Pokémon Go’s Festival of Lights sees Pikachu don a saree and kurta again
India gets Diwali Pikachu, while the rest of us get to admire them from a distance
- Saree and kurta Pikachu return for Diwali
- Sparkle O’Clock lights up evening spawns
- Lures last three times longer in India
I haven't had a proper Diwali in a while. London does its bit, to be fair, but it isn't the same as being in India for it. While I have made my peace with that, Pokémon Go has decided to rub it in.
The Festival of Lights is back, and so are Pikachu wearing a saree and Pikachu wearing a kurta. The catch, if you're reading this from anywhere else, is that the whole event is exclusive to trainers in India, so I'll be watching this one from a distance.
Both Pikachu show up in Pokémon Go raids, with a chance of a Shiny or one with a Special Background. Shiny if you're lucky.
Evenings get their own thing too. Sparkle O'Clock boosts certain spawns in the wild for five minutes at a time, at 6:00 pm, 6:30 pm, 7:00 pm and 7:30 pm. The lineup sounds like somebody went through the Pokédex picking out anything that glows or burns.
Camerupt's in there too. It's a volcano camel, so I'll allow it. The rest is Charmander, Chinchou, Mareep, Litwick and Lampent, Morelull and Tadbulb, plus both Pikachu with Special Background chances.
Lure Modules last three times as long during the event, and they're more likely to attract that same themed crowd, minus the Pikachu. Spinning PokéStops hands out stickers of the dressed-up pair, some of the event Pokémon will glow, and Collection Challenges pay out XP and Stardust for catching the lot.
The Branched Timed Research on November 1st and finishes with a Special Background encounter with one of the two Pikachu, plus XP, Stardust and stickers along the way. The Festival of Lights itself runs from November 6th to 8th.
If you're in India and planning to spend the weekend parked beside a Lure, our Pokémon Go promo codes are the next stop before you head out.
