UPDATE: The Nomination is submitted with support from Creative Victoria, Visit Victoria, Victorian Greens, and Lord Mayor Sally Capp! You can still support the nomination by signing this petition, and by tweeting Niantic (see below) 

You can see letter of Support here: http://bit.ly/StakeholderSupport 

And all of our supporting documentation in PDF form including Stakeholder Support and additional information about and maps of the sites nominated and Melbourne as a city: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1pSG9fa-VPo_-8JFeHYJvwokD82tvhDyC?usp=sharing 

We just hit 5000 supporters!

Also we have submitted our nomination to Niantic, complete with support from 2 State Government Agencies (Visit Victoria tourism board and Creative Victoria) and Local Government support from the Lord Mayor of Melbourne Sally Capp.

We nominated 7 possible event sites they are listed below with the key selection criteria from Niantic.

Site 1: Alexandra Gardens, Kings Domain & Queens Gardens

Key Criteria

1.     Is there a big, beautiful park of 50-100+ acres?
Yes, 114 acres (excluding Royal Botanical Gardens and Shrine of Remembrance)

2.     Is the park centrally located?
Yes, 700m from the City

3.     Do they allow festivals in the park?
Yes from Music festivals to cultural events and sporting events to Carols by Candlelight

4.     Is it in a safe area?
Very Safe area

5.     Do you get a strong cell phone signal at the park? Is there wireless connectivity?
Yes 4G throughout

6.     What is the density of Points of Interest (ie. PokéStops, Gyms, and Portals)?
High, currently 124 stops

7.     Are there dates available to hold an event?
Yes, we recommend in October to match up with Melbourne International Gaming Week

8.     Is the park in an architecturally or historically interesting area?

Yes, the area includes the Sidney Myer Music Bowl Amphitheatre, numerous monuments, rotundas and art installations.

9.     Will we have the ability to load in and load out commercial vehicles and physical builds/decor?

Yes, this regularly occurs around large scale festivals on these sites.

10.  Can we close roads to car traffic?

Yes, road closures via Vic Roads and Melbourne City Council are regular for large and small scale events, the roads around these areas are often closed for marathons and fun runs.

11.  Can non-players still use the park while we host our event?

Yes, the installation of temp fencing could easily allow for the park to be split to allow both ticketed and general public spaces and often is setup like this.

12.  Is there parking available?

There is limited parking along a number of roads that border the park and along the Yarra river, these are used during carols by candlelight and other events, though Melbourne is very easy to move about via public transport and there are large parking sites just 700m away at Federation Square and around the city as well as just 400m away across the river in Melbourne’s Olympic Park entertainment and events precinct

13.  What is the typical weather for the park on the dates being considered?
October is mild and sunny, usually lows of 15C and highs of 25C

14.  Is the park close to hotels and public transportation?
Yes, Melbourne has the world’s largest Tram network and the largest Tram corridor featuring 8 tram lines runs past this location

15.  Does the city, including the Police Department, support the idea of an event there?

Yes. The Lord Mayor and the State Government have written letters in support of Pokemon Go Fest occurring in Melbourne

16.  Are there other, competing events going on during the planned event dates?
We recommend the event occurring in October around the time of Melbourne International Games Week, this is supported by Creative Victoria, the state government agency that coordinates MIGW. MIGW draws over 75,000 gaming enthusiasts to Melbourne and we believe this would add to attendance for a Pokemon Go Fest Event

17.  Is there enthusiasm of the player community in that city?
Yes, we have 5000 signatures from local players on a petition supporting this nomination. Raid Hour and community Day events are well attended and local Facebook Groups for players have over 35,000 members.

Site 2: Albert Park Lake

Key Criteria

1.     Is there a big, beautiful park of 50-100+ acres?
Yes, 700+ acres

2.     Is the park centrally located?
Yes, 3 km from the City

3.     Do they allow festivals in the park?
Yes notably the Formula 1 Grand Prix and a number of music festivals

4.     Is it in a safe area?
Very Safe area

5.     Do you get a strong cell phone signal at the park? Is there wireless connectivity?
Yes 4G throughout

6.     What is the density of Points of Interest (ie. PokéStops, Gyms, and Portals)?

Moderate, currently 76 stops

7.     Are there dates available to hold an event?

 Yes, we recommend in October to match up with Melbourne International Gaming Week

8.     Is the park in an architecturally or historically interesting area?

Yes, the area includes numerous monuments, rotundas, playgrounds and sporting pavilions, as well as the large ornamental Lake

9.     Will we have the ability to load in and load out commercial vehicles and physical builds/decor?

Yes, this regularly occurs around large scale festivals on these sites.

