Events and Experiences

What’s On

Wish Upon A Starfish

20th December – 4th January

Open every day except Christmas Day. 10am – 5pm (last entry 4pm).

Christmas time is here again!

At this magical time of year, we love to shelter from the storm outside and dive into the wonders of the underwater world. We’re encouraging our visitors to channel some Christmas magic and think about the future of our oceans this winter. ❄️

Christmas is a time to celebrate with family and be grateful for what you have. We would like guests to think about why they are grateful for the ocean and marine life, while celebrating the festive season, and make Christmas wishes for the ocean’s future.

Did you know starfish have a magic trick of their own? They can regrow limbs! If they are unlucky enough to have an arm chomped by a passing predator, these amazing echinoderms can regenerate damaged limbs back to full health.

Just like the starfish, our oceans are beautiful and resilient, but they can’t survive without our help. From the 20^th December – 4^th January we’ll be encouraging all our customers to make a Christmas wish for ocean conservation and think about how they can make a positive difference to the planet in their day-to-day life.

🎁 Activities 🎁

🌟 Wish Upon A Starfish – Make a Christmas wish for the future of our oceans and hang it on our Christmas tree. Find out what you can do to turn your wish into actions for the new year.

🎅 Meet Charlie the Christmas Clownfish! – Every day at 11am Charlie will be coming out to say hello to our visitors in our main foyer

🎄 Follow our Fishmas Trail! – Grab your activity sheet and follow our Christmas trail around the aquarium. Match the colourful Christmas baubles with patterns of our creatures. How many can you find?

All included in your regular admission ticket.

More starfish star-facts!

⭐They don’t have brains or blood

⭐Most starfish have five arms, but some can have up to 50

⭐Starfish have two stomachs

⭐Their eyes are on the ends of their arms!

Find out more about starfish anatomy in our blog post.

Daily Talks & Feeds Schedule:

Talks and feeds subject to change.

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.

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 to reduce any unexpected noises. We also increase our lighting in some of our darker areas throughout the day to create a more consistent sensory experience throughout the aquarium.

Our upcoming Even Calmer days are:

Thursday 18^th Dec

2026 dates to be announced soon.

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.