Pokémon 10th Anniversary Journey Across America
Pokémon 10th Anniversary Journey Across America was a series of events that was held across the United States in 2006 celebrating the 10th anniversary of Pokémon's original Japanese release. At the event, attendees could see a preview of Lucario and the Mystery of Mew, and download over twenty 10th anniversary Pokémon for the Generation III GBA games. Each event also held a GBA tournament, the winners of which could move on to a national event in New York City. The winners were Samin Syed, 13, from Roslyn, New York, who entered as a 12-year-old in the 12-and-under category, and Minh Le, 22, from Herndon, Virginia, each receiving a trip to Tokyo in 2007 and a diamond-studded GBA.
Cities
| Date | City |
|---|---|
| February 25 | Miami, Florida |
| March 4 | Tampa, Florida |
| March 11 | Atlanta, Georgia |
| March 15 | Houston, Texas |
| March 18 | Dallas, Texas |
| March 25 | Albuquerque, New Mexico |
| April 1 | Los Angeles, California |
| April 8 | San Francisco, California |
| April 15 | Portland, Oregon |
| April 22 | Seattle, Washington |
| April 29 | Salt Lake City, Utah |
| May 6 | Denver, Colorado |
| May 13 | Kansas City, Missouri |
| May 21 | Minneapolis, Minnesota |
| May 27 | Chicago, Illinois |
| June 3 | Detroit, Michigan |
| June 10 | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
| June 17 | Cincinnati, Ohio |
| June 24 | Memphis, Tennessee |
| July 1 | Raleigh, North Carolina |
| July 8 | Washington, D.C. |
| July 12 | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| July 15 | Boston, Massachusetts |
| July 22 | New York, New York |
Two additional tournaments were held (without the JAA events) at Space Center Houston and the Nintendo World at Rockefeller Center in New York City. The winners of those events, along with eight "second chance" qualifiers in the two categories, competed in the finals were that held as part of the US Tenth Anniversary Celebration event.
Party of the Decade
The United States celebration of Pokémon's Tenth Anniversary, titled "The Party of the Decade", was held on Tuesday, August 8 at New York City's Bryant Park. This was a larger version of the Journey Across America, which included the finals of the Pokémon Video Game Tournament, costumed character appearances including the American debut of Lucario, previews of the new Ranger and Mystery Dungeon games, and other events. Professional wrestling icon Hulk Hogan hosted the activities. It also marked the farewell appearance of the original Pikachu Balloon from the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, which flew above Bryant Park. A new Pikachu balloon, which features the mascot of the franchise chasing a Poké Ball and cheeks that light up, premiered at the 80th annual event November 23.