Nautical Nonsense landed on the Mall of America events calendar as a SpongeBob SquarePants-themed weekend at Nickelodeon Universe, the indoor theme park inside the mall. The event ran July 11-12 and again July 14, gathering SpongeBob SquarePants, Patrick Star, Sandy Cheeks, Squidward Tentacles and Mrs. Puff at the park's Blue Spot for photo ops with the whole Bikini Bottom crew.
The characters kept staggered shifts across the run: Sandy Cheeks and Mrs. Puff worked Saturday afternoon, July 11, followed by SpongeBob and Patrick that evening. Sunday brought Patrick, Sandy, Squidward and SpongeBob through separate hourly slots. Tuesday, July 14, coincided with Nickelodeon's declared SpongeBob Day, and the celebration closed with a Nautical Nonsense Parade at 2 p.m. that traveled from the park's east entrance to the west side, with the Bikini Bottom crew waving to guests along the way.
Nickelodeon Universe doesn't charge for walking into the park itself, so watching the parade or lining up for a photo with SpongeBob didn't require a ticket beyond getting into the mall. Riding the park's attractions is a separate pay-per-ride model, with unlimited wristbands and point passes sold on the park's ticketing page.
