Arctic Sea Ice Weekend
July 11 - 12, 2026
9:00AM - 5:00PM
Join us in acknowledging Arctic Sea Ice Day with a weekend filled with opportunities to take climate action while enjoying special keeper chats and enrichments for our Arctic animals.
Cool animal enrichments
During Arctic Sea Ice Weekend, keep an eye out for special enrichment moments with some of our coolest residents, including polar bear Learke, Arctic foxes Sven and Freya, and our muskoxen. Enrichment is an important part of animal care and helps encourage natural behaviors like exploring, foraging, and problem-solving.
Climate actions
you can do
Want to help protect the Arctic long after your visit ends? Discover simple, everyday climate actions that make a real difference, from saving energy at home to cutting down on waste. Small changes add up, and when we take action together, we help create a healthier future for Arctic wildlife and our planet.
Arctic Sea Ice Day guest activities & animal enrichments
| When | Where | What |
|---|---|---|
| 11 a.m Sunday only | Pacific Seas Aquarium | Northwest Waters dive talk |
| 1:30 p.m. Saturday & Sunday | Arctic Tundra - Polar bear habitat | Hear about polar bear Laerke and see her enjoy sea iced themed enrichment |
| 12 p.m. Saturday & Sunday | Rocky Shores - Walrus habitat | Watch walruses Balzak and Lakina receive themed enrichment |
| 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. Saturday & Sunday | Arctic Tundra - Muskoxen habitat | Fun with Fur- Take a closer look and learn how muskox, polar bear, and Arctic fox have fur that is specially adapted to help them survive and thrive in the Arctic |
| 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. Saturday & Sunday | Arctic Tundra | Enrichment Exploration – What natural behaviors might each enrichment encourage in our Arctic animals? |
| 9:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. Saturday & Sunday | Arctic Tundra - Polar bear habitat | Arctic Ambassador Center – Meet Zoo staff who have visited polar bears in the Arctic, check out a polar bear skull, and learn about the work of the conservation organization Polar Bears International |
Join us for more events
Garden Tour: Plants Gone Wild
Meet our plants - and our horticulturalists.
August 2.
Find Information
Meet our Arctic animals
There’s more to discover in the Arctic than just sea ice! During Arctic Sea Ice Weekend, explore the zoo and meet some of our amazing cold-climate animals. Learn what makes them perfectly adapted for life in the Arctic cold, hear their stories from the people who care for them every day, and find out how protecting Arctic habitats helps wildlife around the world.