Pokémon XY Fan launch events detailed

Midnight launches, tournaments and more organised by retailers and fans
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  • Sunday, October 8, 2013

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This article brought to you by Bulbanews, your community Pokémon newspaper.

In just a few days, Pokémon X and Y will be released worldwide for the Nintendo 3DS, marking the beginning of the franchise's sixth generation, as well as the first global launch of a Pokémon title, which is without a doubt a cause for celebration. Together with several events being organised by Nintendo themselves, numerous fan groups worldwide have already stepped forward and are hosting their own events.

Over the past week and a bit, we at Bulbanews have reached out for groups to contact us about their meet ups, as well as information on store branches holding midnight launch events and received a significant number of replies. This number is without a doubt definitely not a complete list, so if you find that there isn't an event listed for your region, it might be worth contacting your local stores or gaming societies to see if any are happening, or perhaps even start up your own, then let us know about them by emailing us at events[at]bulbagarden.net!

We were contacted about a large variety of different events - some midnight launches, some tournaments and even some completely original ideas. We have only included the details which we were told about, so if more information is needed or if you are unsure about the particulars, please do not hesitate to get in touch with those hosting it. For now, here is the current list of launch events:

North America

United States

Location Time Activities Further Information
NATIONWIDE GameStop 10pm, October 11th GameStop have put up a store locator webpage (linked on the right) to find stores doing Midnight Launch events for XY.

It's not possible to get a nationwide or state-by-state list from this, so we'll continue to update with specific GameStop locations that are brought to our attention in the separate section below.

GameStop
California Pleasanton Alameda County Fairgrounds, 4501 Pleasanton Avenue October 12th and 13th Fall 2013 Pokémon TCG Regional Championship. Vendors, raffles, video game tournaments

XY pre-order sales in association with GameStop Stoneridge Mall, 1384 Stoneridge Mall Rd

PokéGym
Florida Orlando Anime Orlando, 9645 E Colonial Dr. Suite 111 Midnight to 7:30pm, October 12th Cosplay Contest, Video Game Tournament ($5 entry fee), etc Facebook
Georgia Statesboro Galactic Comics & Games, 25 Siebald St 5:30pm to 9:30pm, October 11th Hosted by Hosted by Team Knockout. Video Game Tournament ($8 entry fee), free Pizza and soft drinks Facebook
Illinois Chicago 78 E. Washington Street Midday to 4pm, October 13th StreetPass meetup, Hosted by StreetPass Chicago Facebook
Kansas Wichita BattleStations Gaming, 11330 E. Central Ave. Suite 800, Wichita, Kansas 67206 12:30am to 8:30am, Saturday October 12th StreetPass meetup, Hosted by StreetPass Kansas Facebook
Louisiana Covington 2NC Covington, 2nd and Charles, 401 North US Highway 190 Midday to 9pm, October 12th Pokémon Trivia, Video Game and TCG Tournaments, etc Facebook
Florida Maitland CoolStuffGames, 8550 S. US Hwy 17-92 Midday, October 12th $2 entry (includes slice of Pizza and a drink). Raffles, Sanctioned Video Game Tournament Store Website
Michigan University of Michigan Pokémon Club 10am, October 12th

2pm to 4pm, October 13th

Multiple events, see Facebook pages for details Facebook (Saturday Launch Events)

