Essential information
| Type |
Events and festivals
|
|---|---|
| Location | |
| Date and times | Saturday 6 June 2026 |
| Prices | Free |
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.
Tap the arrows below to see some of the highlights on offer, and check out the full event schedule here. See you on Saturday 6 June!
Plan your visit
Do I need to book?
World Ocean Day at the National Maritime Museum is free and there's no need to book. If you'd like to book free Museum tickets in advance, we'll be able to send you useful visitor information in advance via email.
Can I reserve a space at a particular activity?
All activities and performances will operate on a first-come, first-served basis, and it's not possible to book slots in advance.
While capacities are limited for some events, most talks and shows will be repeated multiple times. Other stalls will be open all day, so if something is busy when you arrive you can always return later.
Travelling to Greenwich
Greenwich is a quick, easy train journey from central London via train or DLR. There are also plenty of bus, walking and cycling routes serving Greenwich. For full details check our getting here guide.
There is a secure car park at the National Maritime Museum which is open to visitors during weekends, bank holidays and school holidays. Spaces can be reserved in advance when booking tickets.
Finding your way around
The programme below includes timings and locations for all the activities, and a map for the day will be published online soon. Copies will also be available throughout the Museum on the day, and you can always ask staff for directions if you're not sure.
Event programme
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Shows and performances
Opening blessing
10.30am-10.45am | Ocean Map | All ages
Deep sea detectives: storytelling with Olivia Armstrong
11am-11.30am, 1pm-1.30pm and 4pm-4.30pm | Ocean Map | All ages
A playful, participatory, story performance exploring the life story of the ocean. Once seen as scary and brimming with sea-monsters, the science of currents, ocean sounds and zones is no less amazing!
Roxanne Tataei: vocal artist, composer and performer
12pm-12.30pm | Ocean Map | All ages
Voices of Tuvalu
1.30pm-2pm | Ocean Map | All ages
Beats of Polynesia dance performance
2pm-2.30pm | Ocean Map | All ages
Trinity Laban Latin Band*
3pm-3.30pm | Colonnades | All ages
*In wet weather, this performance will take place on the Ocean Map.
PULSAR: Trinity Laban Festival Band
Throughout the day | Roaming | All ages
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Talks and tours
Meet Adi Yeta
11am-11.30am | Pacific Encounters | All ages
'Ugly Animals' with Simon Watt
12pm-12.30pm, 2pm-2.30pm and 4pm-4.30pm | Lecture Theatre | All ages
Biologist and comedian Simon Watt introduces us to some of the strangest-looking and coolest creatures of the deep.
My favourite whale: why sperm whales are awesome with Dr Russell Arnott
1pm-1.30pm | Lecture Theatre | All ages
Meet the deepest-diving, largest-brained and loudest animal on the planet. Science-led and built around genuine passion for this extraordinary animal, this talk covers sperm whale biology, behaviour and culture.
K2: the story of the Bounty watch
1pm-1.30pm | Pacific Encounters | All ages
Mermaids, myths and monsters: fishy tales and the creatures that inspired them with Dr Russell Arnott
3pm-3.30pm | Lecture Theatre | All ages
Meet the real animals behind the myths, from giant squid to oarfish. Funny, surprising and accessible for all ages.
My life at sea: stories from a former fisheries biologist
3pm-3.30pm | Voyagers | All ages
Fame, tantrums and empire: the life of Joseph Banks
4pm-4.30pm | Pacific Encounters | All ages
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Meet the experts
10am-5pm | All ages
Dive with manta rays!
By Nelson's Ship in a Bottle
Join the Manta Trust for an interactive manta ray experience. Take a virtual reality dive with mantas, try your hand at photo ID matching and learn more about manta rays through our scavenger hunt.
Meet the octopus with Greenpeace
In front of the Queen's House
Artefacts and eco-facts with Creekside Discovery Centre
By Nelson's Ship in a Bottle
Hidden treasures with Museum curators
Roaming
Get hands on with objects from the National Maritime Museum's collections.
Hello, Earth!
Group Space
From space, our planet looks bright and connected. Join the Royal Observatory Astronomy team and discover how looking at the Earth from space helps us understand our home a little bit better, from the ocean to the life it supports.
In wet weather, these locations are subject to change.
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Arts and crafts
Paper crafting with Interisland Collective
10am-4.30pm | Figurehead Space | All ages
Puffin puppets with CoastARTS
10.30am-4.30pm | Learning Space | Accessible for all ages, though younger children may need help with using scissors
Come make a flying puffin puppet you can take home, learn more about these amazing birds and how you can help them, as well as interact with puffin puppeteers!
Sea monster face painting with Anna Kompaniets*
11am-4pm | Nelson's Ship in a Bottle | All ages
*In wet weather, this activity will take place outside the Lecture Theatre.
Wild waters with Surfers Against Sewage
Throughout the day | Rethink Space | All ages
Watch the world premiere of a brand-new ocean literacy animation created by Amy Tibbles and narrated by Naomi Wilkinson. Then get hands-on! Make campaign placards, write a message to decision-makers, and add your voice to a collective Movement Wall. Free, fun and open to all.
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Galleries and displays
Sounds of the Ocean
My Greenwich gallery
Listen to sound pieces created by students from Newhaven School inspired by themes and objects in the National Maritime Museum.
Pasifika Now
Pacific Encounters
Young photographers from across the Pacific reveal contemporary life, heritage and identity through their own eyes.
Our Life Is Here
Ocean Court
Reflections on nuclear testing and climate change in the Marshall Islands – a contemporary art exhibition at the National Maritime Museum.
Reading nook
Voyagers
Your guide to our watery world
Packed with vibrant illustrations and curious facts, The Ocean Map by curator Aimee Mook is for explorers who want to dive into our wonderful ocean – and learn how to protect it.
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.
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