Pokemon Go Friendship Day Event Set For April 24

Pokemon Go's new Friendship Day event is set for next Saturday, April 24, developer Niantic has announced. The event runs from 11 AM to 2 PM local time and features increased spawns of Grass-type Pokemon, as well as a new Collection Challenge and various in-game bonuses.

Throughout Friendship Day, Grass Pokemon such as Chikorita, Tangela, Cottonee, Foongus, and others will appear in the wild much more frequently than normal. As previously mentioned, there will be a new Collection Challenge during the event as well. If you can complete the challenge before Friendship Day ends, you'll earn 100,000 XP.

Niantic will also hold a Friendship Day Global Challenge during the event. This will be comprised of several hourly challenges, and each one you complete will net you 20,000 XP.

Rounding out Friendship Day will be various bonuses. First, any Incense and Lures you use during the event will remain active for three hours. You'll also earn triple the usual amount of Stardust each time you capture a Pokemon. Finally, Niantic is increasing trading distance to 40 km for the event, and you'll have a better chance of receiving a Lucky Pokemon from trades. You can read more details about the event on the official Pokemon Go blog.

In the meantime, Pokemon Go's Rivals' Week is underway until April 18. Throughout the event, Pokemon known for their rivalries such as Hitmonlee, Hitmonchan, Seviper, Zangoose, and others are appearing in the wild more frequently than usual. Niantic is also introducing a handful of new Pokemon as part of the event. The Gen 6 monsters Skrelp and Clauncher are now available in Go for the first time, while Therian Forme Landorus is featured in five-star Raids.