Shiny Xerneas, Shiinotic will illuminate Pokémon Go’s Festival of Lights this year

You can’t celebrate the Season of Light without having a festival to bring elements of it together, which is exactly what Niantic is doing for players around the world from Oct. 14 to 17 by bringing back the Festival of Lights for another year. 

This will mark the Pokémon Go debut for both Morelull and Shiinotic, with players able to encounter the Illuminating Pokémon for the first time and get plenty of bonuses along the way. 

Most of the encounters for this event will be Pokémon who are known to light up, whether it be through their attacks or parts of their body—such as Litwick and Chinchou. Dedenne will also be returning after previously being added to the game during 2021’s Festival of Lights. 

Other featured encounters include Galarian Ponyta, Togedemaru, Litleo, Helioptile, and more—with Galarian Darumaka appearing along with a few other rare Pokémon when using Incense. As part of the event, players will have an increased chance of encountering Shiny Chinchou, while also getting double XP and Candy for catching Pokémon too. 

Hisuian Braviary will be appearing in three-star raids, while Xerneas makes its first appearance as a Shiny Pokémon in five-star raids starting on Oct. 8 and will be available during the event. Mega Manectric will be sitting in the Mega Raid slot throughout the festival too.

Unique Field Research will reward players with even more rare encounters, while a Timed Research will be available that focuses on catching Pokémon and will give out a special Sparkler Avatar Pose to those who complete it. You can read more about the event on the official Pokémon Go blog.