The Pokémon GO Festival of Lights 2026 runs from Friday, November 6, at 10:00 a.m. to Sunday, November 8, at 8:00 p.m. local time, and it is exclusive to Trainers in India. Pikachu wearing a saree and Pikachu wearing a kurta return in raids, four five-minute Sparkle O’Clock bursts in the evening bring event Pokémon out in numbers, and Lure Modules last three times as long. Every detail below comes from the official Pokémon GO news post. All times are India Standard Time (IST, UTC+5:30), which is the local time for everyone who can play the event.
- When: Fri Nov 6, 10:00 a.m. IST to Sun Nov 8, 8:00 p.m. IST (04:30 UTC Nov 6 to 14:30 UTC Nov 8).
- Where: India only. The official post calls it “exclusive to Trainers in India”.
- Raids: Pikachu wearing a saree and Pikachu wearing a kurta, which can be Shiny or have a Special Background.
- Sparkle O’Clock: five-minute spawn bursts at 6:00, 6:30, 7:00 and 7:30 p.m. IST.
- Bonuses: 3× Lure Module duration, event stickers from PokéStops, and some event Pokémon glow.
- Guaranteed Special Background: the Branched Timed Research ends with a saree or kurta Pikachu encounter with a Special Background.
The event runs on India Standard Time only: Nov 6, 10:00 a.m. to Nov 8, 8:00 p.m. IST (04:30 to 14:30 UTC). AI-generated illustration
Table of Contents
Pokémon GO Festival of Lights 2026 dates and times (IST and UTC)
Scopely lists every time in local time. Because the event only runs in India, local time means IST. The UTC column is there for anyone planning around a server or work schedule; IST is UTC plus 5 hours 30 minutes.
| What | India time (IST) | UTC |
|---|---|---|
| Event starts | Fri, Nov 6, 10:00 a.m. | Fri, Nov 6, 04:30 |
| Sparkle O’Clock bursts | 6:00, 6:30, 7:00 and 7:30 p.m. (5 minutes each) | 12:30, 13:00, 13:30 and 14:00 |
| Event ends | Sun, Nov 8, 8:00 p.m. | Sun, Nov 8, 14:30 |
| Timed Research available from (as stated in the post) | Sun, Nov 1, 6:00 a.m. | Sun, Nov 1, 00:30 |
Two notes on the table. The post lists the Sparkle O’Clock times once and doesn’t say on which of the three evenings they run, so check the in-game Today view each day. It also gives Sunday, November 1 as the start date for the Timed Research, five days before the event itself, and it gives no end time for that research. If it isn’t in your Today view yet, look again when the event starts on November 6.
Who can play the Festival of Lights?
Only Trainers in India. The official post describes this year’s celebration as “exclusive to Trainers in India” and the post mentions no ticket or paid access. It also doesn’t say whether players outside India can join the costume Pikachu raids remotely; it says nothing about remote raids at all. The safe assumption is that the spawns, raids and research only appear for players who are physically in India.
A quick word on searches like “Pokémon GO Festival of Lights coordinates”: we don’t list coordinates, and changing your GPS location to reach a region-locked event breaks Pokémon GO’s Terms of Service and can get an account banned. If you’re in India, the raids and spawns come to you at your local Gyms and PokéStops.
Festival of Lights raids: Pikachu wearing a saree and Pikachu wearing a kurta
Both costume Pikachu appear in raids for the whole event. According to the post, either one can be Shiny or come with a Special Background “if you’re lucky”. The post doesn’t name the raid tier and gives no Shiny or Special Background odds, so treat any percentage you see elsewhere as unofficial.
The return is real: Pokémon GO India announced the same pair for last year’s Festival of Lights on October 15, 2025. If you already caught both, the Shiny and Special Background versions are the reason to raid again.
Sparkle O’Clock times and Pokémon
For five minutes at 6:00 p.m., 6:30 p.m., 7:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. IST, these Pokémon appear more often in the wild. That’s 20 minutes of boosted spawns across the four bursts, so be outside and walking before each one starts.
| Pokémon | Shiny possible | Special Background possible |
|---|---|---|
| Charmander | Yes | Not listed |
| Pikachu wearing a saree | Yes | Yes |
| Pikachu wearing a kurta | Yes | Yes |
| Chinchou | Yes | Not listed |
| Mareep | Yes | Not listed |
| Camerupt | Yes | Not listed |
| Litwick | Yes | Not listed |
| Lampent | Yes | Not listed |
| Morelull | Yes | Not listed |
| Tadbulb | Yes | Not listed |
The post doesn’t list the costume Pikachu as regular wild spawns outside Sparkle O’Clock, and it says the Sparkle O’Clock ones have a “chance of Special Background”. Outside the bursts, raids and the Timed Research are the listed routes to them.
