Here at Bristol Aquarium we pride ourselves on providing conservation education through our talks, feeding shows and special activities.
Every school holidays we run special themed events with daytime activities all included in admission.
Make the most of your ticket by joining us at our 5 daily talks & feeds to discover more about the wonderful creatures of the deep and ask us anything about your favourite animals! 🐟
Find out more about our upcoming events below at the Aquarium and also in our Auditorium (additional charges may apply for auditorium or evening events where stated).
🎂 It’s our Birthday! 🎂
30th December – 1st January
We are celebrating 15 years of fish and fun on the harbourside on the 30th November and 1st December, with a couple of extra fun activities!
🐠 15 years of fish! 🐠
We’re looking for snaps from our visitors through the years, from our opening in 2009 all the way up to 2024, to chart the story of our aquarium! They can be pictures of you, or of any great snaps that you’ve taken of our animals.
We’ll be putting our favourite ones up on social media, and on display in our foyer, across our birthday weekend on the 30th Nov and 1st December. 🐟
Send your pictures in to bristoladmin@bristolaquarium.co.uk with the subject line “15th Birthday Photo” by midnight Tuesday 26th November. In the email please include the year it was taken, your name and your social media handle (if you would like to be credited).
🏰 Our Bouncy Castle 🏰
We will be raising money for The Shark Trust in return for a boing on our bouncy castle! Come along and make a donation to have a bounce for our birthday!
🐟 Meet Charlie the Clownfish! 🐟
Charlie will be out and about saying hello from 11am in our foyer on both days. Come and say hi, have your picture taken, and wish us a happy birthday with the fluffiest fish around!
“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!” – Sunny Hubbard, General Manager
💙🌊💙
🐠 Fishmas Families! 🐠
21st December – 5th January
We are open every day, except for the 25th December.
Christmas time is all about getting together with the ones you love.
Did you know, a recent study has found that day octopuses team up with blue goatfish to form hunting packs?
Fish find their families in all sorts of different ways, so from the 21st December – 5th January we will be learning all about how our animals form different social groups!
We are open every day throughout the holidays, except for Christmas Day, so come on down and spread the love with our fishy friends!
🎅 Meet Charlie the Christmas Clownfish! 🎅
Santa’s underwater representative Charlie will be back once again to receive your Christmas letters!
Take your photo with Charlie and hand him your letter to pass on to Santa.
You can say hi to Charlie every day from 11am – 11.20am throughout the Christmas holidays, where he’ll be in our Bay of Rays zone, except for the 24th, 26th, and 31st December and the 1st January.
🎄 Make a Fishmas card! 🎄
We’ll have everything you need to make your Fishmas letter to Santa, or to write your friends and family a Fishmas card in our Christmas craft corner. Find it in the main foyer when you arrive.
🎁 Fishmas Family Facts! 🎁
Follow our trail around the aquarium, exploring our different animals and the fascinating ways in which they form social groups!
🎄🐠🎄
The Kris Nock Big Band: Jingle Bell Ball 🎄
Time to get in the Christmas spirit with Kris Nock’s Jingle Bell Ball! Enjoy a unique event exploring Bristol Aquarium followed by dinner, and a show!
Explore the aquarium after hours followed by a fully catered BBQ buffet, and two full sets of your favourite Christmas music!
18:00 – 19:00 Access to the Aquarium
19:00 – 20:00 BBQ Buffet
20:00 – 22:00 Kris Nock Big Band Performance
Please note: this event is produced and run by Kris Nock’s Big Band, hosted within our aquarium. For tickets and any further enquiries about the event follow the ticket link below.
Bristol Aquarium – Even Calmer Days
Our dedicated Even Calmer days create a more relaxing sensory experience for any customers who may need it. We will be turning off our music, and children’s rides. We will be open an extra hour. We also increase our lighting some of our darker areas throughout the day.
On the 15th Non and 9th Dec we will be open until 5pm, last entry 4pm.
Our upcoming Even Calmer Days are:
Friday 15 November
Monday 9 December
Once purchased, tickets are valid for one day of your choice within 6 months from the date of purchase.
You do not need to book a time slot or a day. We endeavour to admit all visitors and will prioritise online tickets and members on days we are at capacity but due to the nature of the attraction’s one way system this is a very rare occurrence.
Daily Talks & Feeds Schedule:
Talks and feeds subject to change.
11:30am
Coral Seas
Meet the inhabitants of our Coral Reef and see how we train our rays and sharks to come to the surface for their breakfast!
12:30pm
Mon/ Wed/ Fri
UK Native Fish and Sharks
Discover more about the shark species that can be found around our own shores!
12:30pm
Tue/ Thurs/ Sat/ Sun
Seahorses
Discover more about our graceful herd of Big Bellied Seahorses from Australasia.
1:30pm
Bay of Rays
Meet our inquisitive rays and learn about how they’re actually flat sharks!
2:30pm
Amazing Amazon
Come and check out this big fish feeding frenzy – just watch you don’t get splashed!
3:00pm
Octopus
Meet our common octopus, and learn some fascinating facts about these amazing molluscs, as she get’s her dinner.
Once purchased, tickets are valid for one day of your choice within 6 months from the date of purchase.
You do not need to book a time slot or a day. We endeavour to admit all visitors and will prioritise online tickets and members on days we are at capacity but due to the nature of the attraction’s one way system this is a very rare occurrence.