Shedd Aquarium Extends Illinois Free Days To After Hours Events
Shedd Aquarium Extends Illinois Free Days To After Hours Events
BY KATHERINE NEWMAN
The Shedd Aquarium is offering free admission for Illinois residents now through the end of the month and the Free Day incentive has also been extended to special After Hours events that take place most Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.
The Shedd Aquarium’s Free Days are designed to remove cost barriers and make the facility as accessible as possible for Illinois residents.
The Illinois resident Free Days are happening every day until Sept. 30 and provide access to the entire aquarium along with the weekly After Hours events which include Caribbean Flavors and Flair on Monday nights, Jazzin’ at the Shedd; Live Latin Rhythms on Wednesday nights, and House Party on Thursday nights.
“When we have our Illinois resident Free Days guests have access to all of our main galleries, our oceanarium, our aquatic presentation, and our newly launched special exhibit, Underwater Beauty. So it’s really exciting that they have all access,” said Rachel LeFevre-Snee, assistant director of marketing at the Shedd Aquarium.
The After Hours events are meant to provide even more access to the Aquarium and expand the types of experiences that are being offered.
“Each one of the After Hours events has their own highlights and we’re hoping that by
diversifying the offerings that we’re really offering something for everyone,” said LeFevre-Snee.
On Monday nights, the Caribbean Flavors and Flair event features a special menu of Caribbean- inspired cuisine for guests as they explore the aquarium, including habitats like the well-known Caribbean Reef exhibit in Shedd’s main galleries.
Wednesdays nights are for Jazzin’ at the Shedd, an event that has been taking place every summer for over 20 years, according to LeFevre-Snee. The theme for the next several Jazzin’ at the Shedd experiences is Live Latin Rhythms and will host live Latin jazz performers and Latin-inspired food and cocktails.
“We’re really excited to build on the popularity of our Jazzin’ at the Shedd series and really learn from the community about what folks are interested in and what they’d like to see from the aquarium,” said LeFevre-Snee.
On Thursday nights the Shedd Aquarium becomes a House Party that features house music DJs along with food and beverages that are available for purchase. Local DJs that will be performing at the House Party events include DJ Jesse Saunders,
DJ Terry Hunter, and Farley Jackmaster Funk.
“This year is the first year, and it’s a bit of a pilot year, for Shedd After Hours. We’re experimenting with what experiences people are responding to what people might be interested in,” said LeFevre-Snee.
It is recommended that free tickets are reserved online for the Shedd Aquarium Free days because they are limited based on the capacity of the facility. Residents are also required to provide a photo ID proving their residency upon arrival.
For more information and to reserve tickets visit sheddaquarium.org.
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