Pokemon Go December 2024 Events: Raids, Spotlight Hours, Community Day, And More

Pokemon Go trainers face an action-packed December with the Dual Destiny season bringing fresh challenges and exclusive creature encounters. This month-long celebration introduces strategic gameplay elements that require careful planning to maximize rewards.

The Dual Destiny season officially launches with Polteageist making its debut alongside the formidable Gigantamax Lapras. These new additions complement an already robust event calendar featuring revamped raid rotations and enhanced catching mechanics. Understanding the seasonal mechanics provides competitive advantages for dedicated players.

Beyond the standard monthly rotations, December delivers extended festivities including a unique two-day Community Day format and a comprehensive holiday celebration spanning two full weeks. This expanded timeframe offers increased flexibility for trainers with busy schedules while ensuring nobody misses critical catching windows.

• December Raid Schedule
  • Max Battles: Focus on type advantages and team synergy for optimal performance
  • Five-star Raids: Prioritize legendary encounters with exclusive move potential
  • Mega Raids: Target energy-efficient mega evolutions for long-term value
  • Shadow Raids: Prepare purification strategies for stat-boosted shadow Pokemon

Five-star raids present rotating legendary Pokemon throughout the month, with each offering unique strategic value for battle teams. Early week rotations typically feature defensive-oriented legendaries, while late-month encounters favor offensive powerhouses. Coordinating raid groups through local communities significantly increases success rates.

Mega raids provide opportunities to collect mega energy for transforming specific Pokemon. December’s lineup includes both newly introduced and returning mega evolutions, with careful selection recommended based on your current battle team needs. Shadow raids demand specialized counters due to boosted attack stats, requiring purified Pokemon or those with super-effective movesets.

• December Spotlight Hours: Tuesday evenings feature boosted spawns with bonus incentives like double candy or increased evolution item drops
• Just My Cup Of Tea
  • Wild Encounters: Tea-themed Pokemon with increased shiny rates during event hours
  • Incense Encounters: Exclusive spawns activated by incense use in specific biomes
  • Raids: Themed raid bosses complementing the event’s aesthetic and mechanical themes
• Aspiring Dragons Research Day: Limited-time research tasks rewarding dragon-type encounters and rare candies
• Gigantamax Lapras Max Battle Day: Exclusive access to Gigantamax Lapras with special move availability
• Young & Wise
  • Eggs: Special egg pools featuring both newly hatched and evolved form Pokemon
  • Raids: Wisdom-themed legendary encounters with boosted catch rates for successful battles
• Necrozma Fusion Raid Day: Advanced raid mechanics requiring coordinated team strategies and optimal counter selections

Spotlight Hours deliver targeted catching opportunities with specific Pokemon featured each Tuesday. These events combine increased spawn rates with valuable bonuses like double catch Stardust or experience points. Planning item usage around these bonuses maximizes resource accumulation efficiency.

Special events like Just My Cup Of Tea introduce themed Pokemon with unique move combinations and enhanced shiny appearance rates. The Aspiring Dragons Research Day offers field research tasks specifically designed to reward dragon-type enthusiasts, while Gigantamax Lapras Max Battle Day provides exclusive access to this powerful water-type variant.

Successful December event participation requires strategic resource management and advance preparation. Prioritize raid passes for legendary encounters with meta-relevance, and conserve Pokeballs for Community Day marathons. Stockpile rare candies for powering up newly acquired exclusive Pokemon.

Common mistakes include overcommitting resources to early-month events and neglecting team preparation for challenging raid bosses. Avoid wasting premium items on easily completed tasks, and instead focus on difficult encounters where they provide meaningful advantages. Advanced players should coordinate with local communities to tackle five-star and mega raids efficiently.

Time estimates for event completion vary significantly based on player level and available resources. Community Day typically requires 3-4 hours for optimal shiny hunting, while raid days demand 2-3 hours of concentrated battling. The extended holiday celebration allows flexible participation across multiple sessions.

Pokemon Go’s December raid calendar delivers an impressive rotation of legendary encounters and mega evolution opportunities. This month presents crucial chances to capture powerful Pokemon that may not return for several seasons, making strategic planning essential for maximizing your collection.

Trainers gain another opportunity to battle Chill Drive Genesect and Altered Forme Giratina in five-star raids, while Mega Banette, Mega Latios and Latias, and Mega Abomasnow headline the Mega Raid lineup. Advanced players should prioritize Genesect for its unique typing and Giratina for PvP dominance.

