Fifty thousand fans, a sold-out Moscone, and a brand-new fan convention: Pokémon's World Championships hit San Francisco Aug. 28–30. Here are the real, free ways to be part of it without a badge.

Pokémon's World Championships take over Moscone Center this coming weekend, Friday, Aug. 28 through Sunday, Aug. 30 — and for the first time the tournament shares the building with an official fan convention, Pokémon XP. Roughly 50,000 people are expected across the three days, it's only the second time the city has drawn the event, and the whole thing doubles as a 30th-birthday bash for the franchise. The championship rounds finish at Chase Center on Sunday.

Here's the part a lot of people are learning too late: you can't just wander in. Badges for both the tournament and the fan convention are gone (external source, opens in a new tab), and Moscone security won't let you past the door without one. The only way in was the interest-list sign-ups (external source, opens in a new tab) The Pokémon Company ran earlier this year — a lottery for the right to buy a pass — and the last of those, for single-day entry, has already closed.

So if you don't have a badge, here's how to actually do the weekend, ranked by how much it gets you.

Stream it, free. Every match, panel, and award ceremony is being broadcast live on PokemonXP.com at no charge. This is the actual draw — the best Trading Card Game and Pokémon GO players on the planet, plus the UNITE and newly launched Pokémon Champions circuits — and you get all of it without leaving the house. It runs straight through the Chase Center finals.

Catch the Giants tie-in. The night before the convention opens, Oracle Park hosts a Pokémon Worlds Night on Thursday, Aug. 27, when the Giants face the Arizona Diamondbacks: Pokémon GO activations around the park and a themed drone show. The special Worlds Night package is gone, but KQED reported that ordinary single-game tickets to that Giants–Diamondbacks matchup were still available (external source, opens in a new tab) — enough to get you inside for the activations without the bundle.

Don't buy a badge off a stranger. People are selling, and it's a trap. Each badge is registered to the buyer's name and their Pokémon Trainer Central account, and you have to show a government ID to collect it at the venue — so a pass you picked up secondhand simply won't scan at the counter. Fans have been warning each other online that resale money spent this way is almost certainly gone for good.

Two free hours and no badge? Pull up the stream Sunday afternoon for the Chase Center finals. That's the marquee — the best players left standing — and watching the whole thing costs nothing.