Lure Modules last three times as long during the event; place one before the 6:00 p.m. IST Sparkle O'Clock burst. AI-generated illustration
Lure Modules: 3× duration and event spawns
During the event, Lure Modules last three times as long as usual and are more likely to attract these event-themed Pokémon, all of which can be Shiny:
- Charmander, Chinchou, Mareep and Camerupt
- Litwick and Lampent
- Morelull and Tadbulb
Note what’s missing: the costume Pikachu are not on the Lure list. A Lure won’t pull them in, but a long Lure running at a PokéStop near you during the 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. window stacks lured event spawns on top of the Sparkle O’Clock bursts, and the tripled duration means one Lure covers a much bigger slice of that window than normal.
Festival of Lights Timed Research and Collection Challenge
The event has Branched Timed Research. Rewards, per the post:
- XP and Stardust
- Stickers featuring Pikachu wearing a saree or Pikachu wearing a kurta
- An encounter with Pikachu wearing a saree or Pikachu wearing a kurta, with a Special Background, which can also be Shiny
“Branched” means you pick a path, and the sticker and encounter follow that choice, so decide which costume you want with a Special Background before you choose. The post doesn’t list the individual tasks, and it doesn’t give an end time, so finish it during the event weekend rather than assuming it will stay.
There are also Collection Challenges for catching event-themed Pokémon, which award XP and Stardust. The post doesn’t list which Pokémon each challenge needs; the Sparkle O’Clock and Lure lists above cover the event pool.
Is there Festival of Lights Field Research?
Not according to the official post. It lists Branched Timed Research and Collection Challenges, but no event Field Research tasks from PokéStops. If event Field Research appears in game anyway, it wasn’t announced in the post; we’ll add it here if Scopely announces it.
All Festival of Lights 2026 event bonuses
- 3× Lure Module duration
- Stickers featuring Pikachu wearing a saree or Pikachu wearing a kurta when spinning PokéStops
- Some event-themed Pokémon glow
That’s the full bonus list. There’s no XP, Stardust or candy multiplier in the post, and no mention of extra Remote Raid Passes or a raised remote raid limit.
Shiny and Special Background chances: where each one is possible
| Source | Shiny | Special Background |
|---|---|---|
| Raids (saree and kurta Pikachu) | Possible | Possible |
| Sparkle O’Clock costume Pikachu | Possible | Possible |
| Sparkle O’Clock other Pokémon | Possible | Not listed |
| Lure Module spawns | Possible | Not listed |
| Timed Research encounter | Possible | Guaranteed (per the post) |
No odds are published for any of these. The post only says “if you’re lucky”.
A simple plan for the event weekend
- Friday from 10:00 a.m. IST: open the Today view, start the Branched Timed Research and pick your costume Pikachu path.
- Before 6:00 p.m. IST on each Sparkle O’Clock evening (check the Today view): head to an area with several PokéStops, spin them for stickers, and drop a Lure so its tripled run overlaps the Sparkle O’Clock bursts.
- 6:00 to 7:35 p.m. IST: catch through all four five-minute bursts and check every costume Pikachu for a Special Background.
- Sunday: the last burst at 7:30 p.m. ends just before the event closes at 8:00 p.m. IST. Claim Timed Research and Collection Challenge rewards before then.
What comes next in Pokémon GO
The Festival of Lights leads straight into the global Into the Wild 2026 event, which starts on Monday, November 9, at 10:00 a.m. local time, according to the official Into the Wild post; that post also says Pokémon GO Wild Area stickers are in the in-game shop from November 6. For the rest of the month, see our Pokémon GO November 2026 events, raids and Community Day schedule, the November GO Pass start time and rewards, and the current raid bosses this week.
FAQ
When does the Pokémon GO Festival of Lights 2026 start and end?
It starts on Friday, November 6, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. IST and ends on Sunday, November 8, at 8:00 p.m. IST. In UTC that’s 04:30 on November 6 to 14:30 on November 8.
Is the Festival of Lights event only in India?
Yes. The official post says this year’s celebration is exclusive to Trainers in India.
Can Pikachu wearing a saree or a kurta be Shiny?
Yes. The post says both can be Shiny from raids, Sparkle O’Clock and the Timed Research encounter, and both can have a Special Background. No odds are given.
What time is Sparkle O’Clock?
6:00, 6:30, 7:00 and 7:30 p.m. IST, for five minutes each (12:30, 13:00, 13:30 and 14:00 UTC).
Event details checked against the official post on November 3, 2026, 12:00 UTC. Events are subject to change, so check the in-game Today view during the event.
Sources: Pokémon GO: Festival of Lights 2026, Pokémon GO: Into the Wild 2026, Pokémon GO India on X (Oct 15, 2025), Serebii.net on X (Sep 25, 2026).
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Featured image: Pokémon GO / Scopely
