Celebrate the Lunar New Year by catching lots of red Pokemon!
Pokemon Go’s yearly Lunar New Year celebration is coming soon!
The 2021 Lunar New Year event will run from February 9 at 10 a.m. local time until February 14 at 1 p.m. local time.
During this time, red (and orange) Pokemon like Krabby, Goldeen, Magmar, Magikarp, Meditite, Tepig, and more will appear more often than normal in the wild. (While Meditite is blue, Shiny Meditite is red, so it fits this group.)
Gyarados will also have the chance to appear in the wild, though it will be rare. When you encounter Gyarados, there will be the chance for it to be Shiny (Shiny Gyarados is red).
In addition, Pokemon that represent animals associated with the Lunar New Year will have the chance to hatch from 5 km Eggs that are collected during this event. This includes Rattata, Ekans, Mankey, Ponyta, Mareep, Houndour, Miltank, Torchic, Bagon, Buneary, Tepig, and Litleo.
A new selection of Pokemon will also appear in Raids during this event. Here’s the breakdown:
During this event, players will be able to complete event-themed Field Research tasks that reward them with encounters with Meowth, Alolan Meowth, Galarian Meowth, Meditite, and Miltank. Plus, new Timed Research tasks will be available to complete, which feature Tauros.
This event will also feature lots of bonuses related to in-game friendships in Pokemon Go.
Specifically, Gifts will be more likely to contain Poke Balls during this event, and you’ll have a greater chance of becoming Lucky Friends when you interact with your in-game friends. When you trade a Pokemon, it will also have a greater chance to become Lucky (that is, when you trade with someone who isn’t a Lucky Friend).
Finally, the game’s trading distance will be increased to 40 km from February 8 at 1 p.m. PT until February 15 at 1 p.m. PT. Typically, players need to be within 100 meters of each other in order to trade.
Are you excited about this year’s Lunar New Year celebration in Pokemon Go? Let us know on Twitter at @superparenthq.
Brandy Berthelson has been writing about video games and technology since 2006, with her work appearing on sites including AOL Games, Digital Spy, and Adweek. When she’s not gaming, Brandy enjoys crafting, baking, and traveling with her husband.