10.  Can we close roads to car traffic?

Yes, road closures via Vic Roads and Melbourne City Council/Port Phillip Council are regular for large and small scale events, the roads around these areas are often closed for marathons and fun runs, and for the F1 Grand Prix.

11.  Can non-players still use the park while we host our event?

Yes, the installation of temp fencing could easily allow for the park to be split to allow both ticketed and general public spaces and often is setup like this.

12.  Is there parking available?
Yes

13.  What is the typical weather for the park on the dates being considered?
October is mild and sunny, usually lows of 15C and highs of 25C

14.  Is the park close to hotels and public transportation?
Yes, Melbourne has the world’s largest Tram network and 3 tram lines runs past this location with light rail stations at the park itself, and a further 6 that travel St Kilda Road tram corridor.

15.  Does the city, including the Police Department, support the idea of an event there?

Yes. The Lord Mayor and the State Government have written letters in support of Pokemon Go Fest occurring in Melbourne, as has the local MP for this area, Sam Hibbins (His electorate also covers Fawkner Park)

16.  Are there other, competing events going on during the planned event dates?
We recommend the event occurring in October around the time of Melbourne International Games Week, this is supported by Creative Victoria, the state government agency that coordinates MIGW. MIGW draws over 75,000 gaming enthusiasts to Melbourne and we believe this would add to attendance for a Pokemon Go Fest Event

17.  Is there enthusiasm of the player community in that city?
Yes, we have 5000 signatures from local players on a petition supporting this nomination. Raid Hour and community Day events are well attended and local Facebook Groups for players have over 35,000 members.

Site 3: Fitzroy Gardens + Treasury Gardens

Key Criteria
1.     Is there a big, beautiful park of 50-100+ acres?
Yes, 64.3 Acres

2.     Is the park centrally located?
Yes, 200m from the City

3.     Do they allow festivals in the park?
Yes notably the site has hosted Slide Street Festival, Midsumma Festival and regularly hosts large scale mass demonstrations of 50,000-100,000 people

4.     Is it in a safe area?
Very Safe area

5.     Do you get a strong cell phone signal at the park? Is there wireless connectivity?
Yes 4G throughout

6.     What is the density of Points of Interest (ie. PokéStops, Gyms, and Portals)?

Low-Moderate, currently 25 stops

7.     Are there dates available to hold an event?

 Yes, we recommend in October to match up with Melbourne International Gaming Week. This site is booked in sections/lawns and regularly hosts weddings so availability may vary.

8.     Is the park in an architecturally or historically interesting area?

Yes, the area includes numerous monuments, rotundas, playgrounds and heritage sites, as well as the ornamental water features and gardens, an information centre and café and is located between several interesting buildings on its borders including the State Parliament, Old Treasury Building and a number of Cathedrals and Churches.

9.     Will we have the ability to load in and load out commercial vehicles and physical builds/decor?

Yes, this regularly occurs around large events on this site. This site does have heritage overlays that require collaboration with Heritage Victoria and Parks Victoria, but events are regularly held these on large and small scales.

10.  Can we close roads to car traffic?

Yes, road closures via Vic Roads and Melbourne City Council are regular for large and small scale events, Slide Street festival mentioned above included a closure of the entirety of Lansdowne St (Between Treasury Gardens and Fitzroy Gardens) alternate routes are available.

11.  Can non-players still use the park while we host our event?

Yes, the installation of temp fencing could easily allow for the park to be split to allow both ticketed and general public spaces and often is setup like this, though to maximise area it may be preferable to have this site as ticketholder only

12.  Is there parking available?
Yes

13.  What is the typical weather for the park on the dates being considered?
October is mild and sunny, usually lows of 15C and highs of 25C

14.  Is the park close to hotels and public transportation?
Yes, Melbourne has the world’s largest Tram network, many trams pass these gardens, also Parliament Train station, a major City station is located just 50m from the site.

15.  Does the city, including the Police Department, support the idea of an event there?

Yes. The Lord Mayor and the State Government have written letters in support of Pokemon Go Fest occurring in Melbourne.

