- Starts
- at Local Time
- Ends
- at Local Time
Pokémon GO’s first Community Day Classic of 2026 features Piplup, the adorable Penguin Pokémon, returning with its exclusive move Hydro Cannon! Join the event on Sunday, January 4, 2026, from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. local time to enjoy 1/4 Hatch Distance, increased Piplup spawns, and a chance to encounter Shiny Piplup.
Evolve Prinplup during the event, or up to 9:00 p.m. local time on January 4, 2026, to obtain an Empoleon that knows the exclusive move Hydro Cannon Water.
January Community Day Classic Bonuses
Increased Piplup spawns
1/4 Hatch Distance for eggs incubated during the event
3 hour Incense (*)
1 hour Lure Modules (Lures have a special mechanic during Piplup Community Day)
- (*) excluding Daily Adventure Incense. Activate during the event for bonus duration.
Lure Module Bonus
Lures only last 1 hour during Piplup Community Day, but they have an additional bonus. From 2:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. local time, Piplup will have a very high chance of appearing at PokéStops with active regular Lure Modules.
Piplup attracted to regular Lure Modules will still have an increased chance to be Shiny and may have a Special Background. That’s more chances to encounter the featured Pokémon even after the event hours!
Infographic
Featured Pokémon: Piplup
Piplup
During the event,Piplup will appear more frequently in the wild. If you’re lucky, you might encounter a Shiny Piplup! Piplup is a Water type Pokémon in Pokémon GO, which is boosted by Rainy weather.
Evolve Prinplup (Piplup’s Evolution) during the event, or up to four hours afterward to get an Empoleon that knows the Water type Charged Attack Hydro Cannon.
Shiny Piplup Odds and Comparison
The odds to get a Shiny Piplup are 1 in 20 (5%) during January Community Day Classic. Here is a quick comparison between regular and Shiny Piplup, Prinplup and Empoleon.
How to evolve Piplup into Prinplup, into Empoleon
Move updates: Hydro Cannon
Empoleon
Hydro Cannon is Empoleon’s Community Day Move
Empoleon will learn Hydro Cannon when evolved during the event hours and for up to four hours afterwards. This Water-type Charged Attack has 80 power in Trainer Battles, and 90 power in Gyms/Raids.
Hydro Cannon Water
- Trainer Battles: 80 power
- Gyms and raids: 90 power
Best Mega Evolutions for Piplup Community Day Classic
Try to get a Water type Mega Pokémon to at least a high level, or even Max level, to enjoy the bonuses that having that Pokémon Mega evolved during the event can give you. Be sure to Mega Evolve for extra Candy from catches!
Piplup Max CP Chart
This table shows Piplup’s maximum Combat Power on every level, from Level 1 to Level 50. In wild encounters, Piplup can be caught from Level 1 – 30, and if weather boosted, from Levels 6 – 35. Piplup is boosted by Rainy weather.
| LVL | Max CP | LVL | Max CP | LVL | Max CP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 15 CP | 2 | 47 CP | 3 | 80 CP |
| 4 | 112 CP | 5 | 145 CP | 6 | 177 CP |
| 7 | 209 CP | 8 | 242 CP | 9 | 274 CP |
| 10 | 307 CP | 11 | 337 CP | 12 | 368 CP |
| 13 | 399 CP | 14 | 430 CP | 15 | 460 CP |
| 16 | 491 CP | 17 | 522 CP | 18 | 552 CP |
| 19 | 583 CP | 20 | 614 CP | 21 | 645 CP |
| 22 | 675 CP | 23 | 706 CP | 24 | 737 CP |
| 25 | 767 CP | 26 | 798 CP | 27 | 829 CP |
| 28 | 860 CP | 29 | 890 CP | 30 | 921 CP |
| 31 | 936 CP | 32 | 952 CP | 33 | 967 CP |
| 34 | 982 CP | 35 | 998 CP | 36 | 1013 CP |
| 37 | 1028 CP | 38 | 1044 CP | 39 | 1059 CP |
| 40 | 1075 CP | 41 | 1088 CP | 42 | 1102 CP |
| 43 | 1116 CP | 44 | 1130 CP | 45 | 1144 CP |
| 46 | 1158 CP | 47 | 1172 CP | 48 | 1186 CP |
| 49 | 1200 CP | 50 | 1215 CP |
Field Research
January Community Day Classic–themed Field Research will be available! Catch Piplup to earn rewards such as Stardust, Great Balls, additional encounters with Piplup, and more!
