The Mississippi Aquarium in Gulfport will host its sixth annual “Shark Weekend” on Saturday and Sunday, July 25-26, the aquarium said. The event is timed to lead into Discovery Channel’s “Shark Week,” which begins Sunday, July 27, 2026, according to Discovery Channel.
The weekend will feature local experts discussing sharks found in Mississippi waters and species from around the world, Hadiya White, the aquarium’s vice president of guest experience and education, said. White said the University of Southern Mississippi will return with Jill Hendon and her students; White identified Hendon as the director for the Centers for Fisheries Research and Development and said they will arrive the day before Shark Week begins.
Visitors can view shark artifacts, learn how researchers measure and tag sharks, and explore the university’s whale shark research, White said. The aquarium will offer activities for children, including pin-the-fin and name-the-shark games and coloring sheets. “When you get here, you’ll see about five different (Shark Weekend) spots located in our main building, which is the very large one called Aquatic Wonders,” White said.
The aquarium said sharks on display include the zebra shark, spotted wobbegong, sandbar shark and bonnethead. Guests also will have the chance to gently touch an epaulette shark in the aquarium’s touch pool. Admission is $34.95 for adults and $29.95 for children at the door; the aquarium said online tickets purchased at least 24 hours in advance are discounted. Activities will run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days.
White said one goal of the event is to dispel myths about sharks. “You’re going to learn a lot about sharks and why they do what they do,” she said. The aquarium also said Glen Parsons, a professor emeritus at the University of Mississippi and author of “Sharks, Skates and Rays of the Gulf of Mexico,” will host a book signing and shark talk on Saturday, Aug. 1.
Jon Ross Myers is the executive editor and publisher of the Mississippi News Network, Mississippi's largest digital only media company. He can be reached at editor@tippahnews.com
