Pokémon Day: why is it celebrated on 27 February?
It’s 25 years since Pokémon first declared “Gotta Catch ‘Em All”, but why is it celebrated on 27 February and how can you mark the special day?
Today is Pokémon Day 2021, otherwise known as the Pokémon franchise’s 25th birthday.
Why is Pokémon Day celebrated on 27 February?
Pokémon Day is celebrated on 27 February every year, and this year, 2021 is special, because it marks 25 years since the franchise was founded.
The first Pokémon media, Pokemon Red and Green - a pair of video games for the original Game Boy - were released on 27 February 1996.
How can I celebrate Pokémon Day?
Grammy-nominated artist Post Malone has teamed up with Pokémon to celebrate Pokémon Day this year, they’re calling it the Pokémon Day virtual concert.
Pokémon and Post Malone team up for 25th anniversary
The Pokémon and Post Malone virtual concert is taking place on Saturday, 27 February 2021 at 7:00 pm EST / 4:00 pm PST. You can watch the concert live, for free from the comfort of your own home, on the following streaming platforms: YouTube, Twitch, and on Pokémon’s own site.
Every gaming console, including PS4, PS5 Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and Nintendo Switch, has a YouTube app that players can watch from, all but the Nintendo Switch also have the Twitch app.
In anticipation of the virtual concert, The Pokémon Company released a cover of Hootie and the Blowfish's 1995 hit Only Wanna Be with You, appropriately dubbed the "Pokémon 25 Version" performed by Post Malone.
The virtual concert is being held in conjunction with The Pokémon Company's P25 collaboration project, which brings world-renowned artists together for a variety of music themed events. P25 is celebrating 25 years since Pokémon was established.
Post Malone's concert was unveiled earlier this month and is the second artist to be announced for the P25 initiative, after Katy Perry.
"I've been a Pokémon fan for a long time, so the opportunity to headline the Pokémon Day concert celebrating 25 years is awesome," said Malone in a press release at the time.
The Post Malone concert is happening just one day after The Pokémon Company announced Diamond and Pearl remakes as well as the first open-world Pokémon game in Pokémon Legends Arceus.
Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are scheduled to release later this year with Pokémon Legends Arceus set for an early 2022 release, according to Newsweek.
Pokémon 25th anniversary facts and figures
Or alternatively, in celebration of Pokémon's 25th birthday you can memorise some hot facts:
- $432,142,736 – the worldwide box-office earnings of the movie “Detective Pikachu.”
- 800 – the number of Pokemon species today, and counting.
- 2nd – best-selling franchise of all time.
- 4 billion – the number of variants to the pattern on the face of a Spinda.
- 25 – the Pokedex number standing of Pikachu.
- $55,000 – the value of the first-edition holographic Charizard card.
- 942 – the number of episodes it took Misty’s Psyduck to use Water Gun properly.
- 99% – the percentage of Tentacool’s body that is water.
- 150 mph – the top speed at which Rapidash runs.
- 3 – the number of Pokemon with a Dark-Ground dual type.