Essential Information

Type Events and festivals
Location
Date and Times Saturday 12 July 2025 | 11am-5pm
Prices Free

Channel the motion of the ocean in this dance extravaganza at the National Maritime Museum. 

Bringing together local and international performers, this dynamic festival celebrates the power of movement. Dive (or jive) into dance workshops and discover how the flow of the ocean connects us through craft sessions and games.  

The festival takes place in Ocean Court, our redesigned space that celebrates the importance of our blue planet. Come and have a boogie on our new Ocean Map too, a giant floor map that highlights our watery world. 

Get ready to move and groove and slide and glide during this day of culture, creativity and community.

Check this page for updates about performers and activities.

What’s On

A child holds her mother's arm as they both peer curiously at a small crab held in front of them
Events and festivals | Ocean Court

World Ocean Day

A family-friendly celebration of our ocean at the National Maritime Museum
Saturday 7 June 2025
Free
National Maritime Museum
David Attenborough in blue jacket in front of white cliffs and the sea
Events and festivals | Ocean Court

Ocean with David Attenborough: free screenings in Greenwich

Celebrate World Ocean Day with free screenings of David Attenborough's new documentary at the National Maritime Museum
Sunday 8 June 2025 | Screenings run throughout the day
Free
National Maritime Museum
Group of people sitting facing away from camera on yoga mats on the floor which is a giant map, looking towards instructor
Experiences | Ocean Court

Movement on the Map: Yoga

Get moving on the new Ocean Map with some gentle yoga sessions
Friday 13 June 2025 | 9.30am
Free
National Maritime Museum
A portion of the Ocean Map at the National Maritime Museum showing major port cities around Asia and Africa
Talks and tours | Ocean Court

Members' Tour: Ocean Map

Join Tim May, Curator of Maps and Mobilities, to learn how the new Ocean Map was developed and about the deeper history of ocean-centric cartography
Monday 16 June 2025 l 11am-12pm
Free for Members
National Maritime Museum
Detail of a photograph showing the ship Empire Windrush docked at Southampton Harbour in 1950
Events and festivals | Ocean Court

Windrush Day 2025

A day of creative workshops, informative talks and discussion to explore the significance of the arrival of HMT Empire Windrush and the legacies of the Windrush generation
Saturday 21 June 2025 | 11am - 4pm
Free
National Maritime Museum
A group of people stretch their arms to the side
Experiences | Ocean Court

Movement on the Map: Tai Chi Qigong

Find your flow in these gentle sessions on the Ocean Map
Friday 4 July 2025 | 1pm-1.30pm and 1.45pm-2.15pm
Free
National Maritime Museum
Portrait photo of the band Blue Machine, featuring the group of four stood on board historic ship Cutty Sark
Events and festivals | Museum Lates

Ocean Songs

Live music at the National Maritime Museum celebrating our ocean planet, its mythology, natural wonders and as-yet-undiscovered depths
Friday 11 July 2025 | 7pm and 8.30pm
£10
National Maritime Museum
A dance leaps beside Nelson's Ship in a Bottle sculpture
Events and festivals | Ocean Court

Rhythm!

Go with the flow at our vibrant dance festival, inspired by the ocean and movement
Saturday 12 July 2025 | 11am-5pm
Free
National Maritime Museum
A mother and daughter sit on the Great Map during World Ocean Day at the National Maritime Museum
Family fun | Ocean Court

Ocean: above and below

Dive into an ocean adventure at the National Maritime Museum this summer!
Daily except Mondays | 23 July - 31 August 2025
Free
National Maritime Museum
A Black man wearing green sunglasses and a geometric patterned top stands contemplatively by the River Thames
Events and festivals | Ocean Court

International Slavery Remembrance Day

Explore the legacies of the transatlantic slave trade and its abolition at the National Maritime Museum
Saturday 23 August 2025 | 11am-5pm
Free
National Maritime Museum

Banner image: photography by Jack Thomson