Dynamax Pokemon continue their invasion with Machop, Krabby, and other species appearing as Max Battle bosses. Shadow Regice maintains its weekend appearances in special Shadow Raids, requiring coordinated team efforts for successful captures.

Max Battles Rotation Strategy

December 3-9

• Machop – Excellent fighting type for gym battles
• Beldum – Meta-relevant evolution to Metagross
• Wooloo – Common but useful for candy farming
• Falinks – Niche fighting type with unique properties

December 9-23

• Bulbasaur – Grass type with community day move potential
• Charmander – Fire starter with mega evolution value
• Squirtle – Water type with future potential
• Krabby – Water type with Kingler evolution
• Skwovet – Newer generation normal type

December 23-January 6

• Krabby – Reappearance for candy accumulation
• Cryogonal – Ice type with seasonal rarity
• Grookey – Grass starter with evolution line
• Scorbunny – Fire starter with competitive potential
• Sobble – Water starter for collection completeness

Five-star Raid Opportunities

December 3-12

• Genesect (Chill Drive) – Mythical Pokemon with unique drive mechanic

December 26-January 4

• Giratina (Altered Forme) – Legendary ghost/dragon type

Mega Raid Evolution Tactics

December 3-12

• Mega Banette – Ghost type mega with high attack stats

December 12-19

• Mega Latios – Dragon/psychic mega with raid utility

December 19-26

• Mega Latias – Bulkier counterpart to Latios

December 26-January 4

• Mega Abomasnow – Ice/grass mega for type coverage

Shadow Raid Weekend Tactics

Weekends in December

• Shadow Regice – Ice type legendary with purified potential

Pokemon Go’s weekly Spotlight Hour events provide concentrated opportunities for targeted Pokemon acquisition and resource multiplication. These Tuesday evening sessions from 6-7 PM local time deliver both increased spawn rates and temporary bonuses that savvy trainers can leverage for exponential progress.

Each featured Pokemon appears with dramatically boosted wild encounter rates, creating ideal conditions for completing your Pokedex and accumulating evolution candy. The accompanying hourly bonuses—such as double Stardust or XP—enable strategic players to accomplish in one hour what might normally take days of gameplay.

December 3

• Featured Pokemon: Sableye – Ghost/dark type with PvP relevance
• Bonus: 2x catch Stardust – Perfect for powering up your battle teams

December 10

• Featured Pokemon: Murkrow – Dark/flying type with Honchkrow evolution
• Bonus: 2x catch XP – Excellent for level grinding

December 17

• Featured Pokemon: Slugma and Bergmite – Fire and ice types respectively
• Bonus: 2x catch Candy – Essential for evolution requirements

December 24

• Featured Pokemon: Delibird wearing a holiday ribbon – Seasonal variant with collection value
• Bonus: 2x transfer Candy – Maximize resource efficiency

December 31

• Featured Pokemon: Togetic – Fairy/flying type with Togekiss evolution
• Bonus: 2x evolution XP – Perfect for mass evolution sessions

Just My Cup Of Tea Event Strategy

Pokemon Go launches its new season with the Just My Cup of Tea event running from December 3-7. This marks the debut of Sinistea, the tea Pokemon, available through raid battles and Collection Challenge completion.

Evolution to Polteageist requires gathering 50 Sinistea Candy, making focused catching essential during the event window. Additional boosted spawns include Slowpoke, Duskull, and Greavard in wild encounters, while Galarian Mr. Mime, Hisuian Braviary, and Bombirdier appear as raid bosses.

Wild Encounter Prioritization

• Slowpoke – Water/psychic with regional variants
• Taillow – Normal/flying type bird Pokemon
• Slakoth – Normal type with Slaking evolution
• Duskull – Ghost type with evolution line
• Starly – Common flying type with Staraptor evolution
• Greavard – New ghost type with Houndstone evolution

Incense-Exclusive Encounters

• Oddish – Grass/poison with multiple evolution paths
• Miltank – Normal type with farming utility
• Combee – Bug/flying with gender-based evolution
• Gothita – Psychic type with Gothitelle evolution
• Litwick – Ghost/fire with Chandelure evolution
• Spritzee – Fairy type with evolution requirement

Raid Boss Selection Guide

One-star

• Male Frillish – Water/ghost with Jellicent evolution
• Female Frillish – Gender variant with same evolution
• Sinistea – New debut Pokemon with evolution potential

Three-star

• Galarian Mr. Mime – Ice/psychic regional form
• Hisuian Braviary – Psychic/flying with ancient origins
• Bombirdier – Dark/flying type with throwing mechanics

Aspiring Dragons Research Day Tactics

Pokemon Go hosts the Aspiring Dragons Research Day on December 7 from 2-5 PM local time.

