Pokemon Go Holiday 2019Source: Niantic

What you need to know

  • Niantic announces events for the month of December.
  • Beginning December 16, 2019, new Pokémon will be hatching from Eggs.
  • Virzion will take of Legendary Raids December 17, 2019, at 1:00 p.m. PST.
  • December 20, 2019, at 1:00 p.m. PST until December 23, Lugia and Ho-oh Raid Weekend

In addition to acknowledging the Special Research A Challenging Development that began December 1, 2019, Niantic announced multiple events for the rest of December. Players are reminded that they have three more weeks to work on A Challenging Development to defeat Giovanni and rescue Shadow Zapdos. For more information on this Special Research, see our A Challenging Development Guide.

On December 16, 2019, Pokémon that can be hatched in Eggs will be changing. Whether this will be a minor rebalance or a major overhaul remains to be see but remember, this will only affect Eggs picked up on or after December 16. Then, beginning December 17, the next of the Legendary Swords of Justice will be taking over Legendary Raids. Virizion, the Grassland Pokémon, will be taking the place of Terrakion, so if you haven't caught Terrakion yet, your time is running out. For more information on Terrakion, see our Terrakion Counters Guide and keep an eye out soon for our Virizion Guide. As if that wasn't enough with Christmas coming up, Pokémon Go will also be hosting a special Raid Weekend on December 20 until December 23. This weekend will see the return of the Gen II Legendary Pokémon, Lugia and Ho-oh, the mascots for Pokémon Silver and Gold respectively. Virizion will still be available during this weekend, but players will also have another chance to try for shiny versions of Lugia and Ho-oh.

That's an awful lot going on between now and Christmas, which will bring another event entirely but hopefully, while you're out doing your holiday shopping, you'll have time to take part in these exciting events!