Pikachu Has Its Own Yearly Festival and We NEED to Go
For the fourth year in a row, a massive week-long celebration of Pikachu will be held in Yokohama, Japan, this August.
Sadly, we've always had to enjoy the preposterously cute Pikachu Outbreak Festival from afar, but we're holding out hope for this year—there's finally a chance to win tickets.
If you've ever dreamed of watching 1,500 Pikachus parade around Japan, you're in luck, because Sprint is running a contest to send a fan and three friends to Japan to attend the festival and play Pokémon Go. You don't even have to be a Sprint customer to take part—but you do need to play Pokémon Go. Click here for the details.
The event will run from Aug. 9 – Aug. 15 in the Minato Mirai 21 district of Yokohama, and during that time it will be pretty much impossible to avoid Pikachus in the area. There will be shows, parades and more Pikachu merch than you could ever dream of buying. Everything gets covered in Pikachu banners, murals and knick-knacks.
Obviously, the dancing, singing Pikachus are the highlight of the event. We cannot stop watching this Pokémon rendition of "Uptown Funk."
And with more than 1,500 Pikachu mascots, it's scheduled to be the biggest Pikachu parade ever.
The Pikachus also get dressed up in all kinds of costumes, from sailor to safari to spaceman, and are available for all kinds of photo opps. If Pikachu is your favorite Pokémon, this is an event you need to attend at least once in your lifetime.
Believe us—if we win this contest, we'll have lots to share.
If you can't attend the festival, you can still show off your love for Pokémon. Click HERE to see the cutest Pokémon jewelry around.