May the 4th Day at Newport Aquarium Gives Guests and Animals a Trippy Space Experience

Visitors of Newport Aquarium on May the 4th are invited to wear their favorite space gear and to keep an eye out for special surprises, like underwater lightsaber duels between aquarium divers. Photo: Provided by Newport Aquarium

Perhaps a surprise to no one, many biologists tend to be Star Wars super fans, making May the 4th a big day for guests of the Newport Aquarium.

The annual tradition brings together a team of biologists, aquarium visitors and thousands of animals for a special day of space-themed programs. As visitors explore Newport Aquarium on May the 4th, they’ll come across everything from character figurines to TIE fighters, a Millennium Falcon and even an X-wing Starfighter that crash-landed into the Lake Malawi habitat.

Newport Aquarium says each Star Wars item is carefully placed in an environment where it enriches the animals and makes sense to the well-known sci-fi epic. The aquarium’s Frog Bog exhibit is transformed into Naboo, a world of intelligent amphibians, otherwise known as poison dart frogs.

Newport Aquarium’s Frog Bog exhibit is transformed into Naboo for May the 4th. Photo: Provided by Newport Aquarium

Biologist Michelle Fry spends weeks planning each placement for optimal effect, according to a release from the aquarium.

“One aspect of my job that I love is developing enrichment ideas and items for the animals,” Fry said. “It is both challenging and rewarding to see how they will interact with what we come up with.”

Visitors of the aquarium on May the 4th are invited to wear their favorite space gear and to keep an eye out for special surprises, like underwater lightsaber duels between aquarium divers.

More information, including a $15-off deal on Newport Aquarium memberships, can be found at newportaquarium.com.

Coming soon: CityBeat Daily newsletter. We’ll send you a handful of interesting Cincinnati stories every morning. Subscribe now to not miss a thing.