Pokémon Pokopia’s Halloween event is open, but you need more than the right date to join it. Pumpkaboo’s Sweet Surprises runs until November 1 at 4:59 a.m. local time, and its starting requirements include a rebuilt Pokémon Center and the Camouflage move.
If you’ve opened your save and found nothing happening, check those prerequisites before wandering around looking for Pumpkaboo. This is a participation checklist based on the published instructions, rather than a hands-on account of the event.
Get your save ready first
Nintendo’s event instructions specify version 2.0.1, completion of a town’s important request, a rebuilt Center and Camouflage learned from Zorua in Bleak Beach. Set your Switch 2 to the real-world date and time, then launch while connected to the internet.
Work through that list in order: check the software version, check your progress, then check the connection. It’s a more useful first step than assuming a missing character means your save is broken. There’s no reason to change several things at once and lose track of which requirement you were missing.
The official Japanese notice also explains a detail that’s easy to overlook: after meeting the conditions during the event, change towns once or use Save & Quit. Cloud Islands and Bubbly Basin don’t host it.
For multiplayer, use Palette Town, speak to Pumpkaboo before starting Link Play, and avoid Spectator Mode. If you’re arranging a session with someone else, make those checks before you both set aside time to play.
Turn your candy into a habitat
Pokémon’s event overview describes the loop: befriend Pumpkaboo near the Center, disguise yourself as objects Pokémon like, surprise them and collect pumpkin candy. Exchange it at the Center for decorations, then use event items to create Gourgeist’s habitat.
My suggestion is to decide what you want from the event before shopping. If meeting Gourgeist is your priority, inspect the habitat requirements before spending your candy on a decorating project. If you mainly want a Halloween corner for your town, sketch that out first. Either approach gives you a clearer stopping point than trying to collect things without a plan.
The Pokémon you befriend remain after the event ends. That makes getting them settled a useful goal even if you don’t want to finish every decoration. Allow yourself time to complete the prerequisites, and aim to wrap up before Halloween ends rather than relying on the early-hours November 1 cutoff.