Pokémon Go’s Road Trip in Manchester transported me back to 2016

As I walked through Manchester’s Cathedral Gardens on a sunny July day, I was surrounded by people of all ages playing Pokémon Go together, trading, chatting, and making friends. No, I’m not talking about that first summer back in 2016. This happened just a few days ago at the launch of the Pokémon Go Road Trip, and it was magical.

While the general public might not play Pokémon Go as much as they once did when the game launched over nine years ago, it’s clear that the free mobile game still has a thriving community around the world. Pokémon Go’s Road Trip is testament to just that, bringing people from all walks of life together to celebrate Pokémon and play together. Unlike the majority of major Pokémon Go events like Safari Zones and Tours, the Road Trip is a free-to-attend roaming event, making it a lot more accessible.

The effect of the massive themed truck blasting battle music can’t be overstated, either. My partner and I arrived at the event just after 11am on a Wednesday morning, and Cathedral Gardens was already packed with adults and children alike. I even spotted one dedicated trainer in an inflatable Pikachu costume in the humid heat. According to Jack Wilcock, Head of EMEA Marketing for Pokémon Go, around 80% of Manchester’s game community was present, which is even more impressive when you consider that Oasis were playing on the same day.

Despite Manchester’s event being somewhat of a ‘soft launch’ for the European tour, the energy in Cathedral Gardens was electric. I ran into several local Pokémon Go friends, as well as ex-Pocket Tactics writer Nathan Ellingsworth, while trying my best to catch the event-exclusive summer Pikachu for my collection. As we sat down for an interview, Wilcock stated that the impressive turnout was a “very pleasing problem to have.”

According to Wilcock, Pokémon Go’s Road Trip came about because the game is “amazing to play in real life,” so the team asked the question, “how can we visit lots of cities across Europe in a short space of time? Obviously, a truck being mobile gives that ability.” He continued, “We want to try and do more stuff like the Road Trip [because] we can’t do a Go Fest more than once a year, but we can do smaller kinds of activations.”

As Wilcock is fairly new to his role in the Pokémon Go team, he said that his biggest goal is to listen to the wants and needs of the community and “learn as much as possible from people who know a lot more than me about the game.” Pokémon Go has already started to put this philosophy and learning into action, as September’s City Safari event is taking place in two countries that have never hosted a major Pokémon Go event before.

Overall, my experience at Manchester’s stop on the Pokémon Go Road Trip was wonderful and inspired me to get back into the game, although I’ll need to upgrade my phone first. Luckily, we have a great list of the best budget gaming phones that I can use to find my next device. If, like me, you’re looking to get back into the game, check out our Pokémon Go codes guide for some freebies, and take a look at the official website to see if the truck is coming to a city near you.