Facebook (Sunday Safari Zone Event) University of Michigan Pokémon Club Facebook

Minnesota Columbia Heights Highlander Games and Comics, 3952 Central Ave. NE 10pm, October 11th Free food, prizes and giveaways Facebook
Minnesota South Saint Paul Level Up Games, 207 13th Ave S 10pm October 11th to 9pm October 12th Trivia, Tournaments, etc. Free if pre-ordered from Level Up Games, $10 otherwise. Facebook
Missouri Jefferson City GameStop, 707 Stoneridge Blvd #102 10am, October 12th Launch Day Event. Hosted by local StreetPass group
New York New York Nintendo World Store 8pm, October 11th to 1am, October 12th Costume contest, live DJ, trivia, giveaways, etc Pokémon.com
Ohio Alliance Wings, Wheels, and Waves, 1360 W. State St 12:00 p.m.-5:00p.m., October 20th VG tournament, TCG Tournament, Pizza Facebook
Ohio Canton GameStop, 4328 Tuscarawas St W 9:00 a.m.-12:00p.m., October 12th Generation V DS tournament, TCG Demo Facebook
Ohio Columbus The Ohio Union - Great Hall Meeting Room 1, Ohio State University 8:30pm to Midnight, October 11th/12th LAN party, Super Smash Bros., Pokemon Stadium Facebook
Ohio Green Arby’s Restaurant, 1687 Sandy Knoll Drive 3:00 p.m.-8:00p.m., October 14th Generation V DS tournament, TCG Tournament, Raffles Facebook
Ohio Wooster Wings, Wheels, and Waves, 133 N Bever St 1:00 p.m.-5:00p.m., October 13th Generation V DS tournament, TCG Tournament, Raffles Facebook
Pennsylvania Butler New Dimension Comics, 101 Clearview Cir 12:00 p.m.-5:00p.m., October 13th VG tournament, TCG Tournaments, Pokémon League, Cake Facebook
Pennsylvania State College Gamer's Arena, 421 E Calder Way Midnight Launch Hosted by the Penn State Pokémon Society Facebook
Tennessee Madison The Next Level Games, 2064 Gallatin Rd N ? TCG Sealed Tournament ?
Utah Salt Lake City BEAU - Broadview Entertainment Arts University, 240 E Morris Ave. 12:30pm to 3:30pm, October 12th Hosted by Utah 3DS StreetPass Utah 3DS
Utah Salt Lake City Toys R Us, 2210 S 1300 East St 9am to 12pm, October 12th Hosted by Utah Pokémon Leagues Facebook
Virginia Bailey's Crossroads GameStop, 3519 S Jefferson St 10pm, October 11th Midnight launch. Raffle.
Virginia New River Valley Virginia Tech Hosted by PokéTech: The Pokémon League
Wisconsin Oconomowoc Kowabunga Comics, 102 N. Main St. 1am to 4pm, October 12th After party for GameStop Watertown event (see below). Restricted to people aged 16+. Facebook

GameStop Midnight Launch & Early Opening Locations

Location Time Activities Further Information
NATIONWIDE GameStop 10pm, October 11th GameStop have put up a store locator webpage (linked on the right) to find stores doing Midnight Launch events for XY.

The list below includes additional information about events individual GameStop stores, including stores which are doing an Early Opening instead of a Midnight Launch, and community organised events. We hope to have a full listing of every GameStop store doing a Midnight Launch on this page before launch night.

GameStop
Arizona Glendale GameStop, Peoria Crossing, 9284 W Northern Ave, Ste 102 9am, October 12th Early Opening
Arizona Tuscon GameStop, 1197 W Irvington Rd Early Opening
California Bakersfield GameStop, 9160 Rosedale Hwy #700 Midnight Launch
California Concord GameStop, 5434 Ygnacio Valley Rd, Ste 250 Midnight Launch
California Irvine GameStop, 3972 Barranca Pkwy 9am to Midday, October 12th Contests and Raffles Facebook
California Lakewood GameStop Morning Launch Event, October 12th
California Mountain View GameStop, 510 Showers Dr #1 Midnight Launch
California San Francisco GameStop, 830 Market St Midnight Launch
California Temecula GameStop, 32195 Temecula Parkway Suite 103 9am, October 12th Early Opening
California Union City GameStop, 31079 Courthouse Dr Midnight Launch Giveaways, Trivia, Raffle.
Colorado Loveland GameStop, 1389 Denver Ave, 80537 Midnight Launch
Florida Winter Garden GameStop, 3119 Daniels Rd Midnight Launch Single elimination Black 2 White 2 tournament before the midnight launch, standard rules (no ubers, clauses, etc.)
Georgia Atlanta GameStop, Technology Square, 62 5th St NW 10pm, October 11th Midnight Launch
Georgia Statesboro GameStop, 40 Statesboro Mall A9-A10 Midnight Launch
Indiana Indianapolis GameStop, 73rd and Keystone Ave 9am, October 12th Early opening. Pokémon tournament from 9:30am.
Indiana Indianapolis GameStop, 10777 East Washington St. 1pm, October 12th Video Game Tournament Facebook