Field Research tasks provide encounters with Pokemon that evolve into dragon types—including Horsea, Trapinch, Swablu, and Skrelp. These pseudo-dragon precursors offer accessible paths to obtaining powerful dragon-type evolutions without requiring rare dragon spawns.

Gigantamax Lapras Max Battle Day Strategy

Following the Aspiring Dragons Research Day, Pokemon Go presents a Max Battle Day featuring Gigantamax Lapras on December 8.

From 2-5 PM local time, Gigantamax Lapras appears as an extra challenging six-star raid boss. The introduction of Max Mushrooms provides temporary damage amplification during Max Battles, significantly improving success rates against this formidable opponent.

Additional event bonuses include an increased Max Particle collection limit to 1,600 and double Max Particles from exploration activities.

Young & Wise Event Optimization

Pokemon Go’s Dual Destiny season continues with Young and Wise running from December 10-14.

Players earn double XP for hatching eggs and winning raid battles throughout the event. Featured raid bosses include Tyrunt, Drampa, and Wyrdeer, alongside event-themed Field Research tasks and Collection Challenges.

Egg Hatching Strategy

2 km Eggs

• Togepi – Fairy type with Togekiss evolution
• Tyrogue – Fighting type with multiple evolution paths
• Smoochum – Ice/psychic with Jynx evolution
• Bonsly – Rock type baby Pokemon
• Happiny – Normal type with Chansey evolution
• Munchlax – Normal type baby with Snorlax evolution

Raid Boss Analysis

One-star

• Shinx – Electric type with Luxray evolution
• Scraggy – Dark/fighting type with evolution
• Tyrunt – Rock/dragon fossil Pokemon
• Phantump – Ghost/grass with evolution mechanic
• Jangmo-o – Dragon type with evolution line

Three-star

• Alakazam – Psychic type with mega evolution potential
• Oranguru – Normal/psychic with support capabilities
• Drampa – Normal/dragon with unique typing
• Wyrdeer – Normal/psychic with evolution from Stantler

Necrozma Fusion Raid Day Guide

The legendary Pokemon Necrozma returns for a special Fusion Raid Day on December 14 from 2-5 PM local time.

Necrozma’s fused forms—Dusk Mane Necrozma and Dawn Wings Necrozma—appear more frequently in raids with increased shiny encounter rates for successful battles.

A special paid ticket available through the in-game shop provides additional perks including boosted XP and Stardust from raids plus extra Raid Passes.

Holiday Part 1 Event Breakdown

Pokemon Go’s annual holiday celebration returns with Part 1 running from December 17-22.

This segment introduces festive Dedenne wearing a holiday hoodie alongside boosted ice and ground Pokemon including Alolan Sandshrew, Snover, Bergmite, and Sandygast in wild encounters.

Wild Spawn Prioritization

• Alolan Sandshrew – Ice/steel regional variant
• Alolan Diglett – Ground/steel with unique typing
• Swinub – Ice/ground with Mamoswine evolution
• Delibird wearing a holiday ribbon – Seasonal variant with gift mechanics
• Numel – Fire/ground with Camerupt evolution
• Snover – Grass/ice with Abomasnow evolution
• Darumaka – Fire type with regional variants
• Litleo – Fire/normal with evolution line
• Bergmite – Ice type with Avalugg evolution
• Sandygast – Ghost/ground with evolution requirement

Holiday Raid Bosses

One-star

• Pikachu wearing a Winter Carnival outfit – Costumed variant
• Psyduck wearing a holiday outfit – Seasonal costume Pokemon
• Dedenne wearing a holiday outfit – Electric/fairy with festive appearance
• Sandygast – Ghost/ground type with evolution

Three-star

• Stantler wearing a holiday outfit – Normal type with seasonal variant
• Glaceon wearing an Undersea holiday outfit – Ice type Eeveelution
• Cryogonal – Pure ice type with geometric design

December Community Day Weekend Strategy

Pokemon Go’s final Community Day of 2024 spans December 21-22.

Every featured Pokemon from this year’s previous Community Days returns to the wild, providing final opportunities to capture them and accumulate evolution candy.

