The Wands & Wishes mermaids return to Audubon Aquarium in November, and the detail to get right before booking is the schedule: this is three specific weekends, not the whole month. The mermaids swim Thursday through Sunday on November 5 to 8, November 12 to 15, and November 19 to 22, 2026, twelve days in all.
They swim inside the Great Maya Reef, sharing the water with the fish and stingrays that live in it. That is what separates this from a costumed character posing in a lobby. A guest at the viewing glass is watching a performer move through a working exhibit while the animals go about their day around her.
When do the mermaids actually swim?
In-water performances run from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., and again from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., on each of the twelve days. The Aquarium is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, so the afternoon block runs to closing time: the last swim of the day ends as the building does.
Between and around those windows the mermaids come out of the water. They meet guests on dry land and pose for photographs through the middle of the day.
Is it included with admission?
Yes. Watching the mermaids is included with Aquarium admission, and Audubon All-Access and Aquarium-only members get in free. There is no separate mermaid ticket, which is not true of every add-on a zoological facility runs and is worth knowing before you plan around it.
What are the mermaids there to say?
Each performer carries her own conservation message, one she has chosen herself, and works it into the visit rather than reciting it. Audubon frames the group as representing the connection between people and the sea, with ocean conservation and marine animal protection built into the performance instead of bolted onto the end of it.
It is a soft way to reach an audience that is already looking. A child who has pressed against the reef glass to find a mermaid is, for those few minutes, also looking hard at a Caribbean reef.
The Aquarium has been busy on this front lately. Its Scales & Ales fundraiser ran on the New Orleans riverfront earlier this month.
Dates, times and admission details come from Audubon Nature Institute’s October 22 announcement.
Quick answers
- When are the mermaids at Audubon Aquarium?
Thursday through Sunday on November 5 to 8, November 12 to 15, and November 19 to 22, 2026. Twelve days in all.
- What time do the mermaids swim?
In-water performances run 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. on each of those days. Between those blocks the mermaids meet guests out of the water.
- Do the mermaids cost extra?
No. The performances are included with Aquarium admission, and Audubon All-Access and Aquarium-only members get in free.
- Where do the mermaids swim?
Inside the Great Maya Reef exhibit, alongside the fish and stingrays that live in it.
- Can you take photographs with a mermaid?
Yes. The mermaids come out of the water during the day to meet guests and pose for photographs.
- What time does Audubon Aquarium close?
The Aquarium is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, so the afternoon swim block runs to closing time.
