CONEY ISLAND, N.Y. — Sept. 9, 2025 — Halloween magic meets marine wonder at the New York Aquarium as Ascarium, the beloved fall festival, returns bigger than ever for three spook-tacular weekends in October. Running October 11–13, 18–19, and 25–26 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., this year’s celebration introduces exciting new activities, including a hands-on sand dig, lawn games, and a collaborative community mural, all while families explore the mysterious and fascin...

BROOKLYN, N.Y. — June 10, 2025 — The sharks are taking center stage at the New York Aquarium this summer during Shark Party, a brand new, multi-week, family-friendly event featuring educational presentations, live entertainment, and hands-on activities dedicated to these remarkable ocean dwellers. Partygoers get to spend the day with 5,000 incredible marine animals and celebrate what makes sharks remarkable. The celebration runs daily from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., July 4 through July 14...

BROOKLYN, N.Y. — May 15, 2025 — Dive into a sea of fun at the New York Aquarium for Ocean Shell-a-bration Weekend, a three-day event celebrating the vital role oceans play in our lives and promoting actions to protect marine ecosystems. The event runs June 6-8, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., coinciding with World Ocean Day (June 8) and National Oceans Month. Ocean Shell-a-bration Weekend festivities are included with New York Aquarium admission and free for members. “Ocean Shell...

New York, Feb. 18, 2025 – The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) has named Adam F. Falk as its next President and CEO. He will begin in the role at WCS on July 1.  Falk has served since 2018 as President of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, which makes grants to support research in the sciences and social sciences, the health of the higher education ecosystem, and the public understanding of science and technology. He served previously as President of Williams College and befor...

New York, December 20, 2024 – The Wildlife Conservation Society releases its ten favorite wildlife images of 2024, highlighting amazing wildlife stories. Five of the images come from WCS’s zoos and aquarium in New York, and five images are from WCS Global taken by WCS staff working around the world. WCS operates five wildlife parks in New York City, the Bronx Zoo, New York Aquarium, Central Park Zoo, Prospect Park Zoo, and Queens Zoo, and works in over 50 countries saving wildl...

BROOKLYN, N.Y. — October 17, 2024 — Two female southern sea otters are debuting at the New York Aquarium. Both adults were rescued off the coast of California at young ages and were deemed non-releasable as pups. They have been cared for at other Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) accredited aquariums prior to arriving at the New York Aquarium, where they now reside in the Sea Cliffs exhibit. The New York Aquarium has provided a home for 11 rescued sea otters since 1991. Sout...

BRONX, N.Y. — September 6, 2024— This October, the New York Aquarium is getting into the Halloween spirit with the return of Ascarium. ​​Ascarium is a family-friendly festival that takes over the New York Aquarium during the last two weekends of October. Perfect for all ages, guests will enjoy a variety of fall entertainment, activities, and parades while learning about the incredible (and sometimes spooky!) marine wildlife at the aquarium. Included with admission, families can sp...

Coney Island, NY – June 6, 2024 – The annual New York Aquarium-led, Wildlife Conservation Society beach clean-up on World Oceans Day, June 8, on Coney Island returns this year. The WCS beach clean-up will run from 12:00 pm to 2:00 pm, starting at the New York Aquarium. At the end of the clean-up, trash and recyclables will be separated and weighed. WHAT: WCS World Oceans Day Beach Clean-Up  WHERE: New York Aquarium, 602 Surf Ave, Coney Island Reporters c...

Brooklyn, NY, May 2, 2024 — The New York Aquarium is debuting a traveling art exhibit, “Washed Ashore: Art to Save the Sea” to message about how plastics polluting the environment are harmful to wildlife and people. The exhibit will be at the aquarium Friday, May 24, to Monday, Sept. 2, 2024. An estimated 9 million tons of plastic enter the ocean annually. Once plastic enters our waterways, it is deadly for many species and negatively impacts animals and people. This transfo...

It’s clear that whales have become regular “New Yorkers” as evidenced by these recent images taken by scientists with the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Ocean Giants Program.