Niantic is throwing a Harry Potter: Wizards Unite fan festival this summer

Niantic had already been hinting at plans to throw a big festival for Harry Potter: Wizards Unite players - something in the same vein as its Poki(C)mon GO Fest events, but with less Poki(C)mon and more virtual witchcraft and wizardry. I mentioned it back when the game first got a launch date.

Now it's a bit more official. Niantic says it will be throwing a two day Wizards Unite festival in Indianapolis, Indiana later this summer.

Details are still a bit light, but here's what we know:

• It'll happen on Labor Day weekend, August 31st - September 1st.
• Whereas the US version of Niantic's Poki(C)mon GO Fest series takes place in Chicago, Illinois, the Wizards Unite festival will take place one state over, in Indianapolis, Indiana.
• Like GO Fest, you'll need a ticket to participate - though no word yet on how much tickets will cost. The current plan is to open up ticket sales via a lottery.

At this point, it would've been a bit surprising if Niantic didn't do a real-world gathering for Wizards Unite. They've been doing in-person "anomaly" events around the world for their first title, Ingress, for years, and have held dozens of real-world events for Poki(C)mon GO.

Niantic uses these events as an opportunity to bring their most hardcore fans together, with tens of thousands of players taking over these parks for days. Attendees are sometimes rewarded with early access to something new - at GO Fest 2018, for example, players were given the opportunity to catch a new, extra rare Poki(C)mon (Celebi) nearly a full month before anyone else.