Related Profile: Chester, UK (July 22 and 23, 2017)

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Overview

In partnership with Big Heritage, the city of Chester in the UK hosted two days of play through a historical lens. They created antique-looking Pokémon GO maps, certificates for Pokémon GO History Explorers, and “PastPorts” to be stamped at key physical locations.

Picture posted by @ChesterPokeGo does a great job capturing the bustling sense of the event created by the many attendees. Note how the relatively narrow streets enhance the feeling of crowded vibrant energy.

More than 15,000 players attended, according to organizers and Niantic. By some estimates, the event it brought £3m in spending power to the city. For a city with a population just shy of 80,000, the interest was considerable.

Selected Pictures

A hint of the density at the Chester event, as discussed on Twitter
Print map created by The Big Heritage Festival that combined PokéStop locations with historical and event locations that they wished to highlight
A boat was one of the physical installations to augment the event, as covered on Twitter via @AtFruitBar
The physical view (at left) was sometimes very different than the digital view (at right)
To remix the event, organizers offered players a “PastPort” to guide their visit, shaping game play and the event.
Niantic promoted the event publicly. This Tweet highlights the inside of the “PastPort.”

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