Life truly did peak when watching Ash make his way from Pallet Town to the big leagues with a tough-to-tame-but-loveable Pikachu by his side. And now, a new Pokémon Center pop-up is aiming to bring that thrilling action off the screen and into the real world.
You can put yourself in Ash’s shoes for a limited time only, when the Pokémon Center pop-up makes its comeback to London from February 20 – February 23, 2025, returning to the ExCeL Centre after a successful run at the same venue in spring 2024. The area is once again set to become a hub for those dressed as trainers and Pokemon alike (or those coming with a blank canvas to sort their outfit of Pokémon merch there!), and centres around the 2025 Pokémon Europe International Championships.
When will the Pokémon Center be open
The pop-up will run from Thursday, February 20 – Sunday, February 23. The store will be open from 10am – 6pm on the Thursday, 9am – 6pm on Friday & Saturday, and 9am – 5pm on Sunday. That’s plenty of time for fans to see all the familiar and (sometimes) cute faces of Charmander, Jigglypuff, Pidgey, and more!
How to visit
Now, unfortunately, you can’t just rock up to the Pokémon Center without a little bit of planning. There’s no need to buy tickets, fortunately, but those hoping to visit ExCel London for the pop-up will be required to make a reservation; with slots opening up tomorrow (January 22) at 2pm GMT. You can find out more information here.
What’s available at the Pokémon Center pop-up
There will be plenty of merchandise ready for the occasion, with past events including a vastly popular bowler hat-donning Pikachu. This year, you’ll also be able to get yourself some limited edition Psyduck (the duck Pokémon with a constant headache) merchandise in the form of a playmat, bottle, pin, and jumper.
Last year, in the interest of fairness, The Pokémon Company also warned that there may be a limit to the amount of purchases customers can make due to the sheer demand and hope to allow as many people as possible to enjoy the gifts – so don’t be surprised if similar logic is applied this time around!
It’s worth noting that the event last year also did not accept cash (nor Pokémon-based trades like in the videogames). Purchases were only available through the usage of card payments.
Previous Pokémon events in the city have attracted huge crowds, and we’re anticipating the same once again!
Excited? Me too Mewtwo.
The pop-up Pokémon Center lands at ExCel London between February 20-23. Find it at Royal Victoria Dock, 1 Western Gateway, E16 1XL. The nearest stations are Custom House and Prince Regent DLR Station. More information will be posted here closer to the event.