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Occasionally, Niantic hosts in-game events for Pokemon GO. This usually coincides with real-life holidays (i.e, Christmas, New Year's) or GO's anniversaries. During this time, select Pokemon appear in the wild equipped with accessories or costumes. These are considered Event Pokemon, and they have their own category in Pokemon Storage.
Like any other Pokemon caught in Pokemon GO, the Event Pokemon can be Transferred to the Professor. Transferring a Pokemon is the equivalent to releasing a Pokemon, and doing so will net Pokemon GO players a Candy or two. Since the Pokemon Storage can get filled up fairly quickly, it's not a bad idea to Transfer an Event Pokemon when the time calls for it. Despite this, there are some things that players may want to keep in mind before making the Transfer.
How to Get Event Pokemon
Event Pokemon will spawn during special Events, which can be viewed by tapping the Binoculars icon and then selecting the Today tab. In this category, active events will be listed as well as their effects on the gameplay (ex: special encounters, double Candy amount when Transferred, etc).
Catching an Event Pokemon is simple: Look for any Pokemon dressed up in a costume/wearing an accessory, and select it on the map to start the Encounter. Event Pokemon don't have a higher or lower catch rate than their regular counterparts, but if Pokemon GO players wish, they can feed it a Razz Berry to increase the success of catching the Pokemon.
Spinning PokeStops or Gyms during Events may assign a Field Research Task marked with Event and a Surprise Encounter as the reward. Complete the task, then turn in the Field Research. There's a chance the Encounter will be an Event Pokemon.
Keep in mind that not every Event will have Event Pokemon. For example, "Adventures Abound" featured the debut of some Scarlet/Violet Pokemon in GO, but there weren't any Event Pokemon. The only way to determine if an Event will have special Pokemon is to read up on the Event itself (again: under the Today tab in the Tasks Menu).
When to Transfer Event Pokemon
Event Pokemon are categorized by a pink party hat icon under See More in the Pokemon storage's Search Bar. Although Event Pokemon are only available for a limited time, they're not all going to be 3-stars or have high Combat Power (CP). Event Pokemon can be 0-stars and have fairly low CP.
Transferring an Event Pokemon can be done by holding down on the Pokemon on the Storage Screen, then selecting Transfer. When trying to transfer Event Pokemon, GO players will receive a warning before making the Transfer.
In case trainers only have one Event Pokemon from the special Event, they should keep the Pokemon regardless of its CP and Appraisal. Pokemon GO doesn't often bring back the Event-exclusive Pokemon, so it may be the only time they can get them. Players will also want to refrain from Transferring Shiny Event Pokemon, regardless of their Stats.
However, if players are catching multiple Event Pokemon, then they should transfer the ones with the lower Appraisals and CP. A 0-star Event Pikachu with a 38 CP may not be worth keeping. Of course, transferring Event Pokemon is an option to consider when the Pokemon Storage is getting too full.
Transferring Event Pokemon can also be a way to get Candy, as the Candy gained from Event Pokemon are the same as the ones collected from regular Pokemon.
Can You Transfer Event Pokemon to Pokemon HOME?
As cool as it would be to have an Absol wearing sunglasses or a Pikachu with a tiara in the console games, Pokemon GO currently does not allow players to transfer Event Pokemon. These are exclusive to GO, and it's likely they will remain that way until further notice.
However, you can trade Event Pokemon with a Friend. Be warned that the Stardust cost for trading an Event Pokemon will be influenced by the Friend Level and if the Friend has the same Pokemon registered in the Dex. When trading Shiny Event Pokemon, the cost is much higher. Best Friends can trade a Shiny Pokemon at the cost of 40,000 Stardust.
Pokemon GO is available for mobile devices.