Essential information

Type
Events and festivals
Location
Date and times Saturday 5 June 2027
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Celebrate our brilliant blue planet this World Ocean Day at the National Maritime Museum.

Meet ocean experts, enjoy live music and science shows, play games and get stuck into craft activities: we’ve got plenty to float your boat!

World Ocean Day at the National Maritime Museum is a free family festival held every year in June. Enjoy a jam-packed day of performances and activities, explore the galleries and play in Ocean Court, the largest space in the Museum and the place to connect with our watery world.

2027 line-up coming soon: keep an eye on this page for more details, and get ready to dive into our amazing ocean on Saturday 5 June.

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World Ocean Day 2026
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World Ocean Day 2023

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Find more events and activities for families

Free gallery
Ocean Court
Explore the ocean. Play in the National Maritime Museum's largest indoor space. Discover what really powers our planet
Events
Families at the National Maritime Museum
Ocean explorers of all ages can enjoy an action-packed day at the National Maritime Museum
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The Ocean Map: exploring our watery world
£14.99
Discover a new way of seeing our planet with The Ocean Map, a beautifully illustrated children's ocean book that puts the sea at the centre of the story...
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What is World Ocean Day?

World Ocean Day is a global event that takes place on 8 June every year. The day is a celebration of the ocean and our continuing reliance on it.

Activities at the National Maritime Museum are guided by the UNESCO Ocean Literacy Principles, helping us to recognise the impact the ocean has on our lives – and the effect we have on the ocean.

Throughout the year we also publish regular stories, interviews and insights connected with our ocean. Check out recent stories below, and find all ocean content here.

Read more

Our relationship with the sea is changing. Discover how the ocean impacts us – and we impact the ocean – with the National Maritime Museum.

From indenture to identity: David Dabydeen on Guyana, Britain and Indo-Caribbean inclusion

Novelist and poet David Dabydeen shares his memories of life in Guyana and the UK, recorded as part of the Indo-Caribbean Windrush Oral History Project

Dog that dived to the bottom of the ocean surfaces at the National Maritime Museum

A toy that journeyed to the very bottom of the ocean has been donated to the National Maritime Museum.

Inside the megaship: on board one of the world's biggest container ships

What is it like to sail on one of the giants of global trade? Artist and researcher Zoe Childerley journeyed aboard HMM Southampton to find out

From sailing ships to steam power: how the Industrial Revolution changed life at sea forever

The shift from wind to fossil fuels was far from smooth. As shipping tries to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions, can we learn from fuel transitions of the past?

‘I've seen how Windrush identity has evolved’ – Anita McKenzie on mixed heritage and belonging

Anita McKenzie's parents arrived in Britain from Jamaica during the 1950s. Listen as she shares her memories of life in London, recorded as part of the Indo-Caribbean Windrush Oral History Project

Making Waves: Captain Philippa Bowden

What’s it like to work in Antarctica? Ice pilot Captain Philippa Bowden on navigating the immense frozen wilderness – and the challenges facing the region

Tall tales and deep waters: the story of the ocean with Olivia Armstrong

How storyteller Olivia Armstrong is using the Ocean Map at the National Maritime Museum to help children see our watery world in a new way

Writing the Thames: a poet's journey along the river

To celebrate 30 years of the Thames Footpath, poet Robert Seatter embarked on a journey from source to sea, responding to what the Thames means to us. Where did the river take him?

How much of the ocean has been explored?

It is often claimed that we know more about the surface of the Moon than we do about the bottom of the ocean. What are we doing to learn more about our blue planet?
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