Family fun ahoy! The Aquarium celebrates Halloween on the High Seas

By Katherine Weinstein | [email protected]

Loveland Living Planet Aquarium is celebrating the season with Halloween on the High Seas, a spooktacular family-friendly festival of pirates, mermaids, sea creatures and more. The evening event will run every Thursday through Sunday evening in October from 7 to 10:30 p.m.

“It’s brand new,” explained Shelby Dobson, associate director of marketing and PR. Last winter’s outdoor holiday event, Festival of the Seas, was such a success that the Aquarium decided to hold a similar celebration for Halloween.

The Science Learning Plaza outside the Aquarium is well-suited for big, outdoor events. “We have plenty of room to do a lot of fun things,” said Layne Pitcher, director of marketing and communications. “It’s going to be amazing.”

Part of the attractions at Halloween on the High Seas will be a giant wooden pirate ship equipped with a slide and presided over by real buccaneers. “Kids can climb aboard the ship and go down the slide,” Pitcher said.

Guests are invited to explore the area to find the pirates’ lost treasure chest. Along the way they will interact with pirates and mermaids. There will be plenty of opportunities to take photos with the costumed characters.

Technology will play a role in the treasure hunt. “We’re introducing an app with augmented reality,” Pitcher explained. “If you use the app, you’ll see a skeletal pirate, a mermaid, a talking skull and crossbones and divers that talk to you in the treasure area.” The app is similar to Pokémon GO.

Part of the grounds will be devoted to mysterious sea creatures of the deep. “There will be a giant skeleton fish you can walk inside of,” Pitcher said.

Klub Kelp, a dance party complete with bubbles and a light show will take place on the stage beneath EECO. “We will have EECO do light shows with music,” Pitcher noted. “You can dance with a pirate or a mermaid.”

Halloween on the High Seas will also include a Seaside Carnival featuring handcrafted gifts for sale and traditional carnival games such as Skee-Ball, a Hi-Striker and shooting gallery. Popcorn, cotton candy and other carnival treats will be for sale along with souvenir hot chocolate tumblers. Food trucks offering a variety of snacks will be on the premises.

While Aquarium admission and Halloween on the High Seas admission are separate, seasonal fun is to be had indoors during the daytime as well. Throughout October, Aquarium guests will enjoy spooky décor in the exhibit halls and can do a scavenger hunt for cryptids, aka creatures of mythology.

Adult tickets for Halloween on the High Seas are $14.95 on Thursday and Sunday evenings and $16.95 on Fridays and Saturdays. Tickets for teens, members of the military, students, seniors are $11.95 on Thursdays and Sundays and $13.95 on Fridays and Saturdays. Children age 3 to 12 get in for $9.95 on Thursdays and Sundays and $11.95 on Fridays and Saturdays. Toddlers and babies age 2 may attend for free. Aquarium members save 20% and online ticket purchasers receive a discount of $1 per ticket.

Loveland Living Planet Aquarium is located at 12033 Lone Peak Parkway in Draper. Visit www.thelivingplanet.com/events-and-camps/halloween-on-the-high-seas/ for tickets and more information about Halloween on the High Seas.