit from several valuable bonuses designed to enhance social gameplay and reward collection efforts.

    Continuous event bonuses include:

  • Enhanced probability of becoming Lucky Friends with your gameplay partners
  • Improved chances of obtaining Lucky Pokemon through trading activities
  • Accelerated Friendship level progression from opening Gifts, trading Pokemon, or collaborative battling in raids, Gyms, or Trainer Battles
  • Opportunity to collect 8, 88, or potentially more Gimmighoul Coins when spinning PokéStops activated with Golden Lure Modules
  • Advanced Strategy: Coordinate Golden Lure Modules with friends at popular PokéStop clusters to maximize Gimmighoul Coin accumulation for evolving Gholdengo.

    Additional rotating bonuses activate on specific dates:

    June 28 at 10 am – June 29 at 11:59 pm local time

  • 50% reduced Egg Hatch Distance when placing Eggs in Incubators during this period
  • June 30 at 12 am – July 1 at 11:59 pm local time

  • Double Experience Points for all Pokemon captures
  • July 2 at 12 am – July 3 at 8 pm local time

  • Double Stardust rewards for catching Pokemon
  • Optimization Tip: Plan your gameplay sessions around these rotating bonuses – use star pieces during double Stardust days and lucky eggs during double XP periods for maximum efficiency.

    Research Tasks & Rewards

    Event-exclusive Field Research tasks provide additional opportunities to encounter featured Starter Pokemon throughout the celebration period.

    Select research assignments reward Mega Energy for specific Pokemon, allowing trainers to accumulate resources for mega evolution capabilities.

    Timed Research offers encounters with special event-themed Pokemon:

  • Encounters with event-themed Pokémon
    • Raticate wearing a party hat
    • Nidorino wearing a party hat
    • Wobbuffet wearing a party hat
    • Meltan
  • Raticate wearing a party hat
  • Nidorino wearing a party hat
  • Wobbuffet wearing a party hat
  • Premium Timed Research available for $2.00 (or regional equivalent) includes tasks themed around the number eight, with completion rewards including:

  • One Premium Battle Pass
  • Meltan encounter opportunity
  • Critical Reminder: All Timed Research objectives must be completed and rewards collected before the event concludes on Wednesday, July 3, 2024, at 8:00 PM local time.

    Pro Tip: Prioritize completing timed research early in the event to avoid missing deadlines, and stack reward encounters for simultaneous catching with active bonuses.

    Premium Content & Cosmetics

    Niantic offers additional anniversary content through premium research options and exclusive cosmetic items for dedicated trainers.

    The Whispers in the Woods Masterwork Research provides Shiny Celebi acquisition for $5.00 (or local equivalent), along with supplementary event bonuses. Important restriction: This purchase becomes unavailable if you’ve previously completed the Distracted by Something Shiny Special Research.

    The Pokemon GO Web Store features a special Anniversary Box priced at $4.99 containing:

  • Three Premium Battle Passes
  • Event-themed stickers and new avatar cosmetics become available during the celebration:

  • Noctowl Loose-Fitting Jacket
  • Mankey Loose-Fitting Jacket
  • Loose-Fitting Pants (Dark Gray)
  • Pom-Pom Style Oricorio Hat
  • Pa’u Style Oricorio Hat
  • Baile Style Oricorio Hat
  • Sensu Style Oricorio Hat
  • Value Assessment: Evaluate premium content based on your collection needs – the Masterwork Research offers exclusive Shiny Mythical access, while the Anniversary Box provides raid opportunities.

    That concludes our comprehensive coverage of Pokemon Go’s 8th Anniversary Party! For additional gaming guidance, explore our resources covering other June events like Scorching Steps and upcoming community celebrations.

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