Pokemon Go 3rd Anniversary Event: Party Hat Pikachu, Shiny Alolan Pokemon, end time and more

Guide by Alex Donaldson Assistant Editor

Published on July 6, 2019

Pokemon Go is celebrating its 3rd anniversary - and that means it's time for a hot new event, complete with chances to catch Party Hat Pikachu and shiny Alolan Pokemon.

The event celebrates a full three years of the huge hit game, and also serves as a reminder that while other franchises also have their geocaching spin-offs, like Harry Potter, Pokemon is still king. The event should be exciting for new, current and lapsed players alike, offering bonuses that'll fit people wherever they are in their Pokemon adventure. More on the bonuses and additions below.

Pokemon Go 3rd Anniversary Event Start Time and End Time

The 3rd Anniversary event for Pokemon Go is a limited-time event, and so like any other similar celebration in Pokemon Go some of its new special editions will only be temporarily available. This time around some of the bonuses last longer than others - so here's the start and end times:

Start Time: June 28 2019 at 1pm Pacific Time
Party Hat Pikachu/Pichu End Time: July 6 2019 at 1pm Pacific
Research Jump Start, Raid & Trading Bonus End Time: September 2 2019 at 1pm Pacific

Shiny Alolan Pokemon appear at last

A new addition for the 3rd anniversary celebrations in Pokemon Go but not exclusive to the special anniversary event is something fans have been waiting on for a long time now - shiny Alolan Form Pokemon.

As of the start of the 3rd Anniversary Event, Pokemon Go Trainers will be able to encounter the Shiny forms of Alolan Rattata, Sandshrew, Vulpix, Diglett, Meowth, Geodude, Grimer, Exeggutor and all of the evolutions of those Pokemon. These will all be added to our Pokemon Go Shiny list, of course.

Alolan Pokemon are found in all the normal places of Pokemon Go as part of this, and you've a chance of finding a shiny Alolan form Pokemon each time you encounter one. Here's how you currently encounter them, as detailed in our Pokemon Go Alolan form guide:

From Eggs: Alolan Vulpix, Alolan Sandshrew, Alolan Mewoth, Alolan Grimer
From Raids: Alolan Marowak, Alolan Raichu, Alolan Exeggutor
From Wild: Alolan Rattata, Alolan Diglett, Alolan Geodude

Party Hat Pikachu returns for the 3rd Anniversary Event

Party Hat Pikachu last appeared as a special rare spawn version of Pokemon's most famous character back in February of last year, but this celebratory hat-wearing Pokemon is back for this event - and there's a friend coming along too, Party Hat Pichu.

All you have to do is catch the pair - and, of course, you can also evolve up to Party Hat Raichu. Party hard.

How to get Party Hat Pikachu with a photobomb during the Anniversary Event
Party Hat Pikachu can appear as part of the 3rd anniversary event as a photobomber - just as Smeargle does. What this means is that the Pokemon will appear in any photo you take inside Pokemon Go - and once it appears, you'll then be given a chance to catch it.

Party hat Pikachu will appear once per day - all you have to do is open up the camera either through your items menu or on the Pokemon profile of any critter in your line-up. Snap some photos, and once a day for the duration of the event you'll have a chance to catch the Pikachu in its fancy headgear.

How to catch Party Hat Pichu during the Anniversary Event
If you're after Party Hat Pichu, it appears as an egg hatch - it has a chance of hatching from 7km Pokemon Eggs.

Other features of the 3rd Anniversary Event

In addition to the above, there's a few new additions to the game making their debut during this event, and other things changing for the duration of the anniversary event to make it a little special. They are:

Team leader avatar items for your trainer: all-new avatar items featuring the team leaders’ personal styles will be released into the shop during the anniversary.
Special Research Jump Start: for those players who feel as if they've fallen behind, or newcomers, special event research will offer powerful rewards that can jump-start your adventure - and it's a limited time deal. This research will be available this summer for players level 10 and above, and you can see the Jump Start Research and current Field Missions on our separate tasks guide page. This will run through September 2nd.
Raid bonuses: extra bonus Premier Balls for catching Pokemon after a successful raid with friends. This will run through September 2nd.
Decreased Stardust costs for trading: trading Pokemon will cost a quarter less Stardust. This will run through September 2nd.