Autumn Festival 2026 at Aquarium of the Pacific

Aquarium of the Pacific is listing its 25th annual Autumn Festival for Saturday, November 21, and Sunday, November 22, 2026, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at 100 Aquarium Way in Long Beach. Programming is included with general admission: $49.95 adults ages 12 and up, $34.95 children ages 3 to 11, $46.95 seniors ages 62 and up, free for members and children under three. Reservations are required. The weekend brings Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Filipino craft demonstrations, music, dance, cultural arts exhibits, and storytelling into the building. Live presentations run about 15 to 20 minutes across Blue Cavern and the Honda Pacific Visions Theater on a posted clock from 10:00 a.m. through 4:00 p.m., weather and operations permitting.

This is an aquarium day with culture programming folded in, so plan for timed tickets and exhibit crowds rather than a free outdoor street festival. Buy reservations before you go. Arrive near 9:00 if you want the first Blue Cavern sets without the midday crush. Wear comfortable shoes for a full building walk between tanks and stages. Food is aquarium food; do not expect a night-market vendor grid. Programs can change for weather and operations, so refresh the Autumn Festival page the morning of. Twenty-five years of Autumn Festival programming means the cultural demos are a known Long Beach November habit, not a one-off pop-up.

The same Saturday, California Kimchi Day fills the Arboretum in Arcadia. Pick Long Beach if you want a multi-country aquarium culture weekend with kids who also want the tanks. Pick Arcadia if kimjang and Korean vendors are the outing. Japanese Food Expo and Happy Night Market already covered the prior weekend. Asian World Film Festival closes before this Saturday.

Map the presentation rooms before you chase every tank. Blue Cavern and Honda Pacific Visions Theater sit apart inside the complex, and missing a 15-minute cultural set because you were upstairs with jellyfish is a common Long Beach mistake. Members should still reserve timed entry when the system requires it.

Who this is for: Long Beach and South Bay families who want Asian cultural demos inside a familiar aquarium day, including first-time festivalgoers who need reservations and clear hours. If you needed a kimchi-making workshop instead, California Kimchi Day in Arcadia covers that mood the same Saturday.

Reserve on aquariumofpacific.org. Parking is the aquarium garage and nearby downtown Long Beach lots; give yourself Aquarium Way time after 10:00. If you only have one day, Saturday often feels denser for visiting families; Sunday can be calmer if you want shorter lines between presentations. Members still need free timed reservations when the system requires them.

When: November 21–22, 2026 (9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.; included with aquarium admission)
Where: Aquarium of the Pacific, 100 Aquarium Way, Long Beach, CA 90802

Details at aquariumofpacific.org.