This past weekend, Pokémon held its Pokémon World Championships “Worlds” in San Francisco, California. To accompany Worlds, Pokémon debuted PokémonXP “XP,” the first fan convention. I was lucky enough to receive a day pass for Saturday, and to say Pokémon took over the City by the Bay would be an understatement.
What is Pokémon Worlds and XP?
Worlds is an annual trading card game (TCG) and video game competition held by Play! Pokémon every August. Beginning in 2004, it is an invite-only event for competitors all around the world to see who is the very best. Trainers qualify throughout the year and compete for money, scholarships, prizes and trophies. Worlds includes the Pokémon trading card game, Pokémon video game, Pokémon Go and Pokémon Unite.
This year, Pokémon did something special: Added PokémonXP, the first fan convention. Trainers could enjoy a multitude of events, from panels to meeting Pokémon creators, to visiting different booths like Funko and Build-a-Bear. Around 50,000 fans from around the world gathered for Worlds and XP.
My Experience
It felt like a dream that Worlds and XP were in my home state this year, especially on Pokémon’s 30th anniversary. What better way to celebrate my favorite franchise than to hang out with thousands of Pokémon fans?
To dress for the occasion, I cosplayed as Dawn from Sinnoh, while my friend was dressed as Dawn’s trusty partner, Piplup. We went into the convention excited and with an open mind.
My friend and I entered the city around 7:30 a.m. for our 8 a.m. badge pickup appointment. There were thousands of people lined up outside Rayquaza Road, which was Pokémon’s dedicated area for food vendors, live music, and the entrance to the Moscone Center and Yerba Buena Gardens.
Badge pickup went by fairly quickly, but slower than at other conventions. We received our badges around 8:30, keeping in mind there are hundreds of other fans waiting for their badges too.
We had downloaded the Pokémon Events app prior, but didn’t know what to expect other than the events on the schedule and social media. There were lots of photo ops, a Pikachu-themed car, Flutter Mane pin rally station, Recharging Cafe for food, tables and bean bag chairs, and a large TV for watching the matches.
We walked over to Moscone South, where the tournaments were taking place. Thousands of people spread throughout the area, watching people play the TCG and video games. On the other side of the escalators were the activities, including LEGOs, a Pokémon Museum, Build-a-Bear, Book Nook, art galleries, and so much more. We walked through the Pokémon Museum, seeing merchandise throughout the years, including previous Worlds merch, sitting cuties plushies, trading cards, video games and much more.
My friend and I made our way to the Yerba Buena area, where there was a Pokémon cosplay meetup. There were about 100 cosplayers, ranging from Pokémon to trainers to Gym Leaders and antagonists. I found a fellow Dawn cosplayer!
Pokémon Center
We headed to our scheduled appointment at 11:30 a.m. at the Pokémon Center to pick up merchandise. We did not make it into the Center until nearly an hour and a half later, and each spent nearly $350. There was a ton of Worlds/XP-exclusive merchandise to choose from, and a one item each per person limit for convention-exclusives. The outside of the Pokémon Center was adorned to look like you’re walking through the Golden Gate Bridge, a San Francisco staple. Each shopper had 45 minutes to look through the center and make their purchase. Employees ensured that people followed the one exclusive item per person rule.
I ended up buying the Worlds backpack, pin bag, Pikachu-exclusive plushies for both events, Charizard-exclusive plushie, Rayquaza plushie, duffle bag and pins.
To round out the rest of our day at Worlds / XP, we watched a Pokémon Unite match to give our feet a break before heading back out to the hall. We wanted to see if we could get into any of the events. Sadly, lots of them were capped or no longer taking any more attendees, so we headed out for the day around 4 p.m.
Overall, I had a blast at Worlds and the first XP. There were definitely ups and downs of this convention, which I dive into here.
Pokémon Worlds 2027 will be held August 13-15, 2027 at the Singapore Expo in Tampines, Singapore.
