Pokémon Go hosting latest in-game event during Thanksgiving week, action bonuses starting November 23

Pokémon Go was a phenomenal hit over the summer when the app first launched on smartphones, but players have needed new reasons to keep playing the AR-based game after the initial hype calmed down. Hosting in-game events that reward players has been one strategy used to recreate the excitement, and this week Pokémon Go will see it’s second-ever holiday-themed event.

The upcoming in-game event is timed with Thanksgiving Day in the United States, although it’s not a US-exclusive like the Apple Watch activity challenge we saw unveiled earlier today. (Pokémon Go has featured its own country-specific event, too, with a Japan-only ‘Lapras event’ recently.)

Starting Wednesday, Pokémon Go players will receive double XP and Stardust for actions in the game like catching Pokémon and visiting PokéStops. The latest Pokémon Go event will run for one week including through the Thanksgiving weekend.

Pokémon Go previously tried this strategy around Halloween with a special candy bonus. Aside from the holiday-themed events happening lately, Niantic has also promised an update out by the end of the year that will bring Pokémon Go to the Apple Watch in the form of a new walking or running workout. No Pokémon Sun or Moon related events however, although the smartphone game is still focused on first-generation characters.

Check out the full event announcement below for details of the latest promo:

Trainers,

It has been an incredible experience since we launched Pokémon GO a few short months ago in July. We are passionate about creating experiences that encourage exploration and promote exercise. We are humbled that hundreds of millions of you around the world have joined us on this journey. So we would like to say thank you – and what better way to say thank you than to celebrate our community.

So, starting November 23rd at 00:00 UTC and going through November 30th 00:00 UTC, we will double the amount of XP and Stardust you receive when completing in-game actions.
The Pokémon GO team

Pokémon Go is available for free on the App Store with optional in-app purchases.