World Oceans Day

Essential Information

Type	Events and festivals
Location	In Greenwich
Date and Times	Saturday 8 June 2024 \| 10am-4pm
Prices	Free

Dive in and explore the wonders of our blue planet this World Oceans Day. This year, we’re teaming up with Royal Parks for a special day of festivities in Greenwich Park.

Join our activity trail across the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich Park and the Royal Observatory and discover how the ocean shapes all of us. Whether you want to meet scientists and ocean experts, take part in workshops or enjoy live music, we’ve got plenty to float your boat.

The National Maritime Museum is home to hundreds of years of seafaring history, from the vast Pacific to the icy Arctic and Antarctic Oceans. But our relationship to the sea is changing. World Oceans Day is your chance to dive into the past, present and future of our blue planet.

More details will be released soon, but until then, get ready to uncover our watery world.

Event programme

From performances to workshops, here’s a taster of what to expect at our World Oceans Day celebrations. Events are drop in and suitable for all ages and abilities.

Outdoor trail: Take part in a self-guided trail around Royal Museums Greenwich sites and Greenwich Park and learn how the ocean makes Earth habitable. Along the way, you’ll meet scientists and ocean experts, take part in creative workshops and have the chance to win special prizes. Look out for Neptune, the Roman god of the sea, as you embark on your adventure.

Ocean talks: Listen to talks about our watery world at the National Maritime Museum. Over at Cutty Sark, enjoy free talks about ship machinery, winds, currents – and learn about the famous tea clipper's routes. Talks at Cutty Sark take place at 11.30am, 12.30pm and 2.30pm.

Musical performances: Get into the festival spirit and head to the Greenwich Park Bandstand for live music from Metronomes Steel Orchestra.

Art installations and workshops: Don't miss artist Felicity Jones’ installation in Greenwich Park, which highlights the impact of plastic pollution. Plus, join in creative activities with Extinction Rebellion Families.

Face painting: Budding ocean explorers can be transformed into ocean creatures from coral to little fish at our stand by Nelson's Ship in a Bottle at the National Maritime Museum. This activity is charged £5.

Environmentally friendly travel: Bring your bicycle along to mechanic Dr Bike who will be offering free maintenance between 11am-3pm.

Keep up to date

What is World Oceans Day?

World Oceans Day takes place on 8 June every year as a celebration of the ocean and our continuing reliance on it.

Over 70 per cent of our blue planet is covered in water, and more than half of all the oxygen we breathe comes from ocean plants. We rely on the ocean for food security, transportation, coastal defences and much more.

Yet even as we celebrate our oceans, we also need to recognize the negative impacts we are having on our rivers, lakes and seas.

Over-fishing, greenhouse gas emissions, chemical and noise pollution, ocean mining, plastic pollution and transportation all threaten the future of our oceans, but too often these issues are out of sight and out of mind.

This year's activities are focused around the seven principles of ocean literacy – a framework that highlights the importance of the ocean to life on Earth. The principles cover topics such as the ocean's role in shaping our climate, the life-sustaining properties of our blue planet and the diversity of ocean ecosystems.

We're working with several organisations including the British Antarctic Survey, Thames Estuary Partnership, Plymouth Marine Laboratory, Ocean Generation, Manta Trust and Surfers Against Sewage to produce free workshops, talks and performances that are suitable for all ages.

For more ocean inspiration, why not check out our host of activities, resources and features available online?