Since opening in 2009 our site has seen hundreds of thousands of people through the doors exploring the thousands of animals on display here at Bristol Aquarium.
Previously the building hosted Wildwalk, a part of At-Bristol Science Museum, exploring animals and plants within its giant botanical house and beyond, the building closed to the public in 2007.
After being purchased by Blue Reef in 2008, the aquarium opened to the public in November 2009 after extensive renovations to the site, joining Blue Reef’s sister sites across the country.
Although our refurbishments were considerable to turn ourselves into a fully functioning aquarium, we managed to hold on to the giant botanical house, integrating in our Rocky Shores and Amazing Amazon displays, making us the only aquarium in the UK to feature a giant botanical house within our walls.
In 2010 the site rebranded to Bristol Aquarium to put a mark on our individuality and to integrate ourselves further as a part of the city.
In 2011 the IMAX cinema ceased operating due to the selection of films available, high running costs and a desire to focus more specifically on the aquarium as a zoological operation first and foremost.
In 2011 we opened the Learning Lab, a space in the middle of the aquarium which has since educated tens of thousands of school groups yearly, as well as holding daily talks, events and exciting activities for all visitors.
In 2012 we welcomed Bolt, the electric eel (Gymnotus electricus), who became an iconic addition to the Edge of Rainforest section. Bolt was found at Heathrow Airport, smuggled in a passenger’s suitcase, and was subsequently donated to Bristol Aquarium to live out the rest of her time with our staff and visitors.
In 2015 the aquarium sponsored an underwater design of Shaun the Sheep named “Life Aquatic” on the Shaun in the City – Gromit Unleashed trail to raise money for the Grand Appeal.
In 2019 the coral seas section welcomed Sheila, a giant grouper or queensland grouper (Epinephelus lanceolatus), to Bristol Aquarium and she has since become a star of the show and a firm fan favourite.
In 2022 just over 10 years after the IMAX had stopped being used, the space was reopened for film festivals and one-off screenings, with Forbidden Worlds Film Festival being the first annual programmed event, which recently celebrated another great year in 2024. In 2022 the site also hosted the premiere of Prehistoric Planet from David Attenborough and Apple TV.
In 2024 the cinema was relaunched as Bristol Megascreen, launching new web pages and social media channels specifically for the cinema. 2024 also saw Bristol Megascreen host the Festival of Nature, Wildscreen Festival, Cary Grant Film Festival, Forbidden Worlds Film Festival and many more events from Bristol’s diverse film community.
In 2024 the aquarium also welcomed Maggie, their newest common octopus (Octopus vulgaris), to the Ocean Floor section.
Now, in 2024 to celebrate our anniversary, Bristol Aquarium will be putting on a couple of fun extras on the 30th November 2024 and the 1st December 2024.
Visitors will be able to bounce for the birthday on our big blue bouncy castle which will be in the foyer over the weekend.
Guests will be asked to support The Shark Trust with a donation before having a bounce, a charity with which the aquarium recently hosted the nationally touring Oceanic 31 art exhibition about sharks and rays.
Our big fluffy mascot, Charlie the Clownfish, will be saying hello to guests at 11am in the foyer for anyone who would like to take a picture and wish the aquarium a happy birthday.
We will be putting up our favourite photos from visitors over the last 15 years on our social media channels, and on display in the foyer, across the birthday weekend on the 30th November and 1st December.
Sunny Hubbard, General Manager, reminisces “I have had the pleasure of working at Bristol Aquarium across various roles for 10 of its 15 years and we’ve welcomed lots of innovations over this time as our operation has grown to what it is today. We love being in the heart of the city providing conservation, education, and a calming day out for our visitors, and we are excited to see what the next 15 years brings us!”