South Carolina Aquarium JuLionfish Festival returns on July 26

Celebration After Months of Hunting Invasive Lionfish Includes Live Music, Food and Drink

The JuLionfish Festival returns for its third year on Friday, July 26, for an all-inclusive, 21+ event that will bring guests up-close and personal with the invasive lionfish species at the South Carolina Aquarium.

With breathtaking waterfront views of the Charleston Harbor, attendees can experience the Aquarium at night while enjoying dishes from local culinary partners, beer and wine, a lionfish filleting demo, entertainment and more.

With their voracious appetite, venomous spines and the ability to reproduce rapidly, lionfish have threatened ecosystems in the Atlantic Ocean for decades. Scientists speculate lionfish initially landed in the Atlantic Ocean in the mid-1980s from accidental releases, spurring a lionfish invasion.

The dive community has been hunting invasive lionfish through targeted efforts known as lionfish derbies, or culling competitions, to remove this harmful species from the Atlantic Ocean. The Festival is the culmination of the three-month long JuLionfish Derby, where registered divers participated by chartering offshore, collecting invasive lionfish from their non-native environments and tracking their catch. The JuLionfish Festival will include a derby awards ceremony to celebrate their achievements.

“The JuLionfish Derby + Festival is a great collaboration between the Aquarium and the local community. Together, we’re slowing the spread of invasive lionfish off our coast,” says Arnold Postell, dive safety officer and curator of large exhibits. “At the Festival, everyone has an opportunity to support the cause, learn more about invasive lionfish and try incredible local dishes, all while enjoying one of the best backdrops in town!”

JuLionfish is presented by Crews Subaru of Charleston, ZooKeeper and Publix Super Markets Charities.

Proceeds from JuLionfish Derby + Festival benefit South Carolina Aquarium Reef Research, a program aimed at generating awareness and supporting fieldwork opportunities to sustain a balanced ocean.

For more information, visit scaquarium.org/julionfish