Shanghai Natural History Museum turns its fossil halls into a nighttime campsite on Jan 31, welcoming nearly 90 families for its first overnight program blending science, learning and spectacle.

Children and parents transformed into animal kingdom explorers, attending science lectures, watching 4D films and immersive theater, while roaming exhibition zones to observe fossil features up close.

After completing a series of adventure-themed tasks, families entered a lottery to secure tent placements at designated sites inside the museum, where they camped overnight beside specimens ranging from mammoths to polar bears.

The program turned exhibition halls into a captivating nocturnal playground, with overnight access granted until 07:00 the following morning, marking the museum's first experiment in themed family camping.

"There's a Mammoth specimen over my tent," said a girl setting her tent in the Mammoth exhibition area.

"Look at this! There's a polar bear [specimen] out of the window. Whenever I open the window, there's a polar bear safeguarding me," said a boy.

"This activity is a trial run. If visitors find it provides a more educational and immersive experience, we will make it a regular feature," said Song Xian, head of the exhibition and education center of the museum.