Host An Event
Take your special event to the bottom of the Salish Sea!
Whether you’re hosting a meeting or awards ceremony, celebrating a milestone, or planning your wedding, consider the aquarium as a venue for your next special event. The Centre’s colourful exhibits teeming with marine life provide a unique and amazing backdrop for a truly memorable experience for you and your guests. With capacity to seat up to 50 for dinners, or reception style for up to 165 guests, our space is perfect for intimate family dinners, as well as larger gatherings, holiday parties, cocktail parties, weddings, or presentations.
The aquarium is available to rent on most evenings from 5pm to 10pm (up to 11pm for weddings).
Besides the amazing Salish Sea habitats and wildlife on display, there are plenty of features that make this a special venue:
Professional Events Coordinator to help you plan and execute the perfect evening
Volunteer Interpreters on site
Choose your own caterer
Free parking
Use of our sound system and large format video screens
Special rate for Non-Profit organizations
Inquiries?
Tara Keeping, BA, IWPP
Contact our Events Coordinator, Tara Keeping at events@salishseacentre.org or 250 668-6757 to discuss your requirements.
Tara Keeping is a professional Wedding and Event Planner with nearly two decades of experience in hospitality, event management and public relations.
Facility Rental Testimonials
Read what others have to say about hosting an event at the Shaw Centre for the Salish Sea!
“Our firm held our annual holiday party at the Shaw Centre for the Salish Sea and it was fantastic. We hosted 120 employees and guests for a stand-up reception, and the Centre was comfortable and the layout worked very well for various stations and activities. Tara was very helpful in helping us plan the event and an absolute pleasure to work with! The team of volunteer Oceaneers that staffed the centre during our event were all so friendly and hospitable. The venue was so unique, many of our employees commented it was the best holiday party we’ve had! Would highly recommend the Centre as unique and memorable event venue!” – Chad Toronchuk., Grant Thornton LLP
“My partner and I got married at the Centre in August 2023. It was definitely a night to remember! Such a beautiful venue you won't even need to worry about decorations. The staff were incredible and they even kept the touch tank open for all the kids with the volunteers available for the entirety of the event. Dancing among the fish (and octopus) with my family and friends was a very unique and memorable experience. The events coordinator, Tara, goes above and beyond to make sure everything goes off smoothly. We found the price quite reasonable considering all that the venue entailed!” – Laura D.
“As a company that cares deeply about marine conservation, we were so happy to hold our end-of-season staff appreciation party at the Centre. Tara was incredibly helpful and communicative through the planning and the event, and the venue was perfect for our needs. Our crew loved the aquarium, displays, and especially interacting with the touch tank volunteers!” – Maple Leaf Adventures
"My very large family just hosted a reunion at the Centre and it proved to be a great venue for us. My family found Tara great to work with and well organized. The venue carries itself, no need to spend money on decorations! The touch pool volunteers were awesome and the AV assistance was great for our slide show. It's a fun a unique venue for an event, would recommend to others!” – Jane H.
“Tara, I wanted to thank you and Bonnie and the other volunteer (Barbara) for the wonderful birthday experience yesterday! It was a unique experience for the children to dine with the fish... and especially fantastic for our aquarium-loving, Charlie. It was fun touring the aquarium after hours.. and playing games to test their knowledge! Jon and I were so impressed - we wish to book again this time next year ;) !!!” — Victoria H.
“After years and years ... what a great event for Nordic Tugs!! Visiting you was a wonderful break from our marina dockside tent and in our post-event survey folks just loved the venue. I also really appreciate you being there and "hosting". We couldn't have asked for a better evening. I suspect we'll become more frequent visitors to Sidney as we look to plan future events and I'm sure you'll be on our list of great and affordable outings. Thanks again Tara for your patience, assistance with deposits, etc. It was well worth the wait. Aloha!!!” – Jeff, Pacific Northwest Nordic Tug Owners Association
“We had an amazing time hosting our pirates and mermaid themed family event at the aquarium. The aquarium turned out to be the perfect spot for our event and the volunteers were all super helpful. So kind and gentle with all our guests and so knowledgeable about all the animals. They let the children touch the starfishes and were eager to answer all their questions and with over 40 children present, there were a ton of questions. Tara, the event planner was also wonderful, answered emails promptly, tried to find ways to accommodate some of our requests and we had a few strange ones, like figuring out the ideal spot to put a pirate ship and was just generally everywhere to make sure everything went smoothly and we had all we needed. We are so thankful to have had the opportunity to host our first event in this beautiful space.” – TJ, I Dream In Decor
“We are incredibly grateful to have been married in the aquarium. Right from the first contact, through the planning, to the big day, (Tara) consistently exceeded our expectations. We cannot thank you enough.” – Alyssa & Keegan
“We felt honoured that we were able to host our celebration at the aquarium as it is a fantastic venue, and we felt so wonderfully supported by the staff and volunteer oceaneers.” – Karina Mende,
Pacifica Housing
“[The Centre] was an ideal and inimitable setting for our 25th celebration event. The sea life surrounding our activities added to the ambiance and to the evening. The onsite coordinator and her team were both professional and accommodating, and met us three times before the event to ensure that everything was in order. It was important for our school to be supporting a not-for-profit community venue. Book the venue!…you will not be disappointed.” – Kevin White, South Island Distance Education School (SIDES)