Mermaids return to Newport Aquarium; festivities include Mermaid and Pirate Ball, Breakfast

Mermaids return to Newport Aquarium to enchant guests Oct.1 through Oct. 16.

Visitors will see mermaids swimming gracefully in the 37-foot long, 120,000-gallon Amazon Tunnel alongside some of the biggest freshwater fish in the world, the Arapaima.

Mermaids will be swimming from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. during the week, and 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekends.

The festivities kick off with the Mermaid & Pirate Ball on Friday, Sept. 30 at 6 p.m. This after-hours family-friendly costume party is the first opportunity for visitors to see the Mermaids at Newport Aquarium in 2016. It includes appetizers and refreshments, dancing, an adventure map and mermaid and pirate-themed activities throughout the aquarium.

There’s also a special mermaid meet-and-greet and much more. Tickets can be purchased online for this signature event.

Beginning Saturday, Oct. 1, during daily operating hours, Newport Aquarium guests will have the opportunity to personally meet a mermaid while she’s sitting on her throne inside Shark Ray Bay Theater.

Mermaid dive and meet-and-greet times are included with regular admission, and times are subject to change, guests can visit NewportAquarium.com for the latest schedule to plan their visit.

Another add-on experience this year is the Mermaid & Pirate Breakfast on Oct. 2, 9, and 16 from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.

Guests can enjoy breakfast with their families in Newport Aquarium’s Riverside Room overlooking a spectacular view of the Ohio River and Downtown Cincinnati. After breakfast, guests will be invited into the Aquarium before it opens to the general public. All guests get exclusive access to meet a mermaid up-close and out of the water during a meet-and-greet, and see one swimming in the Amazon Tunnel.

Guests will also have the opportunity to meet a pirate during breakfast.

For more information and to purchase tickets, visit NewportAquarium.com or call 800-406-FISH (3474).