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Antwerp street closed due to Pokémon hype

Antwerp police have barred the Kammenstraat shopping street because of "crowds of Pokémon hunters". Pokémon enthusiasts flocked to the area because a special kind of Pokémon could be captured this afternoon. The initiative was taken by the local organisation for the self-employed, Unizo.
Michaël Torfs

It had been announced on social media that the Kammenstraat, a little shopping street, would become "Pokémon area" this afternoon, so police were monitoring the situation. Apart from the presence of a special type of Pokémon, a lot of Pokéballs were at stake as well.

The situation led to big crowds of (mainly) youngsters flocking to the street, and to a unique decision: a street that had to be closed due to a game on social media. Nico Volckeryck, president of Unizo Antwerpen, said that Unizo only paid 50 euros to get the Pokémon and Pokéstops.

Unizo wanted to give the street's local economy a boost. The event did attract a lot of people, but this did not result in more customers entering the various shops. "It is frustrating actually that I can't go on the street myself to chase Pokémon", the local Lee Cooper store manager smiled. Others shopkeepers explained "it's just a different kind of public".

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