Bangkok is about to get a serious dose of Pikachu. The Pokémon Company has picked Thailand's capital as one of the centres of its 30th-anniversary celebrations, teaming up with mall operator Central Pattana for a months-long programme that starts with a big retail first and builds towards two huge festival weekends early next year.
The opening salvo lands on December 1, when Pokémon Center Bangkok opens at CentralWorld — the largest official Pokémon store outside Japan. For fans who usually have to fly to Tokyo or Osaka for the real thing, that alone is reason to plan a Bangkok trip.
The action continues in January. On the 9th and 10th, Pokémon RUN 30: Thailand Edition puts runners through a gamified course where they pick a starter partner and work through Gym Battles, wild encounters and Pokédex-style search challenges. Every runner gets an event kit that includes a Uniqlo-sponsored T-shirt. If running isn't your thing, the public Festival Zone is free to wander, with a Time Tunnel tracing the franchise's history and character Meet & Greet sessions. From early January, look out for themed decorations and brand rallies across the Bangkok MRT too.
The centrepiece arrives on February 13 and 14, when PokéXciting! transforms CentralWorld into a two-day street party with parades and stage shows — plus the debut of an orange-themed PokéXciting! Pikachu created specially for the region. Bangkok is one of five Asian cities hosting the celebration, alongside Kuala Lumpur, Taipei, Singapore and Manila, making it one of the most ambitious Pokémon events ever staged.
Pokémon GO players get their own slice of the party. On the same February weekend, in-game events at the venue let trainers catch the exclusive orange Pikachu, complete Timed Research, and take part in the first cross-region GO Stamp Rally — a series that launched last month across the five official PokéXciting! venues in Asia-Pacific.
Why should a traveller care? If you're a lapsed Game Boy kid, February 2026 is a rare window: the games that started it all, Pokémon Red and Green, launched in Japan in 1996, and this is the franchise's biggest birthday blowout — happening in a city that's affordable, walkable and easy to reach. Even casual visitors will find plenty to photograph, from MRT takeovers to CentralWorld's festival staging. And since events are spread across December through mid-February, you can combine them with Bangkok's cooler, drier season rather than fighting peak heat or rain. Registration details and updates are on the official Pokémon Thailand portal and Facebook page.
Story credit: Bangkok Post Life
