Pokémon to headline Legoland Windsor's new Lego Festival 2026 Play Zone

• Pokémon's 30th anniversary is making its mark all over the world of gaming
• For example, visitors to Legoland this summer will find exclusive, exciting new events!
• The Play Zone will feature Pokémon as headliners with the new Smart Play tech

With Pokémon's 30th anniversary arriving this year, it shouldn't surprise you were stepping out of our comfort zone a bit. Pokémon is no stranger to mobile after all, so all of the exciting events happening to mark the franchise's latest anniversary are more than worth a look, including their upcoming role at Lego Festival 2026!

Those of you who are taking their kids to, or just visiting, Legoland Windsor from July 20th to August 31st will find that Pokémon are taking a headlining role at the Play Zone. You'll be able to get a look at the new Smart Play system that combines electronics with the exciting Pokémon sets being introduced!

Gotta' clack 'em all

The Smart Play system is, of course, a bit of a controversial one for many Lego fans. Plenty of them (myself included) feel that it infringes a bit on one of the few non-electronic pastimes that many of us treasured as kids. But, hey, the future arrives whether you want it to or not, and it's not surprising Lego have been getting in on that.

Equally, this is also quite demonstrative of the popularity that Pokémon has even amongst mainstream toy manufacturers. It wasn't long ago that Pokémon was still viewed as 'that weird Japanese franchise', but now it has a beloved place akin to any other toy brand in the hearts of fans globally.

So, keep an eye out for this and other events, such as the upcoming 30th anniversary trading card sets (available early in Pokémon Trading Card Live) that are arriving this year!

And if you want to keep up with other news, including the usual gacha roundup, then check out our latest feature series! We've Gacha Covered regularly covers new additions, events, collaborations and other bits and pieces we can't devote a full news story to, but are worth checking out.