StreetPass Indianapolis

Indiana Portage GameStop Midnight Launch
Kentucky Newport GameStop, 1697 Monmouth St Midnight Launch
Maine Waterville GameStop, Waterville Commons Dr Midnight Launch Pokemon Rumble U, Pizza
Maryland Hagerstown GameStop, 17601 Garland Groh Blvd Midnight Launch Can also pick-up games purchased at the 17044–17080 Cole Rd (Valley Mall) store with Midnight ticket/receipt
Massachusetts Bellingham GameStop, 258 Hartford Ave 9am, October 12th Early Opening
Massachusetts Boston GameStop, Prudential Center, 800 Boylston St 9:30am to 3pm, October 12th Hosted by StreetPass Boston. RSVP is encouraged. Facebook Google+

Meetup

Massachusetts North Dartmouth GameStop, 400 State Rd Ste 770 Midnight Launch
Massachusetts Fall River GameStop, 153 Mariano Bishop Blvd 10pm, October 11th to 12:30am October 12th Midnight Launch
Missouri Jefferson City GameStop, 707 Stoneridge Blvd #102 10am, October 12th Launch Day Event. Hosted by local StreetPass group
Nevada Reno GameStop, 6775 Sierra Center Pkwy Suite 500 Midnight Launch
New York Yonkers GameStop, 2347 Central Park Avenue Midnight Launch
North Carolina Wake Forest GameStop, Wake Pointe, 11216 Capital Blvd, Ste 110 Midnight Launch
Ohio Cincinnati GameStop, 4394 Eastgate Square Dr #1000 Midnight Launch
Ohio Columbus GameStop North High Street at South Campus Gateway 10pm to Midnight, October 11th/12th Pokémon League, Trivia Facebook
Ohio West Chester GameStop, 7680 Voice Of America Ctr Dr Midnight Launch
Oklahoma Norman GameStop, 12th and Main Street Midnight Launch
Pennsylvania Hermitage GameStop, 1031 North Hermitage Rd. 7pm October 11th to 1am October 12th Facebook
South Caroline Florence GameStop, 2108 S Irby St #8 Early opening
Texas Arlington GameStop Collins, 1081 N Collins St Midnight Launch
Texas Houston GameStop, 7013 Highway 6 N Midnight Launch
Virginia Bailey's Crossroads GameStop, 3519 S Jefferson St 10pm, October 11th Midnight launch. Raffle.
Virginia Blacksburg GameStop, 1206 South Main Street Midnight Launch
Virginia Virginia Beach GameStop, 4701 Shore Drive Midnight Launch
Washington Bellingham GameStop, 1225 E Sunset Dr #100 Midnight Launch
Washington Federal Way GameStop, 31840 Pacific Hwy S Ste B Midnight Launch
West Virginia Parkersburg GameStop, 2838 Pike St, Ste 4 11am, October 12th Costume Contest, Video Game Tournament
Wisconsin Madison GameStop, State Street 9pm, October 11th Midnight Launch
Wisconsin Watertown GameStop, 1905 Market Way 9pm to Midnight, October 11th Midnight Launch Facebook

