Aquarium of the Bay
Pier 39 The Embarcadero & Beach St, San Francisco, CA
400 Capacity
$6,000 to $15,200 / Event
The Aquarium of the Bay is San Francisco's iconic waterfront aquarium. We are located next to world famous Pier 39 with over 24,000 animals that call our aquarium home. From our interactive touch pools, to our adorable river otters, and glass acrylic tunnels with different animals swimming all around you it is an amazing and unique venue to host any type of event you are looking for whether it be a birthday party, cocktail reception, seated dinner, and more, everyone who attends will have a great experience.
Aquarium of the Bay
Pier 39 The Embarcadero & Beach St, San Francisco, CA
400 Capacity
$6,000 to $15,200 / Event
The Aquarium of the Bay is San Francisco's iconic waterfront aquarium. We are located next to world famous Pier 39 with over 24,000 animals that call our aquarium home. From our interactive touch pools, to our adorable river otters, and glass acrylic tunnels with different animals swimming all around you it is an amazing and unique venue to host any type of event you are looking for whether it be a birthday party, cocktail reception, seated dinner, and more, everyone who attends will have a great experience.
Event Pricing
Farallon Room + Otter Terrace
80 people max
$1,500 per hour
Under the Bay
60 people max
$1,500 per hour
Bay Lab & Otter Room
70 people max
$1,700 per hour
Partial Buyout (Top floor)
50 people max
$2,700 per hour
Full Buyout
400 people max
$3,800 per hour
People Often Ask
We host a wide variety of private events, including wedding receptions, corporate gatherings, school banquets, graduation parties, baby showers, milestone birthdays, and university formals.
We can accommodate both intimate gatherings and larger groups. We offer partial buyout options for smaller groups (such as 25 to 70 guests) as well as full buyout options for larger celebrations of up to 400 guests.
Yes! You can host an unforgettable seated dinner directly inside our downstairs glass tunnels—the longest aquarium tunnels in California at over 300 feet in length—surrounded by incredible marine life.
Renting our underwater tunnels starts at $1,500 per hour with a two-hour minimum. This cost includes the event space, tables, and chairs. Linens are available to rent at an additional cost.
Private events require dedicated onsite staff, including an event manager, security, and housekeeping to assist with setup and cleanup. We also have other staff available including our educators who are at our touch pools in our Bay Lab room along with our animal care team who takes care of our otters.
Because the aquarium is open to the public daily until 5:00 PM, private evening events can begin starting at 6 PM. Vendors may arrive earlier than 5pm if needed and stage their items inside the building prior to closing to the public. Please inquire more with our team to discuss more specifics.
We partner with a curated list of exceptional local restaurants and preferred caterers to provide a range of food and beverage options. We can share our private event packet with preferred vendor details upon request.
For events with guests under 21, such as university formals or family celebrations, we coordinate wristbanding and entry requirements to safely distinguish guests who are of legal drinking age.
Depending on your rental package, guests can explore our walkthrough glass tunnels, interactive touch pools, mesmerizing jellyfish gallery, octopus room, and visit our playful river otters.
When renting a specific space like the underwater tunnels, other galleries are typically closed off to ensure privacy. If you would like your guests to experience the entire venue, we offer customizable full buyout options.
Availability (Last updated 7/24)
Event Spaces
Bay Lab
Discover the Bay
Farallon Room
Otter Room
Otter Terrace
Under the Bay
Additional Info
Neighborhood
Venue Types
Amenities
- ADA/ACA Accessible
- Outdoor Function Area
- Outside Catering Allowed
- Waterfront
- Waterview
- Wireless Internet/Wi-Fi
Features
- Max Number of People for an Event: 400
- Number of Event/Function Spaces: 5