16.  Are there other, competing events going on during the planned event dates?
We recommend the event occurring in October around the time of Melbourne International Games Week, this is supported by Creative Victoria, the state government agency that coordinates MIGW. MIGW draws over 75,000 gaming enthusiasts to Melbourne and we believe this would add to attendance for a Pokemon Go Fest Event

17.  Is there enthusiasm of the player community in that city?
Yes, we have 5000 signatures from local players on a petition supporting this nomination. Raid Hour and community Day events are well attended and local Facebook Groups for players have over 35,000 members.

Site 4: Carlton Gardens

Key Criteria

1.     Is there a big, beautiful park of 50-100+ acres?
Yes, 64 Acres

2.     Is the park centrally located?
Yes, 400m from the City

3.     Do they allow festivals in the park?
Yes notably White Night, Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show and a number fo expos at the Royal Exhibition Building located in the center of the park.

4.     Is it in a safe area?
Very Safe area

5.     Do you get a strong cell phone signal at the park? Is there wireless connectivity?
Yes 4G throughout

6.     What is the density of Points of Interest (ie. PokéStops, Gyms, and Portals)?

Moderate, currently 38 stops

7.     Are there dates available to hold an event?

Unclear, though we recommend in October to match up with Melbourne International Gaming Week.

8.     Is the park in an architecturally or historically interesting area?

Yes, the area includes numerous monuments, rotundas, playgrounds and heritage sites, as well as the ornamental water features, fountains and gardens. In the centre of the park is the Royal Exhibition Building and nearby is Melbourne IMAX and Melbourne Museum, as well as Tennis Courts and other sporting facilities.

9.     Will we have the ability to load in and load out commercial vehicles and physical builds/decor?

Yes, this regularly occurs around large events on this site. Especially with IMAX, Melbourne Museum and Royal Exhibition Building

10.  Can we close roads to car traffic?

Yes, road closures via Vic Roads and Melbourne City Council are regular for large and small scale events, the grid design of Melbourne’s inner suburbs allows easy detours to be designed.

11.  Can non-players still use the park while we host our event?

Yes, the installation of temp fencing could easily allow for the park to be split to allow both ticketed and general public spaces and often is setup like this, though to maximise area it may be preferable to have this site as ticketholder only

12.  Is there parking available?
There is on street metered parking, or many nearby large parking sites.

13.  What is the typical weather for the park on the dates being considered?
October is mild and sunny, usually lows of 15C and highs of 25C

14.  Is the park close to hotels and public transportation?
Yes, Melbourne has the world’s largest Tram network, many trams pass these gardens, also Parliament Train station, a major City station is located just 150m from the site.

15.  Does the city, including the Police Department, support the idea of an event there?

Yes. The Lord Mayor and the State Government have written letters in support of Pokemon Go Fest occurring in Melbourne.

16.  Are there other, competing events going on during the planned event dates?
We recommend the event occurring in October around the time of Melbourne International Games Week, this is supported by Creative Victoria, the state government agency that coordinates MIGW. MIGW draws over 75,000 gaming enthusiasts to Melbourne and we believe this would add to attendance for a Pokemon Go Fest Event

17.  Is there enthusiasm of the player community in that city?
Yes, we have 5000 signatures from local players on a petition supporting this nomination. Raid Hour and community Day events are well attended and local Facebook Groups for players have over 35,000 members.

Site 5: Birrarung Marr & Federation Square

Key Criteria

1.     Is there a big, beautiful park of 50-100+ acres?
Federation Square and Birrarung Marr combine to about 30 Acres, however they are very close to the aforementioned sites of Alexandra Gardens and as such coud be used in conjunction with that site. And they are linked by 2 bridges over the Yarra River.

2.     Is the park centrally located?
Yes, 50-100m from the City

3.     Do they allow festivals in the park?
Yes notably Moomba, White Night, Circus Oz, the area was custom built as a cultural district with holding events in mind as its purpose..

4.     Is it in a safe area?
Very Safe area

5.     Do you get a strong cell phone signal at the park? Is there wireless connectivity?
Yes 4G throughout

6.     What is the density of Points of Interest (ie. PokéStops, Gyms, and Portals)?

Moderate, currently 29 stops

7.     Are there dates available to hold an event?

Unclear, though we recommend in October to match up with Melbourne International Gaming Week. This area is in proximity to works to build a new train station so availability of Federation Square may be limited.

8.     Is the park in an architecturally or historically interesting area?

Yes, Federation Square’s design itself is an iconic piece of Melbourne’s architecture and Birrarung Marr is covered in large scale public artworks.

