SuperNatural Halloween Party

About this event

The Academy's Halloween party takes over the whole building for one night, Saturday October 24, 6:30 to 9pm. The centrepiece is a silent disco in the Steinhart Aquarium — dancing in headphones in front of the reef tank — alongside mad scientists, animal encounters, face painting, a photo booth and treats. There's also an exclusive teen lounge with games and snacks, which solves the perennial problem of what to do with a thirteen-year-old who is too old to trick-or-treat and too young for anything else. General admission is $60 for adults and $45 for youth aged 3 to 17, with members paying $5 less on each. Doors at 6:30pm. Beer and wine are included all evening for over-21s; food and cocktails are available to buy. Early Admission moves you to a 5pm start with complimentary food until 6:30 — $200 for an individual or $750 for a family of four. Above that sit the VIP packages, which add the VIP Garden and a premium open bar: a Vampire Family for six at $1,500, a Werewolf Family for ten at $3,000. Worth understanding what you're buying: SuperNatural is one of the Academy's annual fundraisers, and the upper tiers are philanthropy with a party attached rather than simply better tickets. The Academy publishes tax deductibility information for them. At general admission it's a straightforwardly good-value evening — an $60 ticket with drinks included, inside a building most people only ever see in daylight. Two rules to know before you book. Every adult ticket must be accompanied by a child — this is a family event and adults cannot attend on their own. Children aged 3 to 17 need their own ticket; under-2s are free. Costumes are encouraged but policed: nothing obstructive, offensive or violent, nothing with sharp or pointed parts, and nothing that resembles or could be mistaken for a weapon. That last one catches a lot of people out — no plastic swords, no lightsabers, no pirate cutlasses. The Academy reserves the right to turn away anyone whose costume it considers unsafe, so check the pirate before you leave the house.