Canada

Location Time Activities Further Information
NATIONWIDE See Nintendo Canada website for futher details on locations 5pm to 8pm, October 11th Hosted by Nintendo Canada. Nintendo
NATIONWIDE EB Games Midnight Launches See below for details, or see the link for store contact information EB Games
Alberta Calgary Cardel Place, 11950 Country Village Link NE 5pm to 8pm, October 11th Hosted by Nintendo Canada. Nintendo
Alberta Edmonton Commonwealth Rec Center, 11000 Stadium Rd NW 5pm to 8pm, October 11th Hosted by Nintendo Canada. Nintendo
Alberta Red Deer Parkland Mall, 4747 67th Street, Unit 404 Midnight Launch EB Games
British Columbia Burnaby Metropolis at Metrotown, 4700 Kingsway, Unit 1159 Midnight Launch EB Games
British Columbia Kelowna Orchard Park Shopping Center, 2271 Harvey Avenue, Unit 580 Midnight Launch EB Games
British Columbia Nanaimo Beban Community Centre, 2300 Bowen Road 5pm to 8pm, October 11th Hosted by Nintendo Canada. Nintendo
British Columbia Richmond Richmond Centre, 6551 Number 3 Road, Unit 1512 Midnight Launch EB Games
British Columbia Surrey SFU SUR 3290, 13450 102nd Avenue 5pm to 8pm, October 11th Hosted by Nintendo Canada. Nintendo
British Columbia Vancouver EXP Restaurant + Bar, 309 W. Pender St. 5pm, October 13th Cosplay, Giveaways Facebook
British Columbia Vancouver Vancouver Public Library, 350 W Georgia Street 5pm to 8pm, October 11th Hosted by Nintendo Canada. Nintendo
Manitoba Winnipeg Garden City Shopping Centre, 2305 McPhillips Street, Unit 237 Midnight Launch EB Games
Manitoba Winnipeg St James Civic Centre, 2055 Ness Avenue 5pm to 8pm, October 11th Hosted by Nintendo Canada. Nintendo
Nova Scotia Halifax Discovery Centre, 1593 Barrington Street 6pm to 9pm, October 11th Hosted by Nintendo Canada. Nintendo
Ontario Barrie OMG Games, 130 Bell Farm Rd 5pm to 8pm, October 11th Hosted by Nintendo Canada. Nintendo
Ontario Dundas 101 Osler Drive, Unit 134B Midnight Launch EB Games
Ontario Guelph West End Community Centre, 21 Imperial Rd S 5pm to 8pm, October 11th Hosted by Nintendo Canada. Nintendo
Ontario Hamilton Westmount Community Centre, 35 Lynbrook Drive 5pm to 8pm, October 11th Hosted by Nintendo Canada. Nintendo
Ontario Kingston Action Packed Comics, 724 Princess Street 1:30pm to 4:30pm, October 12th Pokemon League, Freebies,
Ontario London Medway Community Center, 1119 Sherwood Forest Square 5pm to 8pm, October 11th Hosted by Nintendo Canada. Nintendo
Ontario London Victoria Place, 387-401 Wellington Street S., Space 379E Midnight Launch EB Games
Ontario Oshawa Civic Recreation Centre, 99 Thorton Rd S 5pm to 8pm, October 11th Hosted by Nintendo Canada. Nintendo
Ontario Ottawa Algonquin College T-Building Multi-purpose Room T102 A, 1385 Woodroffe Ave 5pm to 8pm, October 11th Hosted by Nintendo Canada. Nintendo
Ontario Richmond Hill Elgin West Community Center, 11099 Bathurst Street 5pm to 8pm, October 11th Hosted by Nintendo Canada. Nintendo
Ontario Toronto 267 Yonge Street Midnight Launch EB Games
Ontario Toronto Eaton Centre, 220 Yonge Street, Suite 110 Midnight Launch EB Games
Ontario Toronto WestJet Stage at the Harbourfront Centre, 235 Queens Quay W. 3pm to 9pm, October 11th Hosted by Nintendo Canada. Nintendo
Quebec Laval Maison Des Arts de Laval, 1395 boul de la Concorde Ouest 5pm to 8pm, October 11th Hosted by Nintendo Canada. Nintendo
Quebec Montreal CCSE Maisonneuve, 4240 Rue Ontario Est 5pm to 8pm, October 11th Hosted by Nintendo Canada. Nintendo
Quebec Quebec City Campus Notre-Dame de Foy Pavillon Andre Coindre, 5030 rue Clement Lockquell 5pm to 8pm, October 11th Hosted by Nintendo Canada. Nintendo
Saskatchewan Regina South Leisure Center, 170 Sunset Drive 5pm to 8pm, October 11th Hosted by Nintendo Canada. Nintendo
Saskatchewan Saskatoon Lakewood Civic Centre, 1635 McKercher Dr 5pm to 8pm, October 11th Hosted by Nintendo Canada. Nintendo
Saskatchewan Regina Southland Mall, 2755 Gordon Road Midnight Launch EB Games