9.     Will we have the ability to load in and load out commercial vehicles and physical builds/decor?

Yes, this regularly occurs around large events on this site.

10.  Can we close roads to car traffic?

Yes, road closures via Vic Roads and Melbourne City Council are regular for large and small scale events, though would likely not be needed for this site.

11.  Can non-players still use the park while we host our event?

Yes, the installation of temp fencing could easily allow for the park to be split to allow both ticketed and general public spaces and often is setup like this, though to maximise area it may be preferable to have this site as ticketholder only

12.  Is there parking available?
Yes, Federation Square has parking.

13.  What is the typical weather for the park on the dates being considered?
October is mild and sunny, usually lows of 15C and highs of 25C

14.  Is the park close to hotels and public transportation?
Yes, Melbourne has the world’s largest Tram network, and 90% of trams pass Federation Square, as well as the site being located opposite Flinders Street Station the major hub of Melbourne’s train network.

15.  Does the city, including the Police Department, support the idea of an event there?

Yes. The Lord Mayor and the State Government have written letters in support of Pokemon Go Fest occurring in Melbourne.

16.  Are there other, competing events going on during the planned event dates?
We recommend the event occurring in October around the time of Melbourne International Games Week, this is supported by Creative Victoria, the state government agency that coordinates MIGW. MIGW draws over 75,000 gaming enthusiasts to Melbourne and we believe this would add to attendance for a Pokemon Go Fest Event

17.  Is there enthusiasm of the player community in that city?
Yes, we have 5000 signatures from local players on a petition supporting this nomination. Raid Hour and community Day events are well attended and local Facebook Groups for players have over 35,000 members.

Site 6: Melbourne & Olympic Parks + Yarra Park/Richmond Oval/Gosch Paddock

Key Criteria

1.     Is there a big, beautiful park of 50-100+ acres?
Yes, 217 acres  and is connected to Alexandra Gardens by Swan Street Bridge.

2.     Is the park centrally located?
Yes, 200m from the City

3.     Do they allow festivals in the park?
Yes this area was purpose build for the 1956 Melbourne Olympics and upgraded many times since, it hosts sporting events, festivals and music events regularly.

4.     Is it in a safe area?
Very Safe area

5.     Do you get a strong cell phone signal at the park? Is there wireless connectivity?
Yes 4G throughout

6.     What is the density of Points of Interest (ie. PokéStops, Gyms, and Portals)?

High, currently 82 stops

7.     Are there dates available to hold an event?

Yes, though we recommend in October to match up with Melbourne International Gaming Week.

8.     Is the park in an architecturally or historically interesting area?

Yes, the area includes numerous monuments, rotundas, playgrounds and heritage sites, as well as  AAMI Park Stadium, Melbourne Cricket Ground, Rod Laver Arena, Margaret Court Arena, Yarra River Trail, and much more.

9.     Will we have the ability to load in and load out commercial vehicles and physical builds/decor?

Yes, this regularly occurs around large events on this site. This area is incredibly well equipped for this.

10.  Can we close roads to car traffic?

Yes, road closures via Vic Roads and Melbourne City Council are regular for large and small scale events.

11.  Can non-players still use the park while we host our event?

Yes, the installation of temp fencing could easily allow for the park to be split to allow both ticketed and general public spaces and often is setup like this, as well as multiple stadiums and areas allowing for this delineation.

12.  Is there parking available?
There is onsite parking at most of the arenas and sporting sites, or many nearby large parking sites.

13.  What is the typical weather for the park on the dates being considered?
October is mild and sunny, usually lows of 15C and highs of 25C

14.  Is the park close to hotels and public transportation?
Yes, Melbourne has the world’s largest Tram network, many trams pass this site, it also in walking distance of Richmond Station (a major hub/interchange) and the City Centre. With large football matches and events regularly attracting 40,000-80,000 spectators this area is very well designed to handle crowds.

15.  Does the city, including the Police Department, support the idea of an event there?

Yes. The Lord Mayor and the State Government have written letters in support of Pokemon Go Fest occurring in Melbourne.

16.  Are there other, competing events going on during the planned event dates?
We recommend the event occurring in October around the time of Melbourne International Games Week, this is supported by Creative Victoria, the state government agency that coordinates MIGW. MIGW draws over 75,000 gaming enthusiasts to Melbourne and we believe this would add to attendance for a Pokemon Go Fest Event

17.  Is there enthusiasm of the player community in that city?
Yes, we have 5000 signatures from local players on a petition supporting this nomination. Raid Hour and community Day events are well attended and local Facebook Groups for players have over 35,000 members.

