Birthdays

Celebrate your birthday among the stars at our planetarium! Kids and adults can enjoy an unforgettable private birthday party with immersive audiovisuals and stargazing.

What does the birthday reservation include?

Renting the planetarium theater for an hour for up to 63 guests
A 20-25 minute live presentation with beautiful graphics by one of our enthusiastic staff on a topic of your choice such as Solar System Expedition (show topics below)
A 20-25 minute guided tour of the night sky in the city and in the dark country sky free of light pollution. The planetarium projector produces a realistic sky to highlight stars, constellations, planets etc.
Party room before or after the program for your celebration to bring food, cake, and presents as you wish for no additional cost.

Reserve Your Birthday Show

Three children enjoying a birthday party game

Fees & General Information

Fee:	$175*
Duration:	1 hour
Maximum Capacity:	63 seats
Age Levels:	4 years old and up. See Show Topics below for grade-appropriate shows
Chaperones:	Minimum 2 adults per group with minors**
Reservations:	Booked a minimum of 2 weeks in advance

*School visits are $75.
**If possible, there should be 1 adult for every 4 children aged 4-6 years old and 1 adult for every 10 children aged 7-17 years old. For example, the number of chaperones for 30 middle schoolers would be 3.

Visitors enjoy birthday party room — For no extra charge, you can reserve a classroom before or after your birthday program to have cake, gifts, and decorations!

Reserve a Birthday Party Today

Reserve Your Birthday Show

Show Topics

Wonders of Night & Day | Ages 4–7
Blast off to the International Space Station where we investigate what causes night and day. Experience what night and day are like on other planets such as Mars.
Solar System Expedition | Ages 6+
Explore the solar system and marvel at the Sun’s powerful flares, Jupiter’s swirling storms, and some intriguing moons. Travel to the icy worlds of the Kuiper Belt and behold the latest discoveries from Juno and New Horizons.
Life of a Star | Ages 10+
Marvel at the dramatic changes of stars as they transform from stellar nurseries to exotic objects such as white dwarfs, neutron stars, and black holes. Discover how stars fused the chemical elements in our bodies.
Moving to Mars | Ages 10+
Explore what we have learned about Mars, especially the potential for life on the red planet and the obstacles we need to overcome to send humans to Mars in the 2040s.
Northern Lights | Ages 12+
Enjoy the radiance of the night sky and colorful displays of dancing lights with a behind-the-scenes tour of the science behind one of nature’s most remarkable light shows.
Indigenous Voices | Ages 10+
Experience the languages, star connections, traditional music, and cultural images of six Wisconsin Nations: Ho-Chunk, Menominee, Ojibwe, Oneida, Potawatomi, and Stockbridge-Munsee.
Scale of the Universe | Ages 14+
Our Earth belongs to the solar system, which is part of the Milky Way galaxy. This galaxy is one of trillions of galaxies in the universe. Amazing visuals will help you grasp the size of the cosmos in an enlightening and accessible way.

Frequently Asked Questions

Our live public events are open to everyone! We offer a range of planetarium shows, stargazing with telescopes on select dates, and more. For a full list of events see our Calendar. We also book private reservations for schools and other groups.

We do not have set open hours. We are only open during public events and by private reservation.

Most of our planetarium shows, which include stargazing and questions, last approximately 60 minutes. We also have other events with shorter 15- to 30-minute planetarium shows. For a full list of events see our Calendar.

For ticketed events, we recommend purchasing tickets in advance as our shows often sell out. We also sell tickets at the door starting 30 minutes before the stated start time. If tickets are sold out, you can have your name added to a waitlist at the door. Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee admission to waitlist attendees.

Free planetarium shows are first come first serve. Check in at the ticket table in the hallway outside of the Planetarium starting as early as 30 minutes before the show start time to reserve your free spot.

Ticketed events are usually $6 general admission and $5 for UWM students. Other events are free.

Parking instructions and maps are available on our Plan Your Visit page.

Yes! We recommend that your child is 4 years or older and comfortable to sit in their own chair in the dark.

Yes! There is one wheelchair-accessible entrance via the path between the Physics building and EMS building off Cramer St. There is room for up to three wheelchairs in the planetarium theater. Visit the Plan Your Visit page to see maps and more information.

We accept checks, cash, and credit cards.

You can purchase a membership online, by mail (PDF), or in person before a public show.

We can seat 63 people.

Stargazing with our telescope is held on the 5th-floor observing deck of the UWM Physics building on select dates, weather permitting. For the schedule of dates, see Stargazing.

For general inquiries, email us at planetarium@uwm.edu. Visit Contact Us for other ways to reach us.

We ask that you stay seated until the end of the show because opening the door will ruin the beautiful dark sky for the rest of the visitors. Visitors are encouraged to use the restroom in advance.

Our planetarium is indoors. We suggest that you dress in layers because sometimes the theater can be too warm or too cold. We also ask that you avoid light-up shoes.

Plan your visit

Thanks for making our beautiful night sky come alive for our kids!

Jennifer