SAN FRANCISCO (Azat TV) – Howard Street, one of San Francisco’s busiest urban thoroughfares, has been officially rechristened “Rayquaza Road” for the weekend as the 2026 Pokémon World Championships and the accompanying PokémonXP fan festival officially get underway. Running from August 28 to August 30, the high-stakes event has drawn over 50,000 international fans and elite competitors to the Moscone Center, transforming the surrounding metropolitan landscape into a massive celebration of the global entertainment franchise.
Transforming San Francisco’s Urban Space
According to reports from Video Games Chronicle (VGC), the temporary renaming of Howard Street serves as the centerpiece of a major outdoor activation designed to merge gaming culture with metropolitan tourism. Fans exploring Rayquaza Road ahead of the official opening encountered themed food vendors, interactive product demonstrations, and numerous photo opportunities. Among the physical installations, attendees can participate in building a life-sized Lego model of the Legendary dragon Pokémon, Rayquaza, or view a highly detailed, life-sized model of the Legendary Pokémon Koraidon, custom-designed in collaboration with Honda.
The event was officially inaugurated by Chris Brown, The Pokémon Company’s director of global esports and events producer, alongside local San Francisco politicians and costumed Pikachu mascots. The collaborative opening highlights the growing intersection between digital gaming culture and city tourism, as municipal officials look to major esports events to drive local economic activity and revitalize downtown foot traffic.
The Dual Tracks: Competition and Fan Experience
The weekend is divided into two distinct, concurrent programs. The core Pokémon World Championships represent a highly competitive, closed-door environment where elite players from across the globe compete for substantial cash prizes in the trading card game (TCG), video games (VGC), and Pokémon GO. In contrast, the adjacent PokémonXP event focuses on broad community engagement, offering interactive panels, creator signings, and brand showcases.
Among the commercial highlights on Rayquaza Road is a showcase by the skateboarding brand Santa Cruz. The company is previewing an upcoming line of skateboard decks featuring iconic artwork from the history of the Pokémon Trading Card Game. This collaboration follows a highly successful previous release that sold out rapidly in “blind bag” mystery packaging, signaling continued demand for high-end crossover merchandise among collectors.
Strict Anti-Scalping Measures Implemented
While the outdoor festivities on Rayquaza Road are open to the public, access to the highly coveted Pokémon Center pop-up store inside the venue has been heavily restricted this year to combat scalping and manage extreme demand. Reports from specialized outlet PokeBeach confirm that, unlike in previous years, the Pokémon Center is not accessible to the general public. Entry is strictly limited to event badge holders who secured pre-booked reservation times, and badges for the event are completely sold out.
According to PokeBeach’s live coverage, event organizers have implemented rigorous security protocols to protect inventory integrity. Badges are scanned upon entry to prevent re-entry, and staff members physically inspect shopping bags before checkout to enforce a strict limit of one of each Worlds-exclusive item per customer. Gone are the days of scalpers carrying out dozens of shopping bags at once to flip on secondary markets. Additionally, new venue safety rules strictly prohibit customers from sitting on the floor to organize their purchases, a common practice at past events that caused safety and flow hazards.
Interestingly, long-term collectors have noted some omissions in this year’s catalog. Unlike every World Championship and International Championship (NAIC/EUIC) event since 2019, there appear to be no commemorative magnets or postcards available in the 2026 inventory. While the strict physical enforcement has successfully curbed bulk buying, it has also resulted in logistical delays, with late-afternoon reservations experiencing significant wait times due to the thorough checkout bag checks.