Every now and then, the Nintendo San Francisco and Nintendo New York stores hold special events to commemorate game launches and anniversaries. Even after being up before the sun to begin Pokemon Day celebrations with the Pokemon Presents, I hustled my way out to the somewhat busy Union Square in the early afternoon to excitedly continue the revelry at the Nintendo San Francisco store. If you're curious about what events at the Nintendo store in San Francisco are like, here's a look. The short answer is if you're in town during an event, it's absolutely worth checking out!
As I was kindly offered access to the store during the event by PR, I didn't have to wait in line to get into the store – but regardless, I wouldn't have had to anyway, because by the time I got there at 2 PM, there wasn't one. My PR contact said there was quite the line to get into the store at opening and an ongoing line for a few hours after. If you're looking to attend one of these events but aren't too concerned about new product drops (the Pokemon Center-exclusive Game Boy Jukebox was sold at the San Francisco store, but was sold out by the time I visited), then going in the afternoon is the way to go.
For a Friday afternoon with an event, the store was surprisingly easy going. At this point I've been to the store four other times, including its opening weekend, and I'd say I've definitely seen it busier. I was bummed to see there was basically no presence for the newly announced Pokemon Winds and Waves in the store, but staff did at least set up a product display for some of the newer merchandise at the front of the store. While the entry wasn't too busy, downstairs had a bit more action with folks in line for the Pokemon Day activities.
Nintendo SF Pokemon Day Activities
As for the events, Nintendo had the following activities planned for visitors on February 27, 2026:
- "Name Your Favorite" Challenge - This was probably the highlight of the event. Instead of having a game on their big screen, they replaced it with a massive image of what looked like a sticker collage of every Pokemon. Participants were given a clipboard, a pencil, and a paper that challenged them to name 20 Pokemon on the wall. Since the image included seemingly most Pokemon, it really amounted to naming any 20 Pokemon. I thought this was a nice way to ensure newer fans could still have a good time. After submitting the sheet, participants were given a poster. When the line to play started getting a little long, attendants started telling participants they only needed to list ten Pokemon. I appreciated the attentiveness to keep things moving for everyone. It was also a great spot for photos!
- Digital Photo Booth – There weren't any Pokemon mascots present, but you could get a photo in front of the Pokemon map of your choice. Then, you're able to email and/or text the photo to yourself at a kiosk next to the photo booth. I noticed some folks were able to take more than one photo when there was a short line.
- Pokemon Legends: Z-A Nintendo Switch 2 Demo - As this game is out and I suspect many of the fans visiting for the event already have a version of Legends: Z-A if they want it, the demo stations almost always had two or more of the four spots available. Still, it was a nice opportunity to try out and see the differences for Legends: Z-A on Switch 2 in person for those who understandably haven't upgraded to a Nintendo Switch 2 yet.
Nintendo San Francisco Store Freebies
For ephemera lovers or collectors like myself, I've found the Nintendo store generally has some sort of neat free pamphlet to offer, especially around holidays or events. And, of course, all mentioned items were available while supplies lasted, which still seemed plentiful at 2 PM. The following freebies were available:
- Pokemon 30th Anniversary Logo Sticker – This was given to each person as they entered the store.
- Pokemon 30 "What's Your Favorite" Poster — If you complete the Name Your Favorite challenge, you're given this in return. The back has four promotional spots for upcoming Pokemon game releases, including Pokemon Pokopia and Pokemon Champions.
- Pokemon Legends: Z-A Mega Evolutions Pamphlet – Beneath each of the four Legends: Z-A Switch 2 demo stations was this freebie pamphlet. It includes an overview of the game and some characters, how evolution works, and images of all the Mega Evolutions available in Legends: Z-A, plus a list of the Mega Evolutions available with the Mega Dimensions DLC.
