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At a Penguins+Pajamas Sleepover, the adventure begins well before bedtime—and continues the next day. Spark your young science-lover's imagination by exploring our exhibits after hours. Go stargazing at a private planetarium show. Snack on milk and cookies before going to sleep under the starfish (or the penguins, if you prefer). And be the first to greet our sunflower stars in the morning—after breakfast, of course.
You bring the PJs—we'll bring the perks. Your sleepover ticket includes the following:
Don't sleep on it—sleepovers fill up far in advance! Book early to avoid disappointment. Sleepovers start at 6 p.m. and continue until 8 a.m. the following morning.
The Academy requires each adult over 18 attending a sleepover to electronically sign a waiver of liability in advance. After buying your tickets, please click on the waiver link and complete one submission for each adult. Spanish waivers are available upon request.
The health and safety of Academy staff, guests, and animal residents continue to be a top priority. Sleepover guests are no longer required to provide proof of full vaccination or a recent negative test. We still strongly encourage all guests to stay up-to-date on their vaccinations.
For more information and FAQs, please visit our Health & Safety page.
Please also note that the following activities are prohibited:
Sleepovers are for children ages 4–17 and adults 18+. Unaccompanied children or adults without children are not permitted. There must be at least one chaperone for every five children, and chaperones assume full responsibility for the children in their party. Chaperones must be 25 years or older.
Our Girl Scout-only sleepovers are for K-12 Scouts and their families.
Do bring: A pillow, sleeping bag, toiletries (showers not available), hard-soled shoes/slippers.
Do not bring: Flashlights, tents, outside food/drink (unless related to a special diet), coolers, balloons, radios, weapons.
Optional: Air mattresses*, earplugs, sleep mask.
*Reminder: The aquarium has many winding paths and tighter corridors. Due to safety and evacuation regulations, we do not allow any air mattresses in the aquarium exhibit overnight. The only sleeping gear allowed in this exhibit space are sleeping pads or single cots.
Secure overnight garage parking is included in your ticket purchase. Please note that there is no overnight street parking (as per Golden Gate Park regulations) and that the garage is not operated by the Academy.
After the Sleepover ends at 8 am, the museum must be vacated to prepare for opening. Since next-day admission to the museum is included with your sleepover ticket, feel free to get your hand stamped and re-enter when the building opens to the public for the day.
We do not allow outside food into the Academy during sleepovers, except in connection to a dietary restriction (please contact us in advance to arrange this). Dinner and drinks are available for purchase at the Academy Café from 6–9 p.m., and a complimentary bedtime snack is available until 8:30 p.m. Breakfast snack and coffee the next day is included.
There are no in/out privileges during the sleepover. If you leave the sleepover for any reason before its conclusion, you may re-enter when the Academy re-opens the next day.
Full payment is due at the time of booking for up to 20 individuals. Groups of 21 or more must pay a non-refundable deposit equal to 50% of the number of the people in their group within 3 business days of booking request. Full payment is due 60 days prior to the event date.
If requested more than 60 days prior to the event, up to 20 tickets of an order may be rescheduled once without penalty. No refunds or rescheduling to other dates will be given within 45 days of the event date. The no refund and no reschedule policy includes no-shows, unused tickets, scheduling conflicts and illness. The Academy reserves the right to cancel any Penguins+Pajamas sleepover at any time.
All sleepover guests will be sent a sleep exhibit preference form two weeks before their event. This form allows for our guests to share their preference of where they will sleep. Our staff will assign sleep areas based on preferences, group size, sleeping gear, and exhibit capacities, and your sleep assignment will be sent to you via email. Please note that you may not get assigned your first choice of a sleep area, but we're confident that no matter where you sleep you'll have a great sleepover!
Our sleepovers are co-ed. We provide a family-friendly environment for all of our guests and have staff and security throughout the museum all night for your safety and convenience. If you require special accommodations outside of regular sleep area requests please email us at experiences@calacademy.org and we will do our best to accommodate you!
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Book an unforgettable sleepover for a group of 21 or more on one of our scheduled sleepover dates. There must be one adult chaperone (age 25+) for every five children ages 4–17. Please note that Penguins+Pajamas Sleepovers are children’s events, and adults-only groups are not permitted.