CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Large crowds flooded the Charlotte Convention Center this weekend for the Regional Pokémon Tournament. The event had something for everyone to compete, play, or just have fun. This year’s regional Pokémon tournament is like no other, bringing in thousands of fans, spectators, and competitors to support one of the world’s most popular franchises.
Christine Noah is one of the organizers for this year’s tournament with Overload Events and tells us they’ve shattered last year’s records.
“This is now the largest regional tournament worldwide ever," she told WCNC Charlotte on Saturday.
Just like the hit TV show, trading card game, and video game series, the tournament has evolved over the years, giving excitement for people of all ages.
“There's something really for everybody and seems like everybody loves Pokémon,” Noah added.
Fans like Tyler Dishmon are surprised to see the age range amongst those in attendance.
“It's cool to see this many people and even the kids. I feel like there's a ton of junior and senior players," he said.
For those looking to be the very best, like no one ever was, the event is broken down into three tournaments including Pokémon Go Battles for mobile phones, the trading card game competition, and even a video game face-off on the Nintendo Switch platform. Fans are excited to see Charlotte host the large event.
Brett Sorensen is a fan of the game and said, “There's a lot of people out here, more people than then maybe I thought.”
Eiryn Dishmon added, “It's cool to see it, coming to Charlotte, all of the people coming to Charlotte -- I definitely think it works here.”
Christine Noah started the event after seeing the passion Pokémon brought to her son. Today, she looks forward to the growing fanbase within Charlotte for years to come.
“I'm just a mom that made a business out of my kid's hobby. But we're having a lot of fun," she said.
The regional tournament will continue on Sunday, January 21.
Contact Myles Harris at mharris5@wcnc.com and follow him on Facebook, X and Instagram.