Wild Encounter Schedule

December 21

• Bellsprout – Grass/poison with evolution line
• Chansey – Normal type with healing capabilities
• Goomy – Dragon type with Goodra evolution
• Rowlet – Grass/flying starter Pokemon
• Litten – Fire starter with Incineroar evolution
• Bounsweet – Grass type with evolution line

December 22

• Mankey – Fighting type with evolution
• Ponyta – Fire type with regional variant
• Galarian Ponyta – Psychic type regional form
• Sewaddle – Bug/grass with evolution line
• Tynamo – Electric type with evolution chain
• Popplio – Water starter with Primarina evolution

Both days

• Porygon – Normal type with multiple evolutions
• Cyndaquil – Fire starter with Typhlosion evolution
• Bagon – Dragon type with Salamence evolution
• Beldum – Steel/psychic with Metagross evolution

Community Day Egg Strategy

2 km Eggs

• Slowpoke – Water/psychic with regional forms
• Galarian Slowpoke – Psychic type regional variant
• Poliwag – Water type with evolution line
• Togepi – Fairy type baby Pokemon
• Wooper – Water/ground with regional variant
• Paldean Wooper – Poison/ground regional form
• Timburr – Fighting type with evolution line
• Axew – Dragon type with evolution potential
• Chespin – Grass starter with evolution
• Fennekin – Fire starter with evolution
• Froakie – Water starter with Greninja evolution
• Grubbin – Bug type with Vikavolt evolution
• Noibat – Dragon/flying with evolution requirement

Holiday Part 2 Event Guide

The second holiday event segment runs from December 22-27 introducing additional festive Pokemon variants.

Players can obtain holiday outfit versions of Wooloo and Dubwool alongside boosted spawns of Alolan Rattata, Galarian Zigzagoon, and other seasonal Pokemon.

Wild Encounter Analysis

• Alolan Rattata – Dark/normal regional variant
• Murkrow – Dark/flying type with evolution
• Galarian Zigzagoon – Dark/normal regional form
• Blitzle – Electric type with Zebstrika evolution
• Vanillite – Ice type with evolution line
• Tynamo – Electric type with evolution chain
• Wooloo wearing a holiday outfit – Normal type with festive appearance

Incense Strategy by Date

December 22, 24, 26

• Snorlax – Normal type with high HP stats
• Blitzle – Electric type with evolution potential
• Yamask – Ghost type with regional variants
• Lampent – Ghost/fire with evolution requirement
• Wooloo wearing a holiday outfit – Costumed normal type

December 23, 25, 27

• Togetic – Fairy/flying type with evolution
• Galarian Zigzagoon – Dark/normal regional form
• Foongus – Grass/poison with Amoonguss evolution
• Furfrou – Normal type with trim variants
• Cetoddle – Ice type with Cetitan evolution

Holiday Raid Boss Selection

One-star

• Alolan Vulpix – Ice type regional variant
• Galarian Darumaka – Ice type regional form
• Litwick – Ghost/fire with evolution line
• Cetoddle – Ice type with evolution potential

Three-star

• Snorlax – Normal type with high durability
• Banette – Ghost type with mega evolution
• Zebstrika – Electric type evolution from Blitzle
• Toucannon – Normal/flying type with evolution

New Year’s 2025 Celebration Guide

Pokemon Go concludes December with New Year’s 2025 festivities from December 30-January 1.

Festive outfit variants of Jigglypuff, Hoothoot, and Wurmple appear in wild encounters, while party hat-wearing Raticate and Wobbuffet serve as raid bosses.

New Year’s Wild Spawns

• Jigglypuff wearing a ribbon – Normal/fairy with festive accessory
• Hoothoot wearing a New Year’s outfit – Normal/flying with celebration theme
• Wurmple wearing a party hat – Bug type with festive headwear

New Year’s Raid Lineup

One-star

• Pikachu wearing a snowflake beanie – Electric type with winter headgear

Three-star

• Raticate wearing a party hat – Normal type with celebration theme
• Wobbuffet wearing a party hat – Psychic type with party accessory

Pokemon Go’s December raid lineup brings exciting returning favorites and powerful new challenges for trainers. This month’s rotation offers multiple opportunities to capture rare Pokemon and strengthen your battle teams.

Five-star raids feature two standout returning legends: Chill Drive Genesect makes its reappearance with unique ice-type capabilities, while Altered Forme Giratina returns as a formidable ghost-dragon type option. Both present excellent chances for players who missed previous encounters or seek better IV specimens.

Mega Raids showcase three distinct powerhouses throughout December. Mega Banette brings ghost-type supremacy, the Mega Latios and Latias duo offer dragon-psychic versatility, and Mega Abomasnow provides grass-ice coverage. Each mega evolution delivers different strategic advantages for your raid teams.

