Noblesville group brings global Pokémon GO weekend to Forest Park

Submitted

When Niantic runs Pokémon GO Wild Area: Global on Nov. 14 and 15, most cities will experience it entirely through a phone screen. Noblesville will have a park full of people.

Shiny Hunters of Noblesville, a free Pokémon GO community group that meets three to seven times a week around the city, will hold a two-day gathering at Forest Park Shelter 5 from 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. both days. The event is free. There are no tickets, no registration, and no dues.

The group’s July event drew roughly 900 people to Forest Park over a weekend, and organizers say a good share of them were families who don’t play the game at all.

“We built this so you don’t have to know what a raid is to have a good afternoon,” said Eric Knutson, who organizes the group. “Bring the kids, get a corn dog, get your face painted, wander the trails. Nobody checks your level at the door.”

Photo provided

The weekend’s activities include free face painting with eight Pokémon designs created for the event, free character headbands, and a hidden Poké Ball hunt in which five balls are placed around the park each day and finders can trade them in for $10 to $50 in in-game currency. A 15-prize raffle lets participants choose which prize their tickets go toward rather than drawing at random, and children too young to check in still receive tickets. Drawings are at 5:30 p.m. each day.

The first 100 attendees each day receive a free “survival kit” containing an event patch, an in-game item code and extra raffle tickets. The count resets on Sunday.

Three local vendors are on site: Blue Smoke BBQ, Fenny’s Hot Dogs, and Café Huesca, a mobile coffee cart appearing Sunday only. Both shelters have phone charging stations.

The event is held in partnership with Noblesville Parks and Recreation. Shiny Hunters of Noblesville is an official Niantic Community Ambassador group.

Details, maps, and updates are at inshinyhunters.com/go-wild-2026.