July 2026 Pokémon GO Event Guide: What You Can't Miss

July is shaping up to be the most stacked month in Pokémon GO history. From the 10th Anniversary Party to Road of Legends and GO Fest 2026 Global, the next few weeks pack enough content to transform any account—whether you've played daily or haven't logged in for years. Here's your complete breakdown of every major event, bonus, and priority target.

10th Anniversary Party (July 4–6)

The celebration kicks off with three days of massive bonuses:

4× XP and 4× Stardust – Farm Combee nests and hit the daily catch limit every day
Party Hat Pokémon – Party Hat Wurmple, Party Hat Eevee, and Cake Hat Pikachu with shiny potential. These hold trade value for sellers
Starter Evolutions with Legacy Moves – Evolve Bulbasaur → Venusaur (Frenzy Plant), Charizard (Blast Burn), Blastoise (Hydro Cannon)
Shiny Gimmighoul – Available when using Coin Bags during the event

Pro tip: Save Poké Balls and Pinap Berries specifically for these two days. The 4× Stardust is the standout bonus.

Sobble Community Day (July 6)

Standard Community Day format with ¼ hatch distance. Shiny Sobble and Shundo hunting are the main draws. Not a meta-defining event, but worth the few hours if you need the line.

Road of Legends (July 6–10)

This event bridges into GO Fest 2026 Global and brings the best free-to-play bonuses we've seen:

Daily Free Raid Passes

Two free raid passes per day from spinning Gym Photo Discs (July 6–10). This alone makes the event mandatory for F2P players.

Legendary Raid Rotation (Region-Free for Spoofers)

Every single legendary Pokémon released to date returns in raids across specific days:

July 6 (Monday) – Complete your legendary Pokédex in one day. Every legendary ever released appears
July 7 – Necrozma Dawn Wings, Necrozma Dusk Mane, Mega Tyranitar, Mega Gardevoir, Zamazenta, Zacian
July 10 – Origin Form Dialga, Origin Form Palkia, Primal Groudon, Primal Kyogre

Key raid notes:

Mega Mewtwo X/Y in Super Mega Raids with at least one Mega Level unlocked and higher IV floors
Kyurem may know Glaciate; Dialga/Palkia get Roar of Time/Spacial Rend (also obtainable via Elite TM on existing ones)
Premier Balls catch raid bosses guaranteed on excellent curve throws—no berries needed
Trainers level 31+ guaranteed Candy XL from trades

Special Backgrounds

Pokémon caught in raids during Road of Legends and GO Fest 2026 can receive exclusive backgrounds. Mega Mewtwo X/Y with backgrounds gain eight additional visual effects when mega evolved.

GO Pass: Road of Legends

Free track – Lucky Trinket at rank 100, link charge cap increased to 2,000
Deluxe ($19.99) – Golden Bottle Cap (max any Pokémon's IVs), guaranteed Mewtwo with background at rank 100, 2× hatch Stardust/candy, extra Candy XL per raid, +5,000 XP per raid

Egg Pools (2/5/10 km)

Notable shinies: Larvesta (2 km), Tropius, Mime Jr. (5 km), Frigibax (10 km—skip if waiting for its Community Day). Pools are surprisingly focused this year.

Pokémon GO Fest 2026 Global (July 11–12)

The two most important days of the month. Nine habitat hours daily (10 AM–7 PM local), starting earlier in Kiribati/Japan/Australia time zones.

Global Bonuses

Increased shiny rates – Shundo hunting will be exceptional
Up to 9 free raid passes daily for all trainers
Mega Mewtwo X/Y with legacy moves (Psystrike, Shadow Ball, Ice Beam, Flamethrower, Thunderbolt)
Branch Timed Research with path choices

Must-Catch Shiny Targets

Tropius and Buffalant – Regional exclusives with shiny potential, high trade value
Habitat-specific spawns rotate hourly (Ice/Electric/Fire → Psychic/Ghost/Water → Flying/Rock/Dragon)

Raid Day Highlights

Mega Salamence, Mega Metagross, Mega Garchomp (Dragon Flight habitat)
Mega Lucario, Mega Tyranitar (second chances)
Mega Sceptile, Mega Pinsir for platinum medal progress

Spoofer strategy: Set your shundo hunter to target habitat-specific spawns immediately as each hour begins in the earliest time zones.

Raichu Super Mega Raid Day (Post-GO Fest Weekend)

6 free raid passes (14 with paid ticket—likely not worth it)
Mega Raichu is a top-tier Electric attacker
Another "Choose Your Path" research for targeted boosting

Spoofer Recommendations for the Week

If you only have 7 days of spoofer access, use them July 6–12 (Road of Legends + GO Fest).

PGTools – Best for shundo hunting (auto-catch/IV scanner) and auto-raiding
PokeMod – Solid alternative for hashin/raid automation

Final Checklist

July 4–6: Farm 4× Stardust/XP, hunt party hat shinies, evolve starters for legacy moves
July 6–10: Spin gyms daily for 2 free raid passes, raid every legendary you need, chase special backgrounds
July 11–12: GO Fest Global—hunt habitat shinies (especially Tropius/Buffalant), use 9 free raid passes daily, target Mega Mewtwo with legacy moves
Weekend after: Raichu Super Mega Raid Day for Mega Raichu XL candy

This concentration of content won't happen again soon. Log in, spin those stops, and start raiding.