After the success of the Pokémon GO (POGO) anniversary in Melbourne, I’m all pumped for IRL POGO events. The next major real-world adventure is coming to Queensland, with Pokémon GO City Safari: Brisbane officially locked in for later this year. Whether you’re a local Brisbane trainer or looking for the perfect excuse to plan an interstate trip, this weekend-long event is set to transform the River City into a massive, interactive Pokémon playground.
If you’ve been waiting for a big community event to hit the sunshine state, this is it. Here is everything we know so far, what you can expect, and how you can get your hands on 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 over the entire city—in this case, Brisbane—encouraging trainers to wander through Brisbane’s iconic riverfront precincts, vibrant neighbourhoods, and cultural hotspots while catching Pokémon and connecting with the community.
The official event hub will be set up right in the heart of the city at Queen Street Mall. If you swing by the hub during the weekend, you’ll be able to score some exclusive physical swag, including Pokémon GO City Safari Pikachu Visors and sticker packs (while stocks last), making it the perfect meeting point to kick off your weekend or trade with other players.
The details: Dates and time
sMake sure you clear your calendar for late September because it’s going to be a big one:
- Where: Queen Street Mall, Brisbane (Hub location, though gameplay spans the city)
- When: Saturday, September 26 and Sunday, September 27, 2026
- Time: 9:00 am to 6:00 pm AEST each day
What’s happening: Gameplay, Stamp Rallies, and spawns
There is plenty of exclusive in-game content lined up for ticket holders. The headliner for the event is the GO Stamp Rally. Trainers can travel to participating PokéStops across Brisbane’s most iconic locations, spin the Photo Discs, and collect unique stamps. Completing the rally unlocks an encounter with an exclusive Eevee wearing an explorer hat.
Here is what else you can look forward to over the weekend:
- Special Research: Team up with Professor Willow for event-exclusive research that guarantees encounters with the explorer-hat Eevee and its various Eevolutions.
- Wild Spawns: Special Pokémon will be flooding 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 are boosted.
- Ticket Holder Bonuses: During event hours, ticket holders get a massive stack of perks, 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 found by your Buddy Pokémon.
Customise your weekend with Add-Ons
If you want to min-max your weekend in Brisbane, Niantic is offering optional gameplay add-ons to boost your tracking:
- Raid Lover: Gives you up to 12 free Raid Passes per day from Gyms, plus extra XP, Candy, and Candy XL from 5-star and Mega Raids.
- Egg-thusiast: Cuts your Egg hatch distance in half and stacks bonus XP, Stardust, and Candy for every egg hatched.
- Extra Day Add-On: Want to play both Saturday and Sunday? You can upgrade your single-day ticket to unlock the citywide gameplay and shiny bonuses for the second day as well.
Ticket prices and where to buy
Tickets for the event are officially live, and just like major conventions, they are sold on a first-come, first-served basis.
Single-Day Ticket: $17 AUD (inclusive of applicable taxes and fees). The Raid Lover and Egg-thusiast extras are $8 AUD each, and the extra Day Add-On: $12 AUD.
How to secure your spot:
You can grab tickets directly via the official Pokémon GO City Safari Website or right inside the Pokémon GO app. Just open your app, tap the Main Menu, head to ‘Events’, select the Brisbane City Safari, and choose your preferred date and add-ons. You can also purchase tickets for your in-game friends, provided you’ve hit Great Friends status or higher.
It’s shaping up to be a massive weekend for Aussie trainers. If you’re planning to make the trip to Brisbane this September, make sure to grab your badges early before they sell out! There are also IRL events happening in Boston, Lisbon, Marseille, Munich, and Rio de Janeiro. Check out the website for all the details.
