Dive Into Pokémon Go’s Water Festival 2025 – New Pokémon, Shiny Boosts & Exclusive Rewards!

Pokémon Go ‘Water Festival’ 2025 is Here!

The Water Festival event in Pokémon Go has officially started and runs from July 15 to July 20, 2025. If you love water-type Pokémon, this is your time to shine! The event brings some exciting bonuses, including the debut of Tatsugiri, a sushi-inspired Pokémon from Paldea. But remember, Tatsugiri only appears in raids, and its different forms are region-locked.

Event dates and main focus
Tatsugiri’s debut and regional forms
Special bonuses and boosted spawns
Premium Timed Research details
Collection Challenges and Field Research tasks
Raid lineup and shiny chances

What’s New and Special?

Besides Tatsugiri making its first appearance, Rainy Lure Modules now last for two hours instead of just 30 minutes. That’s a big plus if you’re hunting water Pokémon! Also, Staryu and Tirtouga have a higher chance to be shiny during the event. If you’re lucky enough to catch the scarf-wearing Lapras from raids, you’ll unlock a special seasonal background for your profile.

Premium Timed Research – Is It Worth It?

For $4.99, you can grab the “Happiness in Every Scoop” premium Timed Research. It offers a handful of encounters and a fun new pose where your avatar eats ice cream. Here’s a quick look at the tasks:

Catch 5 water-type Pokémon (reward: Staryu encounter)
Catch 10 water-type Pokémon (Feebas encounter)
Catch 15 water-type Pokémon (1 Premium Battle Pass)
Evolve a Pokémon (Clamperl encounter)
Evolve 3 Pokémon (1 Rainy Lure Module)
Send a gift with a sticker (Azumarill encounter)
Explore 1 km (Kingler encounter)
Spin 5 PokéStops or gyms (Gyarados encounter)

Rewards include the Ice Cream Pose cosmetic, a Lapras (scarf) encounter, and 3,000 Stardust. If you’re mainly after the pose, it’s worth it. Otherwise, the rewards are a bit underwhelming.

Collection Challenges to Complete

During the event, there are three main Collection Challenges to tackle:

Water Festival: Fishin’ Mission – Catch Magikarp, Barboach, Finneon, and Gyarados. Rewards: 5,000 XP, 2,500 Stardust, and a Lapras (scarf) encounter.
Water Festival: She Sells Seashells – Catch Staryu, Krabby, Clamperl, and Kingler. Same rewards as above.
Water Festival: Fishin’ Mission (yes, another with the same name) – Catch Slowpoke, Marill, Buizel, and Azumarill. Rewards match the others.

Field Research Tasks and Rewards

Spinning PokéStops during the event can give you these tasks:

Catch 5 Pokémon (Slowpoke, Staryu, or Magikarp encounter)
Catch 10 Pokémon (Squirtle, Buizel, or Finneon encounter)
Catch 10 water-type Pokémon (reward: 20 Mega Blastoise or Mega Gyarados Energy)
Catch 15 Pokémon (Lantern, Palpitoad, or Tirtouga encounter)
Evolve 2 water-type Pokémon (Wimpod encounter)
Win a raid (Lapras [scarf] encounter)

Boosted Pokémon Spawns

These water-types will appear more often during the event:

Squirtle
Slowpoke
Krabby
Staryu (increased shiny chance)
Magikarp
Lanturn
Marill
Barboach
Feebas
Clamperl
Buizel
Finneon
Palpitoad
Tirtouga (increased shiny chance)
Wimpod

Raid Lineup for Water Festival 2025

Raids have also shifted for the event. Here’s what you can expect:

One-star raids: Shellder, Kingler, Ducklett
Three-star raids: Gyarados, Tatsugiri, Lapras (scarf), Azumarill

If you want to catch Tatsugiri, remember it’s only available through raids and the forms depend on your region. So, team up with friends or join local raid groups to increase your chances!

Enjoy the splashy fun and good luck catching those water Pokémon!