SINGAPORE: Pokemon Go players, you’d better start stocking up supplies - the Pokemon GO City Safari: Singapore event will be coming to places like Ang Mo Kio and Marina Bay on March 29 and 30.
The event will mark the advent of the donkey Pokemon Mudbray and its evolution, the horse Pokemon Mudsdale in the game.
These elusive creatures can be found only in Singapore for the duration of the event for now.
Pokemon Go players will be able to purchase tickets to the event online or through the app itself, unlocking special missions they can undertake through gameplay.
Ticket holders will be able to meet and partner fan-favourite Pokemon Eevee wearing an explorer hat while navigating their way through notable locations and landmarks in themed areas across Singapore, hunting for other elusive critters to add to their collection.
These areas include Sentosa, Pasir Ris, Ang Mo Kio, Jurong East, Sembawang and the Marina Bay area.
General admission tickets for players cost $19 each for a single day, with a ticket for both days costing $34, while stocks last.
Various add-ons are also available at $15 each, which will unlock in-game items and bonuses in addition to those already available through the regular ticket.
The event itself will be held from 10am to 6pm on both days. More details are available on the event website, which also reminds players that they have to be physically present in Singapore to participate.
A pop-up store will also be open during the event at the HarbourFront Centre Outdoor Plaza, where fans can pick up a Pikachu sun visor in a giveaway, as well as opportunities to purchase other Pokemon merchandise, while stocks last.
The store will also operate from 10am to 6pm on both days of the event.
The City Safari series of events in Pokemon Go are a successor to the Safari Zones held previously in places like France, Sweden, Germany, Brazil, Denmark, Spain, Japan and Taiwan.
Such events allow players to encounter and capture Pokemon that are not normally found in these regions, accompanied with in-game bonuses that are otherwise rare or unavailable through regular gameplay.
Safari Zone events were also held in Singapore in November 2022 and April 2019. Its most recent iteration saw more than 18,000 players in and around Gardens By The Bay.
In partnership with the National Heritage Board (NHB), Pokemon Go will also see the launch of official routes in Singapore. Routes in the game are set paths that players can follow to discover Pokemon, items and other content.
These allow players to “discover lesser-known stories and fun facts about the history and heritage of Singapore’s places and neighbourhoods”, said Pokemon Go on its event page.
Such routes will take players through Little India, Tiong Bahru, Sembawang, bustling Orchard Road and the shorelines of Pasir Ris.
The official routes will continue to be available after the City Safari event ends.
The Straits Times has contacted NHB for more information.
In 2020, the Singapore Tourism Board teamed up with Pokemon Go developer Niantic to hold events and activities as part of the SingapoRediscovers campaign, with landmarks such as hotels and attractions designated as in-game locations known as PokeStops and Gyms for players to interact with. - The Straits Times/ANN
