Monterey Bay Aquarium Offers All Federal Employees Free Admission While Government Shutdown Continues

Monterey, CA…Monterey Bay Aquarium is offering free admission to all federal workers until the shutdown of many U.S. government agencies ends.

The admission offer is good seven days a week for all federal employees – both the 800,000 furloughed by the shutdown and other military and civilian employees still on the job.

“In Monterey County alone, thousands of families are hurting because they’ve lost their primary source of income,” said Mimi Hahn, vice president of marketing and communications for the nonprofit aquarium. “We want to do what we can to make the situation a little bit easier for them.”

Any federal employee, regardless of where they live, will receive one (1) free admission by presenting their federal I.D. card when they enter the aquarium. Free admission does not apply to family members of federal workers.

The aquarium offers a number of programs that provide free access to more than 250,000 people every year: education programs that serve more than 100,000 California students, teachers and chaperones on school group visits; Shelf to Shore passes available to low-income families through libraries in Monterey County and the Pajaro Valley; a weeklong Community Days celebration each December with free admission for all Monterey County residents; and Free to Learn programs for clients of social service agencies throughout the state.

The mission of the Monterey Bay Aquarium is to inspire conservation of the oceans.