Barcelona Aquarium celebrates 30th anniversary with special program of activities

Majestic marine life, learning opportunities, and of course a huge birthday cake! The Barcelona Aquarium is celebrating its 30th anniversary this weekend with an agenda full of activities.

And you can join in the celebrations too. All weekend, there will be family activities, workshops, and music on at the Maremagnum site in Barcelona’s Port Vell. 

To mark the occasion, there are discounts of 20% available until September 7, valid for visits all month. 

The Acquarium mascot, whose birthday is also on Friday, was out on the floor of the Aquarium dancing and partying with children all of Friday morning. "Today he started with a parade, now he’ll go blow out the candles, and over the weekend he will also walk around giving out gifts and surprises," Maria José Peretó, director of the institution, told Catalan News.

Acclaimed pastry chef Christian Escribà created a birthday cake for the celebratory weekend, which was decorated with individual treats such as white chocolate with fish and marine life designs, and was shared among the visitors and staff shortly after noon on Friday. 

The new renovated spaces of the Aquarium were also officially presented, after being installed some months prior. 

Among the new features are modernized facilities, new educational content, the largest digital floor screen in Europe, and the immersive room titled ‘Journey to the Depths’.

"One is technology, to better explain the beauty of the seas and everything we can do to take care of them, which is very important," Peretó said.

The updated facilities have also allowed the centre to reduce energy consumption by 21%, according to the director.