Aquarium of the Pacific

Bid on Sea Lion-Painted Art and Help the Aquarium

The fully virtual Sea Fare fundraiser will include a silent auction as well as opportunities to admire the critters of the Aquarium of the Pacific up-close.

Madeline Walden/Aquarium of the Pacific

What to Know

  • Saturday, Oct. 17 from 7 to 8 p.m.
  • Silent auction bidding opens on Wednesday, Oct. 14 (bidding closes at 10 p.m. on Oct. 17)
  • Free; "proceeds from donations made during the event and silent auction support the Aquarium’s recovery from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic."

Crossing an ocean?

Fans of aquatic critters would quickly jump to do so, if it meant helping out the seals, turtles, sharks, jellyfish, and other ocean dwellers that they dearly adore.

But what if you only had to cross your living room, to the place where you keep your laptop, to join a splash-making celebration that will give aid to those very animals, as well as an institution that does so much to protect them and promote conservation issues?

You surely would make such a short journey, especially if you could stay in pajamas, too.

So plan to set sail in your pjs, with no compass or mast required, for a virtual fundraiser presented by the Aquarium of the Pacific.

It's Sea Fare, an annual happening that, in past years, has been very much in person.

But the gathering will be fully online in 2020, giving fans from far beyond the aquarium's Southern California home a chance to join in, easily, and for the first time ever, too.

While the event happens on Saturday, Oct. 17, the silent auction opens for bidding on Wednesday, Oct. 14.

So if you'd like to try for "... exclusive VIP animal encounters, special Aquarium tours, and paintings created by sea lions and penguins," you'll want to jump into the bidding scene before 10 p.m. on Oct. 17, when the auction closes.

As for what's afoot, or a-fin, we mean, during the celebration on the 17th?

You'll meet gill-rocking, claw-cute animals around the Long Beach aquarium, and learn more about the institution's conservation-minded mission.

That's all free to join, so no ticket required.

That said, the aquarium, like so many places, has weathered significant hardship during the pandemic closures. While outdoor areas have reopened to guests, indoor spaces remain closed for now.

Sea Fare attendees are invited to make donations, if they'd like, to assist the aquarium's continuing recovery.

"Throughout the event, viewers can make a gift to support the Aquarium and help the institution recover and grow from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic."

"Proceeds will benefit the nonprofit Aquarium of the Pacific, which is dedicated to conserving and building nature and nature's services by building the interactions between and among peoples."

"The Aquarium continues to offer free educational resources for everyone through its Online Academy. This programming was launched at the start of the pandemic to reach kids and adult at home."

Ready to take this voyage from your couch? Ahoy: All the info you need is here.

Pictured: Parker the sea lion poses with one of his paintings that he created for this year's Sea Fare silent auction. Photo credit: Madeline Walden/Aquarium of the Pacific.

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