Festivals - Pokémon GO Fest Paris 2025: A Magical First Day in the Sun at Domaine de Sceaux

By Mulder, Sceaux, Domaine départemental de Sceaux, 13 june 2025

Pokémon GO Fest Paris 2025 kicked off with a bang this Friday, June 13, transforming the Domaine Départemental de Sceaux into an open-air sanctuary for thousands of fans who came from all across France — and far beyond. From the early hours of the morning, the atmosphere was electric: joyful shouts rang out at the appearance of rare Pokémon, laughter echoed during meet-and-greets with life-sized mascots, and the magic of the Pokémon franchise worked its charm once again, somewhere between childhood nostalgia and tech-powered wonder. It was in this lush, sun-soaked park that the festivities came to life, setting the tone for a weekend that many attendees won’t soon forget.

The power of the Pokémon GO Fest doesn’t lie solely in its competitive edge or the thrill of the hunt — it’s also about forging connections, sparking moments of collective joy. Strolling through the park, you could spot couples in full Team Rocket cosplay, families gathered around a giant Pokéball, or even witness a marriage proposal in the heart of the park — under the watchful and playful eyes of Pikachu and Eevee, of course. These moments, captured in photos and videos by the event teams, reflect the beating heart of this celebration: an enhanced human experience, both warm and immersive. It’s not just a game — it’s a lifestyle, temporarily concentrated in one place, a waking dream for an entire community.

The organizers had promised it enthusiastically: “We’re expecting tens of thousands of players at Parc de Sceaux during the Pokémon GO Fest Paris, and even more across the entire Paris metropolitan area.” And the early numbers already seem to back them up. Lines for meet-and-greets with iconic content creators and artists — some traveling in from Japan or the United States — remained long throughout the day. Over on the Battleground, epic duels drew massive, cheering crowds, each rooting passionately for their favorite trainer in an atmosphere that felt more like a stadium than a park. The various shows — often combining dance, music, and augmented reality projections — added a festival-like vibe to the event, blending tech, pop culture, and urban performance art in unique ways.

Behind this magic is the team at Niantic, a pioneer in augmented reality and the creator of this real-world connected universe. Originally born from Google Maps, Niantic made waves in 2012 with Ingress, then launched a true cultural tsunami in 2016 with Pokémon GO. Through its Lightship platform, the company continues to power not only its flagship game, but also titles such as Pikmin Bloom, Peridot, and Monster Hunter Now. Even more impressively, it offers other developers the tools to build their own immersive experiences, either using Lightship or directly via the web with 8th Wall. The Niantic ecosystem keeps expanding, and this weekend in Sceaux is a brilliant, real-world showcase of its potential.

As the event continues through Sunday, June 15 at 6:00 PM, expectations remain high — and the excitement just keeps growing. Between exclusive activities, rare Pokémon encounters, and heartfelt moments shared among passionate fans, the Pokémon GO Fest Paris 2025 is shaping up to be a spectacular success. In a time when technology is often criticized for creating distance between people, this kind of event proves it can also bring people together, inspire, and help them dream. And while catching Pokémon might be the main objective, the greatest gift of the weekend is undoubtedly that rare and precious feeling of belonging — even if just for a few days — to a fun, kind, and extraordinary parallel world.

Photos : Courtesy of Pokemon Go