Audubon Aquarium & Insectarium holds its fourteenth Scales & Ales on Friday, November 6, and the thing to know about it is where the money goes. The party draws more than 2,000 people onto the Mississippi Riverfront for an evening of regional food and drink, and it pays for Audubon Aquarium Rescue, which is the only facility in Louisiana that rehabilitates stranded marine mammals and sea turtles.
Not the largest. The only one. Audubon Aquarium Rescue is the state’s primary stranding responder for dolphins, whales, manatees and sea turtles, and since it was formed it has rescued, rehabilitated and released hundreds of animals back into the water. Louisiana has 7,721 miles of shoreline by NOAA’s measure. That is one phone number for all of it.
What the evening actually is
Guests move through the aquarium and the insectarium with the Mississippi going past in the dark outside, which is a setting no ballroom is going to match. Flow Tribe headlines. The Sirens of New Orleans work the crowd. Abita has beer on tap and, for the first time at this event, its new Upbeat vodka cocktails.
It is adults only, 21 and over, and the aquarium is explicit that babies and children will not be admitted. Dress code is dressy casual. It happens rain or shine. The aquarium closes to general visitors at 2 p.m. that day to set up, which is worth knowing if you were planning an unrelated afternoon there on November 6.
Fourteen years of it
“Through this special event, guests can enjoy all the Aquarium has to offer while making a meaningful contribution to the protection of sea turtles and marine mammals along the Louisiana coast,” said Michael J. Sawaya, chief executive of Audubon Nature Institute and L. Ronald Forman Chair in Conservation Leadership.
Since the first one, Scales & Ales has raised more than $4 million for the aquarium’s conservation and education programs. That is the number that makes this a story rather than a listing. Fourteen parties, more than $4 million, in a state whose coast takes the brunt of every Gulf storm and every spill, and whose only rehabilitation option for a stranded dolphin or a cold-stunned turtle is the organization throwing the party.
This is the pattern worth noticing about fundraising events at zoological facilities generally, and it is the answer to anyone who thinks a gala is a frivolity. Gate revenue and party revenue from animals people want to see is what pays for the work nobody will fundraise for directly. Audubon has been making the same argument with its lighting installations and its Chameletuna installation on the same riverfront.
Tickets are on sale now through Audubon Nature Institute.
Quick answers
- When and where is Scales and Ales 2026?
Friday, November 6, 2026, at Audubon Aquarium and Insectarium on the Mississippi Riverfront in New Orleans. It is the fourteenth annual edition and draws more than 2,000 guests.
- What does Scales and Ales pay for?
Audubon Aquarium Rescue, which is the primary stranding responder and the only rehabilitation facility in Louisiana for marine mammals, meaning dolphins, whales and manatees, and for sea turtles.
- How much has the event raised?
More than $4 million since the first one, for the aquarium’s conservation and education programs.
- Can children attend?
No. It is an adults-only event for guests 21 and over, and the aquarium states that babies and children will not be admitted.
- Is the aquarium open that day?
Audubon Aquarium closes to general visitors at 2 p.m. on November 6 to set up for the event.
- Who is performing?
Flow Tribe headlines, with strolling encounters from the Sirens of New Orleans. Abita is pouring beer and, for the first time at this event, its Upbeat vodka cocktails.