Mexico

Location Time Activities Further Information
Veracruz Colonia Ignacio Zaragoza Jr Game, Boulevard Manuel Ávila Camacho 2431 Local 28 Midnight Launch Facebook
NATIONWIDE Gameplanet Midnight Launch at selected stores Nationwide See link for full list of locations. Some stores may also be doing Shiny Palkia, Dialga and Giratina distributions. List of Gameplanet Stores with Midnight Launch

Facebook

Europe

United Kingdom

Location Time Activities Further Information
Bristol Bristol The Galleries 9am, October 12th Hosted by Bristol Pokémon Academy Facebook
Cambridgeshire Cambridge GAME, Fitzroy Street Midnight Launch
Cambridgeshire Cambridge GAME, Lion Yard 9am to 4pm, October 12th Hosted by StreetPass Cambridge Facebook
Devon Plymouth GAME, Drake Circus Midnight Launch Hosted by the University of Plymouth Pokémon Society Facebook
Greater Manchester Manchester GAME, Manchester Fort 9pm, October 11th to 1am, October 12th Hosted by StreetPass Manchester Facebook
Merseyside Liverpool GAME, Lord Street 10pm, October 11th Giveaways and prizes Facebook Streetpass Liverpool
North Yorkshire Middlesborough GAME Middlesborough, 71-73 Linthorpe Road 8pm October 11th to 1am October 12th BY INVITATION ONLY, SEE IN STORE TO OBTAIN A TICKET Facebook
North Yorkshire York GAME York, 5 Church Street and the University of York 7pm, 11th October to 10pm, 13th October Midnight launch and hosted by the University of York Pokémon Society Facebook event Facebook
Tyne and Wear Newcastle upon Tyne Tiger Tiger Newcastle, Newgate Street 2pm to 9pm, October 12th Hosted by StreetPass Newcastle Facebook
Lancashire Lancaster GAME, St Nicholas Arcades 11pm, October 11th Midnight launch and hosted by the Lancaster University Pokémon Society Facebook
Wales Cardiff GAME, St Davids 11am, October 12th Hosted by StreetPass Cardiff Facebook

France

Location Time Activities Further Information
Paris FNAC, 30 Avenue des Ternes 12 noon to 6pm, October 12th Junichi Masuda, the director of Pokémon XY, will be present to sign autographs from 4pm to 6pm. Limited places, tickets available from 12 noon PokéBip (In French)

Greece

Location Time Activities Further Information
Athens Amaroussion Flocafé mezzanine 12pm, October 5th Hosted by LegendaryPokémon.net LegendaryPokémon.net

Portugal

Location Time Activities Further Information
Fnac (all stores except Santa Catarina (Porto)) 9pm to Midnight, October 11th Classic Pokémon Games. In association with Pokémon VGC Portugal. cultura fnac
Fnac CascaiShopping 9:30pm to 11pm, October 11th Classic Pokémon Games, Pokémon trading Facebook

Russia

Location Time Activities Further Information
Saint Petersburg IT БАР КЛЮЧ 7pm to 10pm, October 13th Midnight Launch. Local Pokémon Tournament vk.com

Asia

Malaysia

Location Time Activities Further Information
Kuala Lumpur Wendy's, Berjaya Time Square 11am to 6pm, October 12th Hosted by StreetPass Malaysia Facebook

Philippines

Location Time Activities Further Information
Metro Manila Mandaluyong Cyberzone - SM Megamall October 12th Video Game Tournament, StreetPass Event Facebook

Singapore

Location Time Activities Further Information
Funan DigitaLife Mall, 109 North Bridge Road 10am to 8pm, October 12th Hosted by Team Robo, Nintendo 3DS Singapore and Singapore Nintendo 3DS Community Facebook

Oceania

Australia

Location Time Activities Further Information
NATIONWIDE EB Games 8am Early Openings at a large number of stores in all states nationwide. See the link for more details.

EB Games stores with additional activities or with confirmed midnight launches are listed below.

