Welcome to Rare Candy's "Spotlight On" series, where we feature the history and stories behind some of the rarest and coolest cards and collectibles.
Looking to pick up a Pikachu Festa card of your own? Check out our June Premier Auction where you can bid on the 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017 cards!
Given Pikachu’s status as the official Pokémon mascot, we wouldn’t be surprised if there are more cards with Pikachu’s adorable yellow face on it than any other creature in the entire franchise, including group shots that put Pikachu front and center.
The cards in the Pikachu Battle Festa set are a perfect example of how our favorite li’l electric guy manages to steal the spotlight. Even though other Pokémon are depicted on these cards, Pikachu is undoubtedly the star — and you’d be using Pikachu’s moves (Thuderbolt, specifically) if you brought one of these cards into battle.
When Did Pikachu Festa Cards Come From?
As we’ve learned in previous Spotlight articles, Japan’s Pokémon tournament system is completely separate from the one that international markets use, joining up only for the Pokémon World Championships at the end of each competitive season. For a brief time this included Battle Festa, an official Pokémon event that ran from 2013 to 2017 (including a special one in 2016 for the franchise’s 20th anniversary) at several locations in Japan throughout the year.
Also, in case you're wondering, it's not "fiesta" (like a party in Spanish). “Festa” is a common name used in Japan and South Korea for conventions and other events, similar to the way “-con” is used in other parts of the world. There was also a “Pokémon Festa” from 2002 to 2009 where many of the Battle Road competitions were held—up until both were disrupted by anonymous threats. (The 2008 Festa was only open to Pokémon Daisuki Club members as a result.)
While the original Pokémon Festas were meant to be more general mass-appeal celebrations, the later Battle Festa series were much more focused on fans of the Trading Card Game. To that end, there were lots of promotional cards that participants could win — but regardless of your tournament prowess, you got one of these gorgeous, fully illustrated Pikachu cards just for showing up.
What Makes the Festa Cards Unique?
Unlike a lot of different promo cards that feature unique abilities or attributes from one another, this series is technically five print runs of the same card, each released one year after the next and bearing new artwork (and, in some cases, an updated Pokédex entry).
The first, handed out in 2014, features a fearsome Pikachu surrounded by fan-favorite Pokémon from the X and Y series: Pancham, Mega Lucario, Sylveon and Mega Gengar.
Fun fact: The illustrator behind this card, Hitoshi Ariga, worked on the Mega Man franchise for decades before first joining as a Pokémon designer for X and Y, where he created Pancham’s evolution, Pangoro, Tyrunt and Tyrantrum and the entire Honedge evolution line!
Next up, the 2015 Battle Festa Pikachu bears artwork from the 3D collective 5ban Graphics, and features Hoopa, Mega Mewtwo X, Mega Mewtwo Y and what looks like a golden Zoroark.
The following card goes a bit more old school, surrounding Pikachu with the original three starters: Bulbasaur, Charmander and Squirtle. Instead of the typical Battle Festa logo, this card featured the official 20th Anniversary symbol, both as a watermark and in the background of Naoki Saito's illustrated art. (In addition to his work with the Pokémon TCG, Naoki Saito was also the main illustrator for Nintendo’s Dragalia Lost gacha mobile game.)
In 2017 the Pokémon series moved on from X and Y to Sun and Moon, and so too did this final Battle Festa Card, which shows Naoki Saito’s Pikachu flanked by the legendary Solgaleo and Lunala.
Where Are They Now?
It seems as if Battle Festa events were eventually phased out in favor of the Pokémon Japan Championships, although the two events briefly overlapped in 2017.
Since then, the Battle Festa Pikachu set has become immensely popular among collectors, in no small part due to their rarity — only around 200 or so copies of each card have been documented and graded so far.
According to PSA, Gem Mint (PSA 10) copies of the 2014, 2015 and 2017 cards can cost you anywhere from $500 to $1000. Meanwhile, the 2016 card is the most highly sought after of the four, with prices that average in the thousands.
Looking to pick up a Pikachu Festa card of your own? Check out our June Premier Auction where you can bid on the 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017 cards!
