Essential Information
| Type | Events and festivals |
|---|---|
| Location | |
| Date and Times | Saturday 7 June 2025 |
| 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 fun ocean games and get stuck into craft activities: we’ve got plenty to float your boat!
This year we're also excited to celebrate the reopening of Ocean Court, the largest space in the National Maritime Museum and the place to connect with our watery world.
With a giant 'map of the world according to fish', new objects and displays, plus a wonderful mural by award-winning illustrator Yehrin Tong, World Ocean Day is your first chance to explore Ocean Court for yourself.
Visit the National Maritime Museum for free this 7 June, and get ready to dive into our amazing ocean.
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Festival highlights
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Grand opening of Ocean Court
It’s been a long time coming, but Ocean Court is back! The central courtyard at the National Maritime Museum has been transformed thanks to new displays and artworks, plus a peculiar and exciting new Ocean Map...
Be among the first to run across the Ocean Map, discover its hidden sea creatures and play on the ride-on ships. The much-loved AHOY! Children's Gallery is also free all weekend - perfect for little adventurers with big imaginations.
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Live shows and performances
From the rhythms of the Pacific to the sounds of Latin jazz, there'll be a wave of music washing over Greenwich this World Ocean Day. Enjoy live musical performances from across the globe, featuring Beats of Polynesia, Trinity Laban Latin Band and PULSAR percussion.
Meanwhile our friends at Science Made Simple are guaranteed to make a splash with their interactive science show 'It's Only Water'. Discover the incredible properties of water - and maybe be prepared to get just a little bit wet!
All performances are free and first-come, first-served. Check the full schedule here.
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Talks and tours
Take a deep dive into our ocean with special guests, and explore the galleries of the National Maritime Museum with a series of free talks and tours.
- Discover the 'Blue Machine' that drives our planet with presenter and scientist Helen Czerski.
- Get swept away by ocean currents with Russell Arnott, founder of Incredible Oceans, and hear from Pacific communities about how climate change is threatening island cultures.
- Simon Watt, founder of the Ugly Animals Preservation Society, will introduce us to some of the more 'aesthetically challenged' creatures of the deep with his brilliant comedy science show.
You can also track down our friendly Museum guides inside the galleries, who'll be giving special talks on a range of subjects throughout the day.
Talks schedule available here.
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Meet ocean experts
Meet scientists and campaigners throughout World Ocean Day and get answers to your big ocean and conservation questions.
Take a peek inside the Ocean Dome and discover our marvellous marine world with Incredible Oceans. Surfers Against Sewage meanwhile will be showing how we can all be ocean activists with their interactive Ocean School.
Play a series of conservation games with Ocean Generation, learn about the wonderful world of manta rays with the Manta Trust, and discover the creatures that call the River Thames home with the Creekside Discovery Centre. You can also meet our astronomers from the Royal Observatory, who will be giving us a view of our Earth from space.
Stands will be open throughout the day for drop-in activities. Full programme available here.
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Arts and crafts
Make a puffin puppet, enjoy mermaid facepainting and get stuck into a range of fun craft activities with our ocean friends!
Capacity is limited for these activities, and some have dedicated time slots. Full schedule available here.
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.
What time are activities happening?
The Museum is open from 10am-5pm and activities will be happening throughout the day.
Shows and performances are spread out to give as many people as possible a chance to join in. There will also be stalls, workshops and craft activities available throughout the day.
Download the event programme or check the schedule below for full details. Please note that timings and locations are subject to change depending on the weather.
Can I reserve a space at a particular activity?
All activities will operate on a first-come, first-served basis, and it's not possible to book places in advance.
While capacities are limited for some events, most talks and shows will be repeated throughout the day. Other stalls will be open all day, so if something is busy when you arrive you can always pop back!
Sustainable travel
Greenwich is a quick, easy train journey from central London.
The nearest National Rail stations are Greenwich and Maze Hill. Direct trains run to these stations from London Cannon Street, London Bridge and London Blackfriars.
There are also plenty of bus, walking and cycling routes serving Greenwich.
Please note that the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) will be closed all weekend on 7-8 June due to planned engineering works.
For full travel details, see our getting here guide.
