Yoga among the fish? Nighttime party with a DJ? Aquarium of the Pacific gets creative with community events

By day, the Aquarium of the Pacific is a place where families and school children roam to learn about sea creatures.

But before the doors open in the early-morning hours, or as night falls and the Long Beach aquarium closes to the public, the seaside educational center transforms.

Some mornings, the area in front of a massive fish tank doubles as a yoga studio – but instead of staring in a mirror during the class, yogis get to soak in the relaxing sights of sea creatures swimming by.

Pop in during the upcoming “Night Dive,” and you’ll find bands rocking and a DJ spinning, artists showcasing their creations, an adult-only party where cocktails will flow. Or maybe you’re looking for a unique setting for a romantic Valentine’s dinner – the aquarium doubles as a restaurant for the special night.

In recent years, the Aquarium of the Pacific has looked outside of the glass box, increasingly finding ways to connect with the community with unique events that go beyond showcasing sea-creature exhibits.

“It’s only when we get to know each other, do we come together to solve environmental issues,” said Claire Atkinson, senior manager of communications for the Aquarium of the Pacific. “It’s really pretty essential to the aquarium’s vision to become a community-gathering place, to celebrate the diversity of our community.”

Downward jellyfish?

As Stephanie Serrano walked back and forth, slowly guiding the yoga class, she didn’t realize a 300-pound sea bass was following her as she strolled in front of the massive tank.

“To be able to look at the water and see the motion of the plant life in the tank moving, and seeing the fish look at you and kind of wonder and stare at you, it’s just amazing,” said the 30-year-old Long Beach yoga teacher. “You do really get a great connection with the marine life there. Because it’s so early in the morning, they are just waking up. You are the first people they see.”

And rather than stare at yourself in the mirror or wall, watching marine life instead can help foster a connection to the sea.

“You can really connect with the natural elements – and that’s really the goal of yoga, having a better connection with what’s around you,” she said.

Serrano has done both private and public yoga sessions at the aquarium, with a three-class series kicking off Saturday. She expects anywhere from 30 – 50 people to sign up for the 7:30 a.m. session, held before the facility opens.

Bringing in a different demographic to the aquarium is a good idea, she said, saying she never imagined the unique yoga program would be such a big hit.

“It’s bringing in a different group of people who care about the environment but never thought about taking their practice outside of the studio,” she said. “When you’re exposed to the aquarium and you see this, hopefully you’ll have a really good appreciation of what’s out there that we don’t get to see all the time. By being able to see that, you’ll care more about the ocean. I really think that’s the mission of the aquarium, just bringing awareness and education of how we can treat the ocean.”

Night at the aquarium

Sea creatures like to party, too.

On select nights, the aquarium turns into one of the town’s hottest nighttime spots during “Night Dive” events that have local bands playing, a live art show, and food trucks and cocktails on offer.

The Night Dives started in summer 2017, and the aquarium is adding more of these special nights each year, expanding from just summer gatherings to New Year’s Eve, Halloween and one coming up on Feb. 15.

“When they started to sell out consistently, we realized we could do them more often,” Atkinson said. “Our core audience is families with children, but we wanted an event that was just for young adult and adults to introduce them to the aquarium, or to give them a chance to visit when there’s not a lot of kids around.”

It’s not just a purely social event, there’s some learning if attendees want, like a chance to do dissections or other hands-on science activities.

“It’s a fun night out and a fun chance to nerd out about science stuff,” she said.

One of the halls will be transformed into a live art museum, with six local artists creating paintings in real time, all auctioned off to benefit the aquarium’s education, conservation and animal care programs.

Another unique event coming up in March is the “Member Prom,” when people 21 and over can get decked out in prom dresses and tuxes for a dance, with this year’s theme “Mardi Gras.”

“It was such a hit with our members, it became an annual thing,” Atkinson said.

Also coming up in March is “autism family night,” an after-hours offering for children or adults on the spectrum to go to the aquarium during nighttime hours.

“It’s really quiet and peaceful at night, way fewer people than a normal day,” Atkinson said, noting that ticket prices are reduced and reservations are required because of the popularity of the night.

About a dozen cultural festivals also fill the calendar, including the upcoming International Children’s Festival that  will feature cultures from different parts of the globe, activities and crafts during the two day event March 16-17.

“Here in Long Beach and greater Los Angeles area, we have some of the most diverse communities anywhere, and the aquarium really wants to be a place to celebrate that,” Atkinson said.