The popular nighttime hours on Thursdays at the California Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park, complete with cocktail bars and DJs, return starting May 13, in yet another sign of life in SF getting more normal-ish.

After a year of doing virtual NightLife events, the real in-person thing returns, with timed-entry tickets and masks required, of course.

"Now that the Academy has safely reopened its doors, we’re excited to extend hours on Thursday evenings for NightLife guests,” says senior manager of NightLife Jackie Zappala, in a statement to the Chronicle. "This will very much be an experimental year for NightLife, and we encourage guests to come along for the ride."

NightLife events are 21+ and go from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., but the tickets are only available in half-hour entry windows between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. They're going to happen every other Thursday for now starting next week, and you can currently buy tickets for May 27 and June 10 as well. They're $15 per person.

"Calling all creatures of the night: reserve your NightLife tickets in advance and see what’s revealed once the sun goes down," the Academy says on its website. "Reconnect with favorite faces (we’re looking at you, Claude!) while exploring new and familiar spaces."

Current exhibits include "Big Picture: Natural World Photography," and "Venom: Fangs, Stingers, and Spines".

Entry to the planetarium, rainforest and Shake House are on a  first-come, first-served and by reservation — which you make when you enter the museum by scanning a QR code.

But you can also just take an edible and wander around the aquarium, which is highly recommended.

The museum has been open since late March, but most adult San Franciscans without children should be well aware by now that the place can be kind of overrun by small tykes during most daylight hours — and the NightLife events are the best way to see the museum and not get a headache. Well, a non-alcohol-induced headache, anyway.

Photo: Instagram