Scuba Santa is trading his sleigh for a wetsuit again this December, popping up inside a Virginia Aquarium tank for an adults-only holiday party in Virginia Beach. The Sharks After Dark - Holiday Edition runs from 6 to 9 p.m. on Dec. 11 in the aquarium's North Building, and this time the guest list skips straight to the 21-and-older crowd.
The event is a festive spin on the aquarium's regular Sharks After Dark series, which has been bringing nighttime, grown-ups-only programming to the North Building throughout 2026, according to WAVY.com. General admission runs $38 for adults, while Aquarium members can get in for $19, per the Virginia Aquarium's event listing.
Guests are encouraged to dig out their ugliest Christmas sweaters and festive stockings for a night built around specialty cocktails, DJ-spun music, and, of course, a visit from the aquarium's underwater Santa. The aquarium describes it as an adults-only holiday party for guests 21 and older, inviting visitors to “Elf around” at the Aquarium.
What's Included Beyond the Main Ticket
For guests who want to stretch the night further, the aquarium is offering an $18 Holiday Trail of Lights add-on, with reservations available between 7:30 p.m. and 9 p.m. the same evening.
The December gathering follows the same adults-only blueprint the aquarium used for its earlier 2026 Sharks After Dark night on Sept. 3, which also ran from 6 to 9 p.m. and offered a DJ, food, and signature cocktails, with drinks and refreshments sold through Groovin' Gourmets, per the station's reporting. That September event also required ID checks at the door for entry, a detail the aquarium has applied to its other 21-and-up nights.
Scuba Santa's Long Run in the Tank
Scuba Santa is far from a new addition to the aquarium's holiday lineup. A 2018 report from the Virginian-Pilot noted that Santa had already been making his underwater appearance for 15 years by that point, greeting visitors from inside the tank during daytime weekend sessions that December. Whatever the exact format this time, the character's underwater tradition at the aquarium stretches back well over a decade.
