Let’s play a little word association game. When we say ‘Pokémon’, what’s the first thing that pops into your head? Cards? Pikachu? Go?
If you said ‘EDM’… well, OK, that’s weirdly specific – but in this case you’d be right. On November 10, Pokémon Night Out will touch down at the O2 Arena for one of only two events of its kind in the entire world. It’ll mark the first time in the brand’s history that Pokémon has put on an EDM event, with Marshemello headlining and Alison Wonderland on support.
This arrives amid a bonanza of London news for Pokémon stans, with a themed green space called a ‘Pokopia Garden’ having opened at Acton Mount in west London earlier this month. In turn, that followed an official pop-up immersive experience at Outernet, a rare merch drop at the Natural History Museum and the Pokémon Europe International Championships at the ExCeL.
Think of the new event as a Pokémon-based EDM festival, which is not something we ever thought we’d find ourselves writing. The event is open to fans aged 16 and over and there’ll also be a version at Los Angeles’ Intuit Dome on October 24.
In addition to this, Pokémon has promised one-day, family friendly summer events in the US, Europe and Mexico. Dates for the daytime events are yet to be announced, though they’ll be held in Bordeaux, New York City, Dresden and Mexico City.
The festival is part of Pokémon’s What’s Your Favourite? 30th anniversary campaign, which has seen the likes of Lady Gaga and Trevor Noah choose their most beloved characters from the franchise.
The Pokémon Company International’s vice president of marketing and media Taito Okiura said: ‘The What’s Your Favourite? campaign was designed to bring people together through a shared love of Pokémon – with immersive experiences like Pokémon Night Out, we’re leveraging the power of music to unite Trainers [the given name for fans of the brand] across our global fan community.’
In a video announcing Pokémon Night Out, Marshmello promised to play ‘a very special, very curated set’ at the event. He added: ‘I would say for this show, especially, it’s been really fun to work off of all the visual moments we have planned. DJ-ing in itself is kind of freestyling – that’s the magic behind it all – but on the other end of the spectrum, it’s very calculated and meticulous. [This is] a very specific experience that I have never given, so to be able to do that for you guys is gonna be awesome’.
In case you’re wondering – and we know you were – his favourite Pokémon is Mewtwo.
Pokémon Night Out London date and location
The event will be held at Greenwich’s O2 Arena on November 10 2026.
When do tickets go on sale?
Tickets will go on sale at 10am on Friday April 17. You can get them on AXS here.
Did you catch our picture essay on the London Pokémon Championships in London?
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