Site 7: Fawkner Park
Key Criteria

1.     Is there a big, beautiful park of 50-100+ acres?
Yes, 101 Acres

2.     Is the park centrally located?
Yes, 3 km from the City

3.     Do they allow festivals in the park?
Yes

4.     Is it in a safe area?
Very Safe area

5.     Do you get a strong cell phone signal at the park? Is there wireless connectivity?
Yes 4G throughout

6.     What is the density of Points of Interest (ie. PokéStops, Gyms, and Portals)?

Low, currently 12 stops

7.     Are there dates available to hold an event?

Yes, we recommend in October to match up with Melbourne International Gaming Week.

8.     Is the park in an architecturally or historically interesting area?

Yes, the area includes numerous monuments, rotundas, playgrounds, and sporting facilities, it is also opposite the Alfred Hospital and nearby to St Kilda Road business district.

9.     Will we have the ability to load in and load out commercial vehicles and physical builds/decor?

Yes, this regularly occurs around large events on this site.

10.  Can we close roads to car traffic?

Yes, road closures via Vic Roads and Melbourne City Council are regular for large and small scale events, the grid design of Melbourne’s inner suburbs allows easy detours to be designed. This park borders a second city municipality, Stonnington City Council.

11.  Can non-players still use the park while we host our event?

Yes, the installation of temp fencing could easily allow for the park to be split to allow both ticketed and general public spaces

Is there parking available?
There is on street parking around the park.

12.  What is the typical weather for the park on the dates being considered?
October is mild and sunny, usually lows of 15C and highs of 25C

13.  Is the park close to hotels and public transportation?
Yes, Melbourne has the world’s largest Tram network, many trams pass this park including all St Kilda Rd corridor Trams.

14.  Does the city, including the Police Department, support the idea of an event there?

Yes. The Lord Mayor and the State Government have written letters in support of Pokemon Go Fest occurring in Melbourne. Sam Hibbins the Member for Prahran who’s electorate covers this park has also written in support.

15.  Are there other, competing events going on during the planned event dates?
We recommend the event occurring in October around the time of Melbourne International Games Week, this is supported by Creative Victoria, the state government agency that coordinates MIGW. MIGW draws over 75,000 gaming enthusiasts to Melbourne and we believe this would add to attendance for a Pokemon Go Fest Event

16.  Is there enthusiasm of the player community in that city?
Yes, we have 5000 signatures from local players on a petition supporting this nomination. Raid Hour and community Day events are well attended and local Facebook Groups for players have over 35,000 members.

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ORIGINAL PETITION TEXT:

Pokemon Go has a vibrant player community in Australia, what it hasn't had is a Safari Zone or Pokemon Go Fest here... but that could all be about to change! 

Niantic has been calling for player communities to nominate their cities to host such events in 2020 posting your suggested city park to Twitter or Instagram with the hashtag #NianticLive2020 and tell them why you think it would make for a great event, and through the Niantic Labs website which spells out all of the criteria that goes into picking the perfect park (spoiler alert: it’s not as simple as some might think).

Cities around the world are vying for the prize! Including a number of Aussie Cities!

Niantic also suggest teaming up with other players in your city, or even with local officials (Parks Departments, Tourism Boards, Local Representatives) to submit an official nomination.

There’s a form on the #NianticLive2020 website for those official and group submissions. Deadline for nominations is October 1, 2019.

This petition is aimed at asking City of Melbourne, Creative Victoria, Federal and State Members for Melbourne, and the Victorian State Government to endorse an official nomination of Melbourne to Niantic.

We are a committee of Melbourne based players from the local community who are working to lodge an official nomination of Australia's Events Capitol as the place to host Niantic's first Australian Pokemon Go live event, we need the signatures of players to show Local, State and Federal decision makers the level of support for this event which could provide great tourism and event opportunity for the city with huge economic benefits. 

Our committee has spoken briefly with the Events team at City of Melbourne, and it's clear to us that to get the support of Councillors we need to show the councillors the support for the event, and so we ask you to sign below.

We the below signed Australia-Pacific region players sign to show the level of community support for this event and game, and call on Local and State Governments, and Federal and State Members for the seat of Melbourne to write a letter of endorsement to the committee to submit with our nomination of Melbourne for the first Australian Niantic special event.