Throughout the weekend, the Pokémon Worlds Championships returned to San Francisco. An officially run competition and celebration, it didn’t take long to embody all the highs and lows of pocket monsters. Fans of all ages arrived in droves, more than the Moscone Center can apparently accommodate. One of the biggest draws outside of the competition had to be unceremoniously cancelled after fire marshals reportedly deemed it a hazard.
So apparently the fire marshal showed up on Saturday morning and saw how crowded the pin rally was. That’s why some of the stations were closed right away in the morning on Saturday, and they threatened to shut the whole convention down. https://t.co/C0xVtxGwvA
— Samson @ Pin Rally Survivors Support Group (@samsonxp_) August 30, 2026
Divided between 12 stations, the official pin rally encourages fans to scope the halls and trade enamel Pokémon pins with staff and other attendees. Similar to stamp rally programs at parks and conventions with a merchandising twist, the lure of exclusive goodies was destined to draw huge crowds. Too huge. Fans were dismayed to discover on Saturday morning that the pin rally stations were closed. Many assumed Pokémon Worlds ran out of collectibles after the first day. Apparently the truth wasn’t the lack of supply as much as the masses of demand.
Sunday morning, an email confirmed that the pin rally would not be returning. The reason appears to be overcrowding. Attendees say an inspection from the fire marshal deemed the swell of people to be a catastrophic hazard in the event of an emergency .
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