After the success of the Pokémon GO (POGO) anniversary in Melbourne, I’m excited about IRL POGO events. The next big real-world adventure is coming to Queensland, with Pokémon GO City Safari: Brisbane officially scheduled for later this year. Whether you’re a local Brisbane trainer or looking for the perfect excuse to plan an interstate trip, this weekend event is designed to transform River City into a massive, interactive Pokémon playground.

If you’ve been waiting for a big community event to arrive, this is it. Here’s everything we know so far, what to expect and how to get tickets.

What is Pokémon GO City Safari?

Unlike traditional structural events that keep players contained to a single park, City Safari is all about exploration. The event takes place across the city (in this case, Brisbane), and encourages trainers to wander around Brisbane’s iconic waterfront precincts, vibrant neighborhoods and cultural hotspots while catching Pokémon and connecting with the community.

The official hub for the event will be set up right in the heart of the city, at Queen Street Mall. If you stop by the hub over the weekend, you’ll be able to pick up exclusive physical items, including Pokémon GO City Safari Pikachu visors and sticker packs (while supplies last), making it the perfect meeting point to kick off the weekend or trade with other players.

The details: dates and times

sMake sure you clear your calendar by the end of September because it will be important to:

• Where: Queen Street Mall, Brisbane (central location, although the game is spread across the city)
• When: Saturday, September 26 and Sunday, September 27, 2026
• Time: 9:00 am to 6:00 pm AEST daily

What’s Happening: Gameplay, Stamp Rallies, and Appearances

There is a lot of exclusive in-game content prepared for ticket holders. The main event lineup is the GO Stamp Rally. Trainers can travel to participating PokéStops in Brisbane’s most iconic locations, spin Photo Discs and collect unique stamps. Completing the rally unlocks an encounter with an exclusive Eevee wearing an explorer hat.

Here’s what you can expect over the weekend:

• Special Research: Join Professor Willow for an event-exclusive research that guarantees encounters with the Eevee Explorer Hat and its various Evolutions.
• Wild Spawns: Special Pokémon will flood the city, including Mudbray (the Donkey Pokémon), which is the featured global face of the City Safari 2026 events. Plus, if you’re lucky, shiny rates increase.
• Ticket Holder Bonuses: During event hours, ticket holders get a host of benefits, including 4-hour Lure Modules, up to five special trades per day, a 50% Stardust discount on trades, extended party play, and a special “Tiny Compass” souvenir that your Pokémon friend finds.

Customize your weekend with accessories

If you want to maximize your weekend in Brisbane, Niantic offers optional gaming add-ons to improve your tracking:

• Raid Lover – Gives you up to 12 free raid passes per day at Gyms, plus XP, bonus 5-star XL Candy, and Mega Raids.
• Egg Enthusiast: Reduce the hatching distance of eggs by half and collect additional XP, stardust, and candy for each egg hatched.
• Extra Day Add-on: Do you want to play on both Saturday and Sunday? You can upgrade your single-day ticket to unlock the game across the city and brilliant bonuses for the second day too.

Ticket prices and where to buy them

Tickets for the event are officially available and, like major conventions, are sold on a first-come, first-served basis.

Single-day ticket: $17 AUD (includes applicable taxes and fees). The Raid Lover and Egg-thusiast extras are $8 AUD each, and the extra day add-on is $12 AUD.

How to secure your spot:

You can get tickets directly through the official Pokémon GO City Safari website or directly from the Pokémon GO app. Simply open your app, tap the Main Menu, head to ‘Events’, select Brisbane City Safari and choose your preferred date and add-ons. You can also purchase tickets for your friends in-game, as long as you have reached Great Friends status or higher.

It’s shaping up to be a big weekend for Australian coaches. If you’re planning to travel to Brisbane this September, make sure you get your badges early before they sell out! There are also IRL events in Boston, Lisbon, Marseille, Munich and Rio de Janeiro. Visit the website for all the details.