Two ticketed halves of one building
Aquarium Aglow takes over the South Carolina Aquarium at 100 Aquarium Wharf on 28 selected nights between November 20 and December 31, 2026. The event runs 5:30 to 9 p.m. with scheduled entry times. The Aquarium states that no early access is allowed and that all guests may stay until 9 p.m.
The daytime operation runs on its own clock. The building opens daily at 9 a.m. and closes at 5 p.m., with last entry at 3:30 p.m. On Aglow dates the Aquarium shortens that window to 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., with last entry at 2:30 p.m.
One calendar day on the peninsula therefore holds a morning on the exhibit floor, a last entry at 2:30, a 4 p.m. close, a 90-minute gap, and an evening under the lights from 5:30.
The hours the Aquarium publishes
Two pages carry the clock. The Tickets and Hours page gives the daily window: open daily 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., last entry 3:30 p.m., closed Thanksgiving Day and December 25, open 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on December 24 with the last entry at noon. The FAQ adds the Aglow-date line: "on Aquarium Aglow dates, the Aquarium is open from 9 a.m.-4 p.m., with the last entry time at 2:30 p.m."
The three holiday exceptions fall outside the Aglow calendar. December 24 and December 25 are not Aglow dates, and neither is November 26, the Thanksgiving closure. The Aglow calendar runs November 20, 21, 22, 27, 28 and 29; December 3, 4, 5 and 6; December 10, 11, 12 and 13; December 16 through 23; and December 26 through 31.
What the evening ticket buys
Early bird pricing runs at 15 percent off through October 31, 2026, applied at checkout. Members get 20 percent off once signed in, and the two offers do not combine. Tickets rise by $3 on the day of the event. Every ticket is non-refundable, and only tickets bought through the South Carolina Aquarium are honoured.
Inside, Scuba Claus dives in the Great Ocean Tank nightly until December 25, after which the Aquarium warns he may be in vacation mode. The Zucker Family Sea Turtle Recovery curtains are lowered at 8 p.m. every evening to hold a natural light cycle for the turtle patients. Refreshments come from Rosemary & Rye, with options for guests 21 and over who show photo ID.
December 31 runs 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. at $39.95 for adults and $34.95 for children, with a countdown and a pufferfish ball drop at 6:45, 7:45 and 9 p.m. The event runs rain or shine, and the Aquarium refunds ticket holders if weather forces a temporary closure.
The 90-minute gap is the day-use case
Last daytime entry is 2:30 p.m. The building closes at 4. Aglow opens at 5:30. A family that drives in for the afternoon clears the door with 90 minutes before the evening ticket starts, then stays to 9 p.m.
A trip home and back eats those 90 minutes. So does a car held in a public garage for the day, or a second crossing of the Ravenel bridge after dark. A day room absorbs the gap. The guest leaves at 4, walks into a room, changes and eats, then returns for 5:30.
The Aquarium points guests to the public restrooms in the city-operated Aquarium Garage at 24 Calhoun Street, and to the same garage for parking, so one car can sit in one place from morning to night.
Which windows cover which half
A read of the Dayuse Charleston page on 25 October 2026 returned seven priced cards, from $76 to $135.75 for the day, median $96, with a booking fee of $6 or $9 on top. None sits on the peninsula. The nearest is Best Western Patriots Point, 1.87 straight-line miles from Aquarium Wharf across the Ravenel bridge.
Three cards carry a window that reaches 21:00, which is when Aglow ends. Quality Inn Coliseum North Charleston lists 16:00 to 23:00 from $81, Best Western Patriots Point lists 17:00 to 23:00 from $85, and Econo Lodge Goose Creek lists 17:00 to 23:00 from $76.
Five cards open before 9 a.m. Comfort Inn & Suites Charleston Airport and Comfort Inn Northwoods each list 7:00 to 14:00 from $100, and Quality Inn Coliseum, Best Western Patriots Point and Econo Lodge Goose Creek each carry an 8:00 to 14:00 slot. Embassy Suites opens at 9:00 and runs to 17:00.
One card spans a full daytime visit inside a single window. Quality Inn Coliseum lists 10:00 to 18:00 from $81, which holds the room past the 4 p.m. close and covers the changeover, and it ends two hours before Aglow does.
Two events on one weekend
November 20, 21 and 22 are Aglow dates. They are also the dates of the Shriners Children's Charleston Classic at TD Arena, 301 Meeting Street, which tips six games across Friday and Sunday. TD Arena sits 0.65 straight-line miles from Aquarium Wharf.
A visitor planning both holds one day room across the weekend in place of two separate bookings. The basketball day ends when the last tip-off ends, and the Aglow door opens at 5:30.
Before you book
No flash photography is allowed. Commercial photography, videotaping or recording needs prior authorization from the Aquarium. The Aquarium warns that parts of Aglow use flickering lights and may not suit guests with photosensitive epilepsy, that some areas run dim, and that outdoor flooring can be damp.
Free KultureCity sensory bags are available at Admissions and the Info Desk. The gift shop stays open through the event. Smoking and vaping are barred anywhere on Aquarium property and in the surrounding Liberty Square area.
hotelSlots books four slots, named morning, afternoon, evening and overnight, and a guest can combine more than one for a longer hold.
