Grand Grunion Gala
Save the Date for September 7, 2024
For this special occasion, the Aquarium will be transformed into a bioluminescent glow theme. We'll kick off the evening with craft cocktails, appetizers, and a silent auction at 5 p.m., followed by a gourmet dinner, program and live auction in the courtyard. Then join us for dancing to a live band!
- Enjoy gourmet cuisine prepared by Chef Paul Buchanan of Primal Alchemy
- Enjoy craft cocktails
- Browse the silent auction must-have packages
- Bid in the live auction or simply watch the excitement unfold
- Try your luck at our wine wall - out of dozens of bottles, will you pick the best one?
- Dance under the stars to Decades Band.
JOHN VAN HAMERSVELD AND ALIDA POST
More than 60 years ago, Van Hamersveld captured the world’s attention with his iconic day-glow poster for The Endless Summer, a classic film that helped to establish Southern California as THE epicenter of surf culture. The artist and his life/business partner, Alida Post, have donated significant time and talent on many projects for the Aquarium, including four gorgeous murals that light up the north side of the facility.
We expect 350 guests, including business, community and civic leaders, scientists, educators, volunteers and friends. Our guests make the Gala the Aquarium’s largest fundraiser, raising more than $3 million in the last decade.
Recognized internationally as one of the best teaching aquariums in the world, Cabrillo Marine Aquarium offers 220,000 visitors each year a FREE or low-cost experience that’s fun for the entire family. About half of our annual visitors are schoolchildren on field trips— many of whom tell us they’ve never been to the beach! Your support funds programs benefitting the entire community, including:
• Ocean Outreach – When classes can’t come to us, we take our show on the road, reaching up to 25,000 students annually with our custom-equipped vans.
• Spring Outdoor Classroom – Every day for nine weeks, more than 1,000 children learn important (and fun!) marine science on the beach right outside our doors.
• Aquatic Nursery – Young scientists conduct research projects in our award-winning laboratory. Many go on to win prizes at regional, national and international science fairs.
• Sea Search – Specially tailored workshops provide students with scientific tools to study the coastal environment. Scholarships help at-risk children experience the ocean–some for the
first time.