Open Soon : 10:00AM - 05:00 PM

  • Thursday : 10:00AM - 05:00 PM
  • Friday : 10:00AM - 05:00 PM
  • Saturday : 10:00AM - 05:00 PM
  • Sunday : 10:00AM - 05:00 PM
  • Monday : 10:00AM - 05:00 PM
  • Tuesday : 10:00AM - 05:00 PM
  • Wednesday : 10:00AM - 05:00 PM

Here at Bristol Aquarium we pride ourselves on providing conservation education through our talks, feeding shows and special activities.

Every half term 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).


Prehistoric Sealife

Dive back through the mists of time this Easter and return to a world when giants ruled the seas with Prehistoric Sealife at Bristol Aquarium.

From the 23rd March to the 14th April we are learning all about the wild and wonderful creatures that called our seas home 200 million years ago.

Meet a fossil hunter!

Get up and close with some fascinating fossils on the 24th March. Dr Mark O’Dell will be joining us in our displays from 11am – 3.30pm to tell visitors about life as a fossil hunter. No booking required.

Visitors will be able to explore some of the fossils in Mark’s collection including ammonites, fossilised fish and shark’s teeth, and are encouraged to bring in any fossils they may have at home to be identified.

Daily talks, feeds and more!

As well as our regular talks we will be hosting some special prehistoric talks and activities so you can find out all about animal life under the waves on prehistoric Earth.

See the modern-day relatives of these beautiful creatures as you walk through our displays.

Track your way through our colourful egg trail and don’t forget to watch out for our dinos in our botanical house as well! You never know just where they might be lurking…

Entry is included in your admission. Open 10am – 5pm, last entry 4pm.

…or keep scrolling to read more about our special events


Jurassic Pompeii

In late 2020 Neville and Sally Hollingworth investigated a quarry in Wiltshire and found the clay on the quarry floor to be full of exquisitely preserved remains of sea lilies, starfish, and brittle stars.

The Natural History Museum has now excavated what is thought to be one of the largest finds of exquisitely preserved Jurassic echinoderms ever found in the UK.

On the 30th March at 2pm join us for a free lecture from Neville and Sally Hollingworth on their amazing discovery, as part of our Prehistoric Sealife season this Easter.

Doors open 1.30pm.

They will be telling us all about their adventure from first discovering the material of the Jurassic seabed and uncovering these beautiful specimens, to the involvement of the Natural History Museum, and the international significance of the fossils. They will also be bringing along some of these amazing, prepared specimens for you to see.

This event is free but pre-booking is required. Aquarium admission charged separately.

Read more about their fascinating discovery here – ‘Jurassic Pompeii’ yields thousands of ‘squiggly wiggly’ fossils – BBC News

Neville and Sally said: “We are very much looking forward to describing a unique site which has produced some exceptionally well-preserved fossils that lived in our Prehistoric Seas millions of years ago, some of their closest living relatives can be seen in the aquarium today!”

The talk will be aimed at all ages with fun facts and fascinating stories. It will last around 45 minutes to an hour and be followed by a Q&A.

Neville Hollingworth studied for a Geology Degree at Newcastle University followed by a PhD in Palaeontology at the University of Durham and is now a Public Engagement Manager at the Science and Technology Facilities Council in Swindon, engaging people with everything from Atoms to Astrophysics.

As a child Sally collected ‘treasures’ often filling her sister’s pram with her finds, but never followed the path as Neville did, later turning to amateur astronomy. She is also an expert fossil preparator using mechanical & air abrading techniques.

The couple met in 2015 whilst volunteering for Cotswold Astronomical Society at the Cheltenham Science Festival. They married in 2017 and have enjoyed many field trips since, resulting in some incredible finds including a Neanderthal Hand Axe found in 2017 with Mammoth remains which led onto the making of a BBC One documentary.


The Land Before Time (1988)

Sat 13 Apr 11am, doors 10:30am.

We are bringing the nostalgic, warm hearted dinosaur adventure to you for a one off showing this Easter on our huge cinema screen!

Our former IMAX screen is big enough to fit a megalodon in! Don’t miss your chance to see this family classic in all its glory.

Littlefoot, a young herbivorous dinosaur, heads towards the legendary Great Valley. While on his way, he meets four other orphan dinosaurs and together they learn to face the odds of survival. Directed by Don Bluth (An American Tail, The Secret of Nimh) and executive produced by Stephen Spielberg (E.T, Jurassic Park) and George Lucas (Star Wars, Indiana Jones) this colourful 80s adventure has stood the test of time as one of the most beloved children’s movies ever made.

Film tickets are only available online. Pre-booking required.

We are also offering a very special deal for this screening to allow families to make Saturday the 13th April a full day of dino-fun

Get 10% off your ticket to the aquarium when you buy a ticket to this film and explore our talks and activities in the aquarium, all on the subject of Prehistoric Sealife. Kids under 3 go free for this film, and to the aquarium.

Just show your film ticket on the front desk when purchasing your aquarium ticket on the day. 10% discount can only be redeemed in person from the front desk on the 13th April and not redeemed from online bought aquarium tickets.


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 as well as increasing our lighting levels for the whole day. We will be open at 10am with late opening until 6pm, last entry 5pm.

Join us for our Even Calmer Days on:

Monday 15 January

Tuesday 6 February

Wednesday 20 March

Thursday 25 April

Friday 17 May

Monday 10 June

Tuesday 9 July

Wednesday 11 September

Thursday 3 October

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:

Coral seas tank

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!

Location: Section 5, Edge of Rainforest

UK native tank

12:30pm

Mon/ Wed/ Fri

UK Native Fish and Sharks

Discover more about the shark species that can be found around our own shores!

Location: Section 3, Ocean Floor

Seahorses

12:30pm

Tue/ Thurs/ Sat/ Sun

Seahorses

Discover more about our graceful herd of Big Bellied Seahorses from Australasia.

Location: Section 4, Learning Lab

Bay of Rays tank

1:30pm

Bay of Rays

Meet our inquisitive rays and learn about how they’re actually flat sharks!

Location: Section 2, Rocky Shores

Amazing Amazon tank

2:30pm

Amazing Amazon

Come and check out this big fish feeding frenzy – just watch you don’t get splashed!

Location: Section 6, Amazon River

3:30pm

Jurassic Sharks

Learn all about our incredible sharks and

their Jurassic ancestors!

Location: Section 5, Edge of Rainforest

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.

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