World Oceans Night (Cool Summer Nights)
Schedule
Sat Jun 06 2026 at 06:00 pm to 10:00 pm
UTC-07:00Location
2021 N Kinney Rd, Tucson, AZ, United States, Arizona 85743 | Tucson, AZ
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Join us for the kickoff event to our 2026 Cool Summer Nights season! Water is one of the most precious resources in the Sonoran Desert, which includes the Gulf of California. Help us celebrate the big blue and have a jaw-some time! Please wear blue in honor of World Oceans Day! 🌊 Tonight's Schedule:
Hands-on Activities and Education:
6:00 - 9:00 p.m. Conservation activities and info in the Baldwin Education Building from: Biosphere 2, CEDO: Intercultural Center for the Study of Deserts and Oceans, Desert Dolphins, The Dive Shop, and Fin Foundation.
Live Music on the Ironwood Patio:
6:30 - 8:30 p.m. Enjoy "sophisti-folk" sounds from Eugene Boronow.
Presentations in the Warden Oasis Theater:
6:30 p.m. Biosphere 2 Ocean Coral Reef Lab
A new era of coral reef resiliency research has begun in Arizona's own ocean at Biosphere 2. After years of system remediation and infrastructure upgrades, the Biosphere 2 Ocean (B2O), a 700,000-gallon, closed-system mesocosm, is once again home to a living coral reef. The B2O offers a scalable, controlled experimental platform that enables robust testing of reef resilience strategies such as stress hardening, probiotic treatments, and novel symbiont-host pairings under simulated future stress conditions. Presented by Lia Crocker, Research Specialist, and Sam King, PhD Candidate.
7:30 p.m. The Gulf of California: Our Desert Sea
The Gulf of California is the heart of the Sonoran Desert. It is a world of contrasts. Deep and nutrient rich cold water teeming with marine life, surrounded by arid islands and slopes filled with cacti and elephant trees. Home to the world’s best preserved archipelago, and the world’s most endangered cetacean. It is an abundant realm with an uncertain future. Join us to learn about and connect with our desert sea.
Throughout the Night:
Look for Museum Docents around grounds interpreting live animals, celestial desert skies, fluorescent minerals, bats, kissing bugs, scorpions, rattlesnakes, and more!
6:00 - 9:30 p.m. Stingray Touch Exhibit
Admission: $2 Members / $4 Non-Members
Visitors are able to create their own moments with these captivating creatures at the Stingray Touch experience. The pool features cow nose stingrays that guests can interact with. Be touched by a ray!
6:00 - 10:00 p.m. Packrat Playhouse
This indoor play space allows children to discover the desert through the eyes of a packrat! Packrat Playhouse may reach capacity. 30-minute reserved play times are available at the Packrat Playhouse entrance.
6:00 - 9:00 p.m. Art Exhibits
Make sure to check out 'Desert Dreams: Miniature Masterpieces' by the Arizona Pastel Artists Association in the Ironwood Gallery and 'Baldwin in the Baldwin'!
Signature Drink — Ocean Breeze: Vodka, Grapefruit Juice, Cranberry Juice, Club Soda
🌙 ABOUT COOL SUMMER NIGHTS:
Open till 10:00 p.m. on Saturdays June–August! Cool Summer Nights is included with Museum Admission.
The Desert Museum is lovely during the day, but it’s even cooler after dark! Join us every Saturday night throughout the summer to beat the heat while learning something neat! The desert comes alive at night as nocturnal animals awake: Bats perform aerial acrobatics in pursuit of dinner, otters splash around in their pond, and scorpions glow green under black light. Bring your flashlight and explore, grab a refreshing drink and wander, experience a live animal encounter, scamper in Packrat Playhouse, feel the touch of a stingray, or participate in special nightly activities.
Learn more: https://www.desertmuseum.org/visit/events_saturday_csn
Consider joining our membership program. A lot of bang for your buck! Learn more: http://www.desertmuseum.org/members/
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Where is it happening?
2021 N Kinney Rd, Tucson, AZ, United States, Arizona 85743Event Location & Nearby Stays:
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