ODDtober at the Tennessee Aquarium 2026

ODDtober is the Tennessee Aquarium's month-long celebration of the weird and wonderful side of nature, running October 1 through 31, 2026 at the downtown Chattanooga riverfront. New this year, special spotlights shine on the unusual animals of the Scuttlebutt Reef gallery in Ocean Journey, including lumpsuckers, moray eels and glowing swellsharks. Aquarium educators also lead seasonally themed programs through the month.

The aquarium's pumpkin-carving show returns on five Saturdays at 2 p.m. in River Journey, when SCUBA divers turn pumpkins into jack-o'-lanterns underwater while fish swirl around them. The dates are October 3 (Tennessee River), October 10 (River Giants), October 17 (Tennessee River), October 24 (River Giants) and October 31 (Tennessee River).

Aquascarium, the aquarium's separate Halloween event, is Friday, October 30 from 4 to 8 p.m. Visit the Tennessee Aquarium's ODDtober page for tickets and the full schedule.