First UK PoGo Event (July 22/23!) in Chester

[Shaymin]

Read the full article about the Event on the Chester Chronicle website!

So if you still play PoGo, you most likely saw the news about an event in Chicago, also happening at the same time! Which not a lot of us can attend for Obvious™ reasons. However...



If any of you UK PKMNers have ever been to the historic City of Chester, you have likely walked down that street! I walk down in practically every week playing Niantic's other mobile game with my mum (and also playing PoGo at the same time, cause I gotta farm them pokeballs man).

Chester's Big Heritage worked with Niantic to organise this event, which has seen a TON of new Pokéstops and Gyms cropping up (which is SICK even though there are some on top of each other which leads to hilarious screenshots). The historic Chester Castle is also opening up for the first time in eight TWENTY years, coinciding with this event.

I know American PKMNers are likely unable to go, but UK ones!! I know it's short notice (I mean to get this up earlier but I forgot. I'm terrible), but this is the first event for PoGo in the UK, and it's not in London (thank GOD lol). I live very close to Chester, so for me this is Super

teamvalour4lyfe

[Barry B. Benson]

I don't live in the UK (I live in the US) but it does sound awesome. Pokéstops at every corner... just imagine that.

[not chloe]

Aw man I could have come but I'm actually down in Bristol on those dates so no go 😢

[Shaymin]

I don't live in the UK (I live in the US) but it does sound awesome. Pokéstops at every corner... just imagine that.

Prior to this being announced, it did have enough pokestops. Its a historical city (been there since roman times, perhaps earlier), has stuff like the amphitheatre they dug up on time team, the UKs oldest shopfront (built in the 1200s), and lots of old buildings. Now some pokestops have duplicates, there's gyms everywhere (which is sick cause it's a mostly valour stronghold, with smatterings of mystic and the occasional instinct). Speaking of I need to check if my snorlax has come back yet

[Pam-the-Lamb]

 Legitimately wish I could make it because the whole thing would be immense.  Plus I'm a nerd for exploring new places aha. Chester looks like it would be super pretty around Christmas too.

Totally go tho and report on all the cool stuff that happens, like. Maybe they'll have people on the streets giving out goodies and whatnot and the whole thing would be rather splendid.

[Shaymin]

Legitimately wish I could make it because the whole thing would be immense.  Plus I'm a nerd for exploring new places aha. Chester looks like it would be super pretty around Christmas too.

Totally go tho and report on all the cool stuff that happens, like. Maybe they'll have people on the streets giving out goodies and whatnot and the whole thing would be rather splendid.

Chester is... hell at Christmas LOL. The lights are pretty but there are people EVERYWHERE it's terrible.

I shall probably be taking pictures!! There's rumours of a legendary spawning in a raid, SO I'll definitely let you know and scream if i get it cause lord pls lol

[Shaymin]

Please forgive the double post but I have just returned from the Chester Big Heritage and Pokémon Go event!

The day started with some nice sun - not too terrible hot or cold! There were a lot of nerds in Pokémon gear, standing around in groups (or alone, in my case), not really interacting with each other. Near enough everyone was either a) clad in some form of Pokémon merchandise (I had on a tee from Primark or Tesco (idk which) that had a lot of different Pokémon printed on it, and a Pokéball necklace. I wasn't brave enough to wear my Pikachu hat) outside the Chester Town Hall.

The call came out, and although I didn't hear it I sort of followed everyone - we formed a line and received a map of Chester. It had on it the locations of the temporary gyms - at the Bridge of Sighs, King Charles Tower, the Eastgate Clock, the Cathedral, the Chester High Cross, 37 Watergate Street, the Roman Gardens, the Tudor House, the Bridgegate and finally, Chester Castle.

On the map, we had a little questionnaire with 10 questions, all relating to places in the city that are historic (and also, the gyms!). Here are the questions

Bridge of Sighs - Who used to cross this bridge to go to the Chapel? - Prisoners
King Charles Tower - What is the date on the side of the tower? - 1613
Cathedral - How many angels are there above the door? - I asked around, and the general consensus was 10, or 12, or 24, or 26, depending on if you counted the ones in a line with wings, the ones in the same line, with or without wings, then also counted two on top of the line. They never checked so I'm not actually sure of the real number
Chester Cross - What year was the Cross returned to this spot? - 1975
Eastgate Clock - What year was the clock installed? - 1897, to mark the 60th anniversary of Queen Victoria's reign
37 Watergate Street - What was the name of this building when it was first built? - St Ursula's
Roman Gardens - What was this structure called? - the Hypocaust
Tudor House - Which King sat on the throne when this was built? - Henry the Seventh
Bridgegate - What year was the Bridgegate built? - 1782
Chester Castle - Who does this statute commemorate? (Note, it's a statue in the car park of the Chester Crown Court) - Queen Victoria

There were also four stamps we had to get in areas of the city - each of which had something to do with the history of said city. At the town hall, you got the stamp of Vikings. To the east of the Chester High Cross, you got the stamp of the Civil War (Chester was a Royalist stronghold until the wall was broken by the Parliamentarians). In the half dug up Roman Amphitheatre, you (unsurprisingly) get the Roman stamp. Finally, in the grounds of the Chester Castle, you got the Norman stamp.

After slogging for 6km (or more, my phone was temperamental, and my network suffered some issues for a while so I couldn't even play), I returned to the Town Hall to get my prize - a certificate that you can put your name on (PoGo Handle or real name, depends on what you want), and on the back of your certificate, is a code.

I'm not sure what the code is for, but I got talking to some other folks and rumour has it that when you use this code you can have a Pokéstop put up in a reasonable area (a historic place, such as an old pub or church, a statue, or a permanent art installation). I will get back to all of you when I use it ^^

[not chloe]

Omg that sounds so cool 😱 Also pls come to my town & use your code to put up literally ANY pokestop we have like three? 😂🙈

We're there any different Pokémon around to what there usually is or was it just the pop up gyms?

[Shaymin]

There were not any new Pokémon - I did get a Tyranitar in a raid but I hadn't even seen one before, so it's new for me.

Also using both of those codes for my village cause we have one (1) pokestop and that's It.

also disappointingly, chicago was getting all of the attention. around 1pm, O2, EE and Tesco networks began to fail, resulting in a lot of people upset that PoGo stopped working (it stopped working for me when I was near the High Cross, but started working as I went away)

Also here's a picture of people waiting for a 4 star raid to spawn (it was Blastoise and everyone boo'd)


it's shaymin cryptid spotting time. find me for a prize
here's a hint: i'm in green and grey

[Pam-the-Lamb]

 That legit sounds amazing! Right now there's like double XP, Candies, and Stardust going on with twice the encounter rate and maybe twice the capture rate? Literally throwing Pinab Berries at everything for 12 candies.


Lowkey praying one of these comes to Cardiff at some point.

[Shaymin]

There was a Lugia raid, which I missed out on I couldn't make it today, due to a combination of pain and lack of money orz

[Shaymin]

We finally have info on how to submit the Pokéstops! Until the end of July, so I'll be getting my two in asap