You may even find Field Research that leads to encounters with Piplup that have a Special Background—if you’re lucky!
| Task | Rewards |
|---|---|
| Catch 3 Piplup |
Piplup
chance for special background
|
5×
Great Ball
|
|
2×
Ultra Ball
|
|
2×
Pinap Berry
|
|
500×
Stardust
|
|
| Catch 5 Pokémon while in a party |
Piplup
chance for special background
|
| Catch 50 Pokémon |
Piplup
chance for special background
|
Piplup Special Background
Piplup Community Day Special Research Story
For US$1.99 (or the equivalent pricing tier in your local currency), you’ll be able to access the Piplup Community Day–exclusive Special Research. Complete this research for even more rewards including:
Piplup Special Research (1/3)
| Task | Reward |
|---|---|
| Catch 3 Pokémon |
Piplup
|
| Catch 5 Pokémon |
Piplup
|
| Catch 7 Pokémon |
Piplup
|
| Make 7 Nice Throws |
20×
Ultra Ball
|
| Make 5 Great Throws |
1×
Star Piece
|
| Make 5 Curve Balls |
1×
Incense
|
Rewards
-
Piplup
-
50×
Piplup
Candy
-
50×
Piplup
Candy XL
Piplup Special Research (2/3)
| Task | Reward |
|---|---|
| Catch 3 Pokémon |
Piplup
|
| Catch 5 Pokémon |
Piplup
|
| Catch 10 Pokémon |
Piplup
|
| Use 3 Berries to catch a Pokémon |
20×
Ultra Ball
|
| Use 5 Berries to catch a Pokémon |
1×
Charge TM
|
| Use 7 Berries to catch a Pokémon |
1×
Silver Pinap Berry
|
Rewards
-
Piplup
-
7500×
Stardust
-
3×
Rare Candy
Piplup Special Research (3/3)
| Task | Reward |
|---|---|
| Catch 3 Pokémon |
Piplup
|
| Catch 5 Pokémon |
Piplup
|
| Catch 10 Pokémon |
Piplup
|
| Spin 3 PokéStops or Gyms |
20×
Ultra Ball
|
| Spin 4 PokéStops or Gyms |
1×
Rocket Radar
|
| Explore 1km |
1×
Premium Raid Pass
|
Rewards
-
Piplup
-
10000×
XP
-
1×
Rare Candy XL
Shop Offers
Piplup Community Day Ultra Ticket Box
An Ultra Community Day Box featuring five Ultra Balls and one Special Research ticket will be available on the Pokémon GO Web Store during the event for US$1.99 (or the equivalent pricing tier in your local currency).
Tips and Tricks for Community Day
Don’t catch Pokémon before the event starts
Pokémon you have not caught before the event starts can turn into Piplup, which means it is best to arrive at your spot early and wait to catch it until the event starts.
Restart the app before the event
Be patient – there will always be errors and bugs at the start of the event. It is best to restart the app in most, if not all, cases.
Don’t forget to spin PokéStops
Remember PokéStops give out quests that are very beneficial on Community Day, giving you rewards for Stardust, Great and Ultra Balls, and Pinap Berries, all things that can help you if your stocks are low. Don’t complete any field research from PokéStops that are in the area where you are playing your community day.
Don’t activate lures before the event starts
To ensure that you have Lures up the entire duration, do not set your lures before the start of the event, as those will only last 30 minutes. The Lure has to go up after the event has started to last for three hours. Not to mention it will block the boosted CD spawns from spawning until it has depleted.
Use Incense
Use Incense to attract even more Pokémon to you while you’re out hunting. If you are wondering, yes, Incense can spawn Community Day ‘mons, that can be shiny. There is no reason why you should avoid Incense if you have it.
Don’t forget to enjoy the event
- Chat with your fellow Trainers and grow your local Pokémon GO community. Make good use of the QR code feature to make some new friends!
- Promote the new Pokémon GO features and events to Trainers who are just starting their adventure or haven’t been playing for a while. People are coming back around due to trading, new Pokémon, PvP, the numerous events, and these community-based events.
- Most importantly, have fun, get some shinies, and hope for no game-breaking glitches!
Looking for other trainers to play with?
If you’re looking for other Trainers in your area to trade, battle, or join raids with on Community Day, check out the Niantic Community Day map! Here you can find Community Ambassador events and Community Parks.
Community Ambassadors run Pokémon GO events for their communities that receive support by Niantic. If there are no Community Ambassadors near you, you can also search Campfire by downloading the app and find other local meetups in your area.
Community Parks are areas in your city that are historically popular places for Community Day. These parks may be a fun place to play with your local community while enjoying some fresh air.*
*Popular locations are provided for informational purposes only. Niantic is not hosting or operating official or unofficial events at these locations.