EB Games Facebook Event
Australian Capital Territory Canberra The Games Capital, Garema Place 10am, October 12th Video Game Casual Play, TCG Tournament ($15 Entry) Facebook
New South Wales Bega EB Games 8am, October 12th Gen V Tournament ($10 entry) EB Games Facebook Event
Queensland Brisbane EB Games, Albert Street (CBD) 10pm, October 11th EB Games Facebook Event
Queensland Brisbane EB Games, Garden City 10pm, October 11th Best Dressed comp, Street pass area, Pokémon game battles, Pokémon trading card battles, Refreshments, Pokémon raffle for classic Gameboy games, Raffle for a queue jump EB Games Facebook Event
Victoria Melbourne EB Games, Broadmeadows 9pm, October 11th EB Games Facebook Event
Victoria Melbourne EB Games, Knox City 10pm, October 11th EB Games Facebook Event
Victoria Melbourne EB Games, Melbourne Central 9pm, October 11th EB Games Facebook Event
Victoria Melbourne EB Games, Swanston Street 9pm, October 11th Facebook

EB Games Facebook Event

Western Australia Perth EB Games, 639 Hay Street 6am, October 12th Hosted by Pokécléctic. While this event is located at the EB Games store, it is not officially associated with or sponsored by the store. Facebook

Pokécléctic

New Zealand

Location Time Activities Further Information
Auckland POKECENTER, 645 Manukau Road, Royal Oak, Auckland, New Zealand) Midday to 5pm, Sunday October 13th Video Game Tournaments, Giveaways. Hosted by PokeCollection, additional online events on October 11th and 12th Facebook

Central America

Costa Rica

Location Time Activities Further Information
San José Pokémon Center Costa Rica, Curridabat 8pm, October 11th Game Tournaments, Raffles, etc Facebook
San José Game On!, Heredia 10am, October 11th Free Food, Exhibitions, Contests, Models Facebook
San José Revolution Space, Pérez (25 metros norte de Coopealianza Central, Contiguo a Lotus) 7pm, October 11th to 12:30am, October 12th Pokémon TCG, Raffles, etc Facebook

Guatemala

Location Time Activities Further Information
Miraflores Museum 10:30am, October 12th Sponsored by El Duende Website Twitter

South America

Brazil

Location Time Activities Further Information
Rio de Janeiro fnac, Barra Shopping, Av. das Américas, 4666 - Barra da Tijuca 8:30pm, October 11h agenda fnac (in Portuguese)

Nintendo Blast (in Portuguese)

São Paulo Saraiva Mega Store, Shopping Center Norte, Travessa Casalbuono, 120 - Vila Guilherme 8pm, October 11h Gen IV and TCG Tournaments, Trivia Nintendo World (in Portuguese)

Nintendo Blast (in Portuguese)

Chile

Location Time Activities Further Information
Puerto Montt Tienda Zmart, San Martin 189 10:30pm, October 11th Hosted by PokéMontt Lab and Zmart Games. Trivia contests, Who's that Pokémon? contest. Facebook

PokéMontt Lab

Santiago de Chile Mall Florida Center 10am to 1pm, October 12th Hosted by PokéDaisuki.cl and Juegos de Video Chile. Pokémon Cosplay Contest organized by Microplay and PokéDaisuki, Trivia. Pokémon Day Chile 2014 Release Date Announcement. PokeDaisuki.cl

Ecuador

Location Time Activities Further Information
Quito Dark Cave, Centro Comercial Artesanal Quitus local E430 segundo piso Versalles y San Gregorio OE252. Sector Santa Clara. 11am to 6pm, October 12th VG (Gen V) Tournament & TCG Tournament. Hosted by FEP (Federación Ecuatoriana de Pokémon) & Dark Cave Facebook Dark Cave

Peru

Location Time Activities Further Information
San Borja La Rambla shopping mall 11am, October 12th Hosted by Pokémon emuLINK, Perú Pkmn League, Pokémon SPECIAL MANGA FanClub Perú and PKMN Perú. Facebook

Venezuela

Location Time Activities Further Information
Caracas Wendy's, Centro Comercial Lido 12:30pm to 6:00pm, October 12th Pokémon Tournament, StreetPass Facebook

Africa

South Africa

Location Time Activities Further Information
Gauteng Johannesburg AWX Randburg, Shop G21, Entrance 2, Brightwater Commons ? Video Game Tournament AWX Newsletter