Move Over, Willy Wonka. Pokemon Just Had the Most Catastrophic Convention Ever

Pokeverse, a convention hosted in the Philippines, was one for the history books.

By Megan Peters

For decades now, Pokemon has enjoyed life to its fullest. From its video games to its TV series, Pokemon has done it all, and it has amassed an army of fans across the globe. Fans in the Philippines were given the chance to celebrate their fandom this month at a much-hyped convention known as Pokeverse. But after going live, well – the cursed Pokemon convention is being compared to Fyre Festival and the Willy Wonka Experience.

No, seriously. Pokeverse could not have been a bigger letdown. Over on social media, guests who attended the Pokemon convention are sharing their experience, and Pokeverse puts Tumblr's infamous Dash Con to shame.

Touted as a "premiere Pokemon-themed expo" for Filipino fans, Pokeverse left fans stunned when they arrived on scene. Not only did the event start late on Friday, May 31st, but Pokeverse carried on without a number of its advertised activities. Instead, fans were met with cheap carnival games and wide open rooms with little to nothing inside. Plus, there was apparently a strange attendee on site that others came to know as The Ravioli Man, terrifyingly enough.

Over on X (Twitter), attendee BintuRita went viral for bringing attention to this cursed Pokemon event with a damning thread. "I went into this EXPO for free because I won a contest they held for free tickets and a chance to sing with Jason Paige. I've been a passionate Pokemon fan all my life," they shared. For a full breakdown of their wild experience, you can find BintuRita's account here. But if you are looking for highlights, well – their description of the Ravioli Man says it all.

"Enter THE RAVIOLI MAN. This guy was eating sauce off a ravioli jar in his pocket. It seemed to be a filthy frank style prank there there were children under five running around the space and he smelled ROT. Security refused to do anything despite several congoer's reports. Eventually RAVIOLI MAN was escorted out but only after he took a sponge and started rubbing it on one of the sponsors booths. Though later in the EXPO, security still let him back in."

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With VIP tickets to Pokeverse costing upwards of $100, you can see why this Pokemon convention has sparked ire. Guests were promised a special Pokemon event celebrating all things fandom. In reality, however, Pokeverse was a half-baked experience that failed to deliver on every promise. So now, the Pokemon convention has found itself on a dubious list with Fyre Festival that documents the world's most infamous events.

What do you make of this wild Pokemon event? Let us know what you think over on Twitter and Instagram. You can also hit me up @MeganPetersCB to share your take!

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