San Diego’s premier family-fun, not-too-spooky, ocean-inspired Halloween festival is around the corner. SeaWorld’s Halloween Spooktacular kicks off at the marine park Saturday, Sept. 23 and surfaces every Saturday and Sunday through Oct. 29.
The fun-fishy Halloween activities include free candy at 12 ocean-themed trick-or-treat stations, along with an undersea pumpkin patch with wacky, roaming costume characters that pose for photos with guests. New this year is the bubble gum-themed walk-around personality, Bubble Popazrazzi, who will help guests “pop” with his superb selfie skills. The popular Halloween-themed silly spooky shows Clyde & Seamore’s Big Halloween Bash and Sesame Street’s Who Said Boo?! return to enchant guests. SeaWorld’s Halloween Spooktacular is included with park admission. For more information visit: www.SeaWorldSanDiego.com.
SEA OTTER AWARENESS WEEK: For the 15th straight year, SeaWorld® San Diego is proud to celebrate Sea Otter Awareness Week with daily sea otter presentations and other activities, Sept. 24–30. Kids will enjoy fun conservation-themed crafts at Otter Outlook, home to four sea otters. The animals all came to SeaWorld through the Sea Otter Research and Conservation program at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. The California sea otter is listed as a threatened species by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Threats include oil spills, entanglement in fishing nets and diseases. SeaWorld and Busch Gardens® support conservation projects across the globe, such as sea otter preservation, through the SeaWorld & Busch Gardens Conservation Fund. For more information, visit www.SWBG-ConservationFund.org.
PLUNGE, SPLASH & PLAY TO RAISE FUNDS AT AQUATICA: Hundreds of people are expected to brave the waters at one of, if not the largest wave pool in Southern California. The Plunge, Splash & Play at Aquatica SeaWorld’s WaterparkTM will help raise funds for Special Olympics San Diego County athletes on Sunday, Sept. 10. Companies that actively engage in community service and philanthropy will join supporters of all kinds to take a plunge at Aquatica’s Big Surf Shores. This attraction allows guest to swim and play in more than 500,000 gallons of water with swells of up to five feet. After the Plunge for Special Olympics, which begins at 9 a.m., participants may enjoy the park from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. to experience serene to extreme water play, up-close animal experiences, high speed thrills and the relaxing amenities of a beachside resort. Plungers are asked to raise a minimum of $100, with incentives including SeaWorld® tickets, annual passes and other prizes. The Plunge, Splash & Play for the Special Olympics fundraising pool party at Aquatica includes music, a police chief challenge and more. For more information or to register, click here. Aquatica SeaWorld’s Waterpark is open every weekend through Oct. 8.
SEAWORLD CARES BEACH CLEANUP: SeaWorld employees will participate in the world’s biggest volunteer effort to protect the ocean from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, Sept. 16. As part of International Coastal Cleanup, the park’s team will remove trash from South Shores Park in San Diego. Over the past 30 years, 12 million volunteers worldwide have participated in coastal cleanups, removing 210 million pounds of trash. In 2016, more than 21,500 pounds of debris littering coasts and waterways around the world were collected in 112 countries. SeaWorld friends and family may join this year’s cleanup. For more information, visit www.CleanupDay.org.
