The Ariel School UFO incident occurred at 10 am on September 16, 1994, at a private school in Ruwa, Zimbabwe, located southeast of Harare. The students, primarily from wealthy families, were on their mid-morning break while the teachers were inside for a meeting. The incident lasted about fifteen minutes.

According to interviews with 62 children aged six to twelve, they saw at least one UFO. These objects were described as silver and usually disc-like, appearing in the sky and then floating down to a field of brush and trees just beyond the school property. The location was out of bounds for the children.

Witnesses reported between one and four creatures exiting a craft and approaching the children. The beings were described as small, about a meter tall, with big black eyes, small mouths, and noses, dressed in tight black suits. Some descriptions also mentioned long, straight black hair. The beings were sometimes described as moving in a strange, slow-motion, bouncy, or glitching manner, appearing in one place and then reappearing elsewhere. A strange sound, like a whistle or buzzing, was also reported.

Many of the children who stayed and watched reported receiving a telepathic message from the creature or creatures. This message was often environmental in nature, warning about the harm humans are doing to the world, pollution, and the dangers of becoming too technologically advanced. Some children saw images of destruction and dying people when looking into the beings' eyes. Not all children reported receiving this message.

When the children told their teachers, they were initially dismissed. However, parents became concerned when their children came home frightened and reporting the sighting, leading many to visit the school the next day. The event was reported on ZBC Radio, which brought it to the attention of local UFO researcher Cynthia Hind. Hind visited the school and interviewed some children, asking them to draw pictures. She reported that the children all told her the same story. The BBC's correspondent, Tim Leach, also visited and found the event difficult to comprehend.

Later, Harvard professor John Mack, known for investigating UFO sightings and alien abduction phenomena, visited the school to interview witnesses. Nicky Carter, a South African producer, assisted Mack and believed the children were telling the truth based on their demeanor. Mack concluded that the children were describing a real phenomenon and believed their stories were consistent.

The incident occurred two days after a wave of UFO sightings throughout southern Africa, including reports of a bright fireball, which a skeptic attributed to the re-entry of a rocket booster.

Many of the witnesses maintain their accounts as adults. Some, like Emily Trim, have continued to process the experience through art. The experience had a profound and sometimes traumatic impact on the children, especially those who were not believed or were ridiculed. Mack also faced challenges to his credibility and work at Harvard due to his research into such encounters. Filmmaker Randall Nickerson made a documentary titled "Ariel Phenomenon" which revisited the event and interviewed former students as adults, finding their stories consistent with their childhood accounts.