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Pokémon World Championships Cancel Pin Giveaway After Severe Overcrowding

Organizers said they stopped the multi-day Pin Rally after consulting local fire officials because long lines and crowd congestion created clear safety and accessibility risks.

Overview

  • Organizers closed multiple pin stations on Saturday and confirmed late Saturday that the Pin Rally would not run on Sunday, Aug. 30, after staff warned that lines had become unmanageable.
  • The San Francisco Fire Department said it did not order the cancellation and that organizers chose to stop the giveaway after consulting fire prevention officials about safety risks.
  • Fans formed lines as early as 6 a.m. that spilled into streets around Moscone Center and forced staff to shut down stations when corridors became overcrowded.
  • Attendees and disability advocates reported poor ADA accommodations and overwhelmed staff who could not safely manage queues or offer consistent accessible lines.
  • The weekend drew more than 50,000 visitors and boosted local businesses while scarce pins and high-value cards immediately appeared on resale sites for hundreds to thousands of dollars, raising concerns about theft and future crowd controls.