Finding your way around
The event programme includes a map showing the locations of all activities taking place. You can download it here or pick one up on the day.
The Museum floor plan will also help you find your way around the galleries and exhibitions.
This will be the first weekend that the Museum has been fully open in more than 18 months, so if you're a regular visitor things may look a little different! Staff will be on hand to help you find activities and facilities.
Full event schedule
Shows and performances
| Time | Event | Location | Age |
| 10.30am-10.45am | Opening blessing with ocean diaspora | Ocean Map | All ages |
| 12pm-12.30pm | Trinity Laban Latin Band | Ocean Map | All ages |
| 12pm-12.45pm | 'It's Only Water' science show | Lecture Theatre | 7+ |
| 2.30pm-3pm | Beats of Polynesia dance performance | Ocean Map | All ages |
| 3pm-3.15pm | Kiribati dance performance | Ocean Map | 7+ |
| 3.30pm-4.15pm | 'It's Only Water' science show | Lecture Theatre | 7+ |
| 4pm-4.30pm | Closing ceremony with ocean diaspora | Ocean Map | All ages |
| Throughout the day | PULSAR: Trinity Laban festival band | Greenwich Park | All ages |
Talks and tours
| 11am-11.30am | 'Go fish! A brief history of fishing and how it's done' | Atlantic Worlds gallery | All ages |
| 11.30am-12pm | 'Ugly Animals' with Simon Watt | Lecture Theatre | All ages |
| 1pm-1.30pm | 'Voices of Tuvalu: Pacific climate' | Ocean Map | 7+ |
| 1pm-1.30pm | 'My life at sea: stories from a former fisheries biologist' | Voyagers gallery | 7+ |
| 1pm-1.30pm | 'Ugly Animals' with Simon Watt | Lecture Theatre | All ages |
| 2pm-2.30pm | 'Ocean Currents' with Dr Russell Arnott | Ocean Map | 7+ |
| 2pm-2.45pm | 'Blue Machine' with Dr Helen Czerski | Lecture Theatre | 11+ |
| 3pm-3.30pm | 'Swollen joins and bleeding gums: the horror of scurvy' | Nelson, Navy, Nation gallery | 7+ |
| 3pm-3.30pm | 'Ugly Animals' with Simon Watt | Lecture Theatre | All ages |
| 4pm-4.30pm | 'Arctic artistry and polar pastimes' | Polar Worlds gallery | All ages |
Meet ocean experts
| All day | Ocean Dome with Incredible Oceans | Greenwich Park | All ages |
| All day | Mysterious Manta Rays with the Manta Trust | Next to Nelson's Ship in a Bottle | All ages |
| All day | Ocean games with Ocean Generation | Sammy Ofer Wing | All ages |
| All day | Artefacts and eco-facts with Creekside Discovery Centre | Next to Nelson's Ship in a Bottle | All ages |
| All day | Ocean School with Surfers Against Sewage | Seminar Room | All ages |
| All day | Earth from Space with the Royal Observatory | Group Space | All ages |
| Throughout the day | Hidden treasures with Museum curators | Around the Museum | All ages |
Arts and crafts
| 10am-1pm | Globiles origami workshop | Rethink Space | All ages |
| 10.30am-4.30pm | Puffin puppet workshop | Learning Space | 7+ |
| 10.30am-4.30pm | Te bau: make Kiribati head garlands | Figurehead Space | 7+ |
| 11.30am-4.30pm | Face painting with Anna Kompaniets | Ocean Court | All ages |
| 2pm-5pm | Globiles origami workshop | Rethink Space | All ages |
Timings subject to change. In the event of wet weather some activities may be moved or cancelled
Make the most of your day
Event partners
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.
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.
UNESCO's seven principles of ocean literacy help us to recognise the impact the ocean has on our lives, and the effect we have on the ocean:
- Earth has one ocean with many features
- The ocean and life in the ocean shape the features of Earth
- The ocean is a major influence on weather and climate
- The ocean makes Earth habitable
- The ocean supports a great diversity of life and ecosystems
- The ocean and humans are inextricably linked
- The ocean is largely unexplored.
For more ocean inspiration, why not check out our activities, resources and features available online?
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