Pokemon Go Reveals Winter Holiday Event and Free Prime Gaming Avatar Item

The holiday season has officially arrived, and Pokemon Go players can celebrate with an all-new, two-part event. Winter Holiday Part 1 is set to begin on December 18th at 10 a.m. local time, and will last through December 25th at 10 a.m. local time. The event will see the in-game debut of two Pokemon that first appeared in the Paldea region from Pokemon Scarlet and Violet: Cetoddle and Cetitan. New versions of Pikachu and Raichu wearing holiday attire will also debut, and players can expect the return of several other holiday-dressed Pokemon. 

During the event, players will find the following Pokemon in the wild: 

• Alolan Sandshrew
• Amaura
• Bergmite
• Cetoddle
• Cryogonal
• Eevee (holiday hat)
• Galarian Darumaka
• Pikachu (holiday attire)
• Piloswine
• Seel
• Sneasel
• Spheal (holiday scarf)
• Stantler (holiday outfit)
• Swinub

Pokemon Go Prime Gaming Freebie

To celebrate this new Pokemon's appearance, Niantic is adding a new Cetoddle Hat avatar item. That's not the only thing that will be appearing in the shop; the event will see the addition of a Delibird Onesie, Holiday Boots, Holiday Gloves, and a Holiday Sweater with Scarf. Players will have to wait until the event goes live to purchase any of these items, but Amazon Prime subscribers will be able to get the Holiday Sweater with Scarf a little early through Prime Gaming. 

Prime Gaming has been offering free Pokemon Go bundles over the last few months, and some have been better than others. A free avatar item is a lot more appealing than the current freebie (4 Great Balls and a Lure Module), and the Holiday Sweater with Scarf is actually a pretty cool design. The avatar item can be claimed through Prime Gaming starting December 15th at 10 a.m. PT and will be available through January 19th at 10 a.m. PT. When it goes live, the free item can be claimed right here. 

Holiday Themed Pokemon

In addition to Holiday-dressed Pikachu, Eevee, Spheal, and Stantler appearing in the wild, players can expect to see other dressed up Pokemon from past events. Field Research task encounters will give players a chance of seeing Delibird (holiday ribbon), Cubchoo (holiday ribbon), and Glaceon (undersea holiday outfit). Some of the dressed up Pokemon will also appear in Raids and 2 km Eggs. 

Full details have not been revealed about Winter Holiday Part 2, but players can expect to see a Psyduck wearing holiday attire. Impatient players can get a chance to get this Pokemon early by purchasing Paid Timed Research. Two different tickets will be available during the event: Ticket 1 ($2) and Ticket 2 ($5). Both options will give players the chance to encounter this special Psyduck early, but they will feature different tasks and rewards. Notably, Ticket 2 will feature an exclusive hot cocoa avatar pose. The timed research will expire on December 31st at 8 p.m. local time. 

Are you excited for this new Pokemon Go event? Do you plan to snag this free avatar item? Share your thoughts with me directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!