Pokémon Day 2026 – 30 Years of Pokémon Magic

Pokémon Day 2026 - an awesome day.

On Saturday 28th February we opened our doors to celebrate 30 years of Pokémon and from the moment the first trainers arrived, the shop was filled with colour, laughter, and that unmistakable buzz that only Pokémon can bring.

This wasn’t just an event. It was a celebration of everything that makes Pokémon wonderful from the colourful bunting expertly hung by Ross to battling, trading, creating, learning, and simply enjoying everything that is Pokémon.

And that’s exactly how we wanted it to feel.
   

A Celebration for Everyone

One of the most important things for us was that nobody felt pressured to take part in anything specific. Whether you wanted to dive into competitive play, sit quietly and colour, trade cards with friends, or just soak up the atmosphere,  Pokémon Day was yours to enjoy however you chose.

Throughout the day we had:

• 🎴 Learn to Play Pokémon TCG sessions
• 🎨 Colouring activities
• ⚡ TCG Raids
• 🏆 A Challenge Tournament
• 🔄 Battling and trading 
• ✏️ A colouring competition
• 🎮 Gameboy, DS, Switch and App players
• 📱 Groups teaming up at the Pokémon GO Gym

Seeing different generations enjoying Pokémon side by side was genuinely heart warming. Some were discovering the card game for the very first time, others were seasoned trainers who have been with Pokémon since the beginning.

That mix of old and new is what makes this community so special.

Draw Your Own Pikachu Competition 

Our creative competition might have been one of the highlights of the day.

We invited everyone to Design Their Own Pikachu Card, with colouring sheets and pencils provided. The entries were absolutely incredible. We honestly had no idea how much creativity would pour out onto those sheets.

Mr & Mrs MLG had a very difficult time judging, but certainly enjoyed seeing everyone's art.
Take a look for yourself and see all the amazing entries we had.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After much deliberation, we declared E M Stringer our winner — Congratulations! 🎉

We also gave a special mention to Betsy & Jacob, who won fun packs for their fantastic entry. 

It was really great to see how many people got involved in the creative competition of all ages and how much they really enjoyed it.
                          

The Challenge Tournament 🏆

Our Challenge Tournament ran across three age divisions, giving everyone a fair and fun competitive space.

The energy was brilliant. Focused faces. Big plays. Gasps from spectators. And plenty of smiles at the end.

What we loved most was the sportsmanship. Win or lose, the players shook hands, chatted about decks, and carried on enjoying the day. That’s exactly the spirit we have come to expect from our MLG Community.

Goodie Bags, Balloons & a Special Guest 

We handed out Pokémon goodie bags, balloons, Pikachu hats and flags and the gaming floor quickly turned into a sea of yellow and smiling faces. 

And of course… our friend Eevee came along to pose for photos. Seeing the excitement on people’s faces when they spotted Eevee is always fantastic. There were hugs, high fives, and plenty of pictures taken, we love seeing them on our Facebook post. 

One family also left the shop telling us "they said, it is the best day of their lives" gesturing to their children, it’s those moments that turn a day into a memory and really make us love owning a friendly local hobby and gaming shop. 

30 Years of Pokémon

Thirty years. Just think about that.

From Gameboys and link cables to TCG raids and Pokémon GO gym battles. Pokémon has grown, evolved, and brought people together in ways nobody could have predicted.

Being able to celebrate that milestone with our community is awesome and days like this remind us why we do what we do. It’s not just about products on shelves, it’s about shared experiences, friendships formed, parents introducing their children to something they once loved themselves and us being able to teach new players and see the joy on their faces while wearing a Pikachu hat. 

Thank You 

To everyone who came along, whether you battled, coloured, traded, competed, or just popped in to say hello — thank you.