December 23-January 6

December 26-January 4

Beyond the scheduled five-star encounters, December features consistent weekend Shadow Raid events. Shadow Regice serves as the monthly shadow boss, appearing every Saturday and Sunday with increased difficulty but rewarding purified forms with combat advantages.

Pokemon Go’s weekly Spotlight Hour events continue throughout December with refreshed Pokemon rotations and enhanced bonuses. These Tuesday evening sessions provide consistent opportunities for collection completion and resource accumulation.

Every Tuesday from 6-7 PM local time, designated Pokemon spawn rates dramatically increase throughout wild encounters. This concentrated appearance window enables efficient candy farming, shiny hunting, and Pokedex completion for both new and veteran trainers.

The bonus rotation includes valuable incentives like double Stardust for captures, double candy for transfers, or boosted evolution XP. Planning your gameplay around these bonuses can significantly accelerate your progress – saving evolution items for double XP hours or focusing on high-Stardust Pokemon during bonus periods.

Successfully tackling December’s raid bosses requires strategic team preparation and understanding type effectiveness. For Chill Drive Genesect, fire-type Pokemon like Reshiram, Chandelure, and Darmanitan deliver super-effective damage, while Giratina’s ghost-dragon typing makes it vulnerable to dark, ghost, ice, and fairy attacks.

Mega Raid counters demand specific preparations: Mega Banette falls to dark and ghost types, Mega Latios/Latias require dragon, ice, fairy, or dark movesets, and Mega Abomasnow shows weakness against fire, flying, poison, rock, steel, and bug attacks. Building diverse teams with optimal movesets ensures raid success.

Common mistakes include underestimating Shadow Raid difficulty and poor resource timing. Shadow Regice demands stronger counters than its regular counterpart, and wasting raid passes on poorly-timed attempts reduces monthly capture opportunities. Advanced players should coordinate with local communities for optimal raid timing and team composition.

Pokemon Go’s New Year’s 2025 celebration brings a vibrant three-day festival from December 30 through January 1, offering trainers numerous opportunities to catch exclusive holiday-themed Pokemon and earn substantial rewards. This limited-time event bridges the year-end transition with special activities designed to help players start 2025 with a strong collection and boosted experience points.

The celebration features multiple engagement layers including wild encounters, raid battles, themed research tasks, and Collection Challenges that provide both immediate and long-term benefits for your Pokemon journey. Understanding the event structure early ensures you maximize every available opportunity during this brief window.

During the New Year’s festivities, trainers will encounter several Pokemon sporting exclusive holiday attire in different gameplay environments. Wild spawns include Jigglypuff wearing a ribbon, Hoothoot in New Year’s outfits, and Wurmple adorned with party hats, each appearing with increased frequency throughout the event duration.

Raid enthusiasts can challenge Raticate wearing a party hat and Wobbuffet in festive gear, providing unique capture opportunities not available outside this limited celebration. Additionally, the in-game shop introduces new holiday-themed avatar items including multiple variations of Wooloo wearing holiday outfits, allowing trainers to customize their appearance with seasonal flair.

Pro Tip: Activate Incense on specific event days to significantly increase encounter rates for these exclusive Pokemon variants, with spawn boosts lasting the full Incense duration when used strategically.

The New Year’s 2025 event introduces comprehensive Field Research tasks and Collection Challenges that reward dedicated trainers with exclusive items, Pokemon encounters, and substantial experience points. Completing these objectives requires strategic planning and efficient gameplay to maximize rewards within the limited timeframe.

Collection Challenges specifically target the festive Pokemon variants, requiring captures of Jigglypuff with ribbon, Hoothoot in New Year’s attire, Wurmple with party hat, and additional special appearances. Successfully completing these challenges grants premium items and special encounters that enhance your overall collection value.

Common Mistake to Avoid: Many trainers overlook the time investment needed for Collection Challenges and miss completion rewards. Plan at least 2-3 hours across the three days to ensure you capture all required Pokemon variants without last-minute rushing.

Mastering the excellent throw bonus represents the most efficient XP farming method during this event, with each perfect capture granting exactly 2,025 XP to commemorate the new year. This mechanic provides experienced trainers an opportunity to accelerate level progression significantly when combined with Lucky Eggs and strategic catching sessions.

For optimal Incense usage, activate them during peak spawn hours (typically 6-9 PM local time) when event Pokemon appearance rates receive additional boosts. This timing synergy can yield up to 50% more festive Pokemon encounters compared to random activation times.

Advanced Technique: Combine Star Pieces with excellent throws during the final hour of the event to maximize Stardust gains while capitalizing on the XP bonus, creating dual-resource acceleration for your 2025 Pokemon Go journey.

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