California Academy of Sciences

San Francisco
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San Francisco Wedding Location
Golden Gate Park
55 Music Concourse Drive
San Francisco, CA 94118
Contact: Special Events Department
Phone: 415/379-5868
www.calacademy.org/visit/plan_an_event/
Request more information from California Academy of Sciences

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Why We Like This Place

There’s only one place on the planet where you can get married in front of a coral reef, dine in the company of penguins, and stroll through a rainforest. We’re talking about the Academy of Sciences, San Francisco’s world-renowned, eco-friendly natural history museum. Whether you’re hosting a private dinner for 30, a wedding for 300 or a corporate extravaganza for 3,000, it will be as green as it is memorable.

The Academy of Sciences building is one of the most innovative and environmentally conscious structures in the world. Not only does it house an aquarium, planetarium and rainforest, but it also has a living roof, whose undulating contours mirror the seven hills of the city and are covered with millions of plants. Hosting a wedding here is truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience. You have access to the main floor as well as the Aquarium on the lower level, and you can even pose for pictures on the roof before your family and friends arrive. The Academy’s coordinator will help you choreograph your celebration, while top Bay Area caterers create your menu—featuring organic, sustainable foods, of course.

With a dozen areas to choose from, your event can flow seamlessly from one part of the museum to another. You might serve cocktails in the elegantly columned Swamp, famously inhabited by an albino alligator, then move on to a gourmet five-course repast in the African Hall. Here you’ll be flanked by 21 meticulously crafted dioramas depicting wild animals like lions, antelope, baboons, leopards and mountain gorillas in their natural settings. The best spot for the head table has to be at the end of the room, where permanently “tuxedoed” penguins frolic in the water, observing the festivities from their glassed-in habitat. When dinner has ended, everyone can walk over to the Climate Change exhibit for dancing beneath a colossal whale skeleton suspended from the ceiling.

Several exhibits offer immersive and interactive activities that will engage your guests. Just add a bar and cocktail tables throughout for a unique social hour. Or serve hors d’oeuvres in the Aquarium itself—the popular “touch tank” provides an unusual icebreaker. For an intimate rehearsal dinner that’s literally out-of-this world, reserve the Planetarium anteroom, which can be transformed into a starry galaxy by the state-of-the-art media system.

Have your ceremony here, too, and prepare to be dazzled: There’s nothing like exchanging vows against a 25-foot-high backdrop of turquoise water, filled with a glimmering confetti of neon-colored fish…unless it’s saying “I do” with the misty greenery of the four-story Rainforest dome behind you. If you prefer an outdoor option, the East and West Gardens are lovely during warm weather.

At the Academy of Sciences the “décor” often flies, swims or grows before your very eyes. Let the museum take your guests to beautiful and amazing places they’ve never seen and inspire them with wonder. An event here is so much more than an event—it’s an adventure.

Capacity

Ceremony	Reception/Special Events	Meetings
Max. Seated Indoors: 280 Max. Seated Outdoors: 0	Max. Seated Indoors: 280 Max. Seated Outdoors: 0 Max. Standing Indoors: 3000 Max. Standing Outdoors: 0	Max. Seated: 300

Fees & Deposits

50% of the rental fee is required to confirm your date. The balance is due 30 days prior to the event. For your wedding event, you’ll have access to the entire Academy, including use of the following spaces: Rainforest, Aquarium, Swamp, Piazza, African Hall, East Pavilion, West Pavilion, Forum and Main Lobby. Also included are a Wedding Ready Room with adjoining restroom; top-of-the-line audio-visual equipment to meet essential wedding needs; and additional services such as security for the museum, coat check, custodial services, and docents for the Academy living exhibits (as available). Please contact the Special Events Department for details. The all-inclusive use fee is $18,500 for up to 3,000 standing guests.

Availability

Year-round, Mondays, Tuesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, 7pm–midnight.

Catering

Choose From List

Alcohol

BYO

Site Uses

Ceremonies
Wedding Receptions
Special Events, Parties
Business Functions/Meetings
Rehearsal Dinners

Amplified Music

Indoors
w/ Restrictions

Wheelchair Access

Wheelchair Accessible

Site Type

Banquet Hall/Events Facility
Museum

Contact: Special Events Department
415/379-5868
www.calacademy.org/visit/plan_an_event/
Email or request more information for your event from California Academy of Sciences

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