Birch Aquarium Expands Oceans At Night Experience

Thanks to the popularity of Oceans at Night, Birch Aquarium at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego is revamping the nighttime 21 + event in order to increase capacity, as the event has been selling out in record time.

Summer events take place July 27 and August 24 from 6:30PM to 9:30PM.

The Oceans at Night Experience

Oceans at Night is a monthly series that celebrates the wonders and mysteries of the ocean after dark, featuring interactive experiences that highlight ocean phenomena that occur at night including biofluorescence and bioacoustics. The adults-only atmosphere includes live music, a glow lounge with larger-than-life-sized games, and epic ocean views as well as food and beverage for sale from The French Gourmet.

“We launched Oceans at Night as a fun and engaging way to connect our adult guests to the very interesting question of ‘what happens in the ocean when the lights go out,’ said Executive Director, Harry Helling. “The monthly event has been popular and creates a very different type of aquarium experience than during the day. 

“During the darker months we focused on things that ‘glowed in the night,’ but we are shifting the summer toward listening to the ocean, with new installations from the UC San Diego Music Department and Scripps Oceanography’s bioacoustics lab.”

Beginning in July, Oceans at Night expands onto Blue Beach — a new area featuring a 4,500-square-foot floor mural depicting the bathymetry (or map of the depth) of the underwater canyons off La Jolla Shores, as well as comfy seating, giant blocks from Imagination Playground and stunning ocean views.

The expansion will allow for a larger event capacity and the addition of more activities.

A new upgraded experience has also been added to the lineup in August. A limited number of guests will experience an intimate reception with UC San Diego Chancellor’s Distinguished Professor of Music, Lei Liang. 

A noted composer known for his nature-inspired music and for his unique collaboration with Scripps Oceanography’s bioacoustics lab, where the ‘hauntingly beautiful’ sounds of whales, dolphins and even cracking Arctic ice are incorporated into original compositions.

In this 45-minute program, guests will be guided through an immersive sound experience from Lang’s Hearing Icescapes and Inaudible Oceans albums, and will hear demonstrations by graduate musicians that have been inspired by the ocean to rethink how they play their instruments.

Info & Tickets

The cost for the upgraded package is $67.50 for members and $75 for nonmembers. It includes general admission to Oceans at Night as well as one complimentary beverage.

Note there will be no Upgraded Glow Experience offered in July. Limited capacity is available and reservations must be made in advance.

Tickets for the July Oceans at Night are on sale now. Tickets for the August event will be available for the general public beginning July 27 at noon. 

Additional events take place from 6:30PM to 9:30PM on select Thursdays throughout the year. Tickets are $27 for members, and $30 for the general public.  

Visit here for information and to reserve tickets.

See you there, San Diego!