There is an ocean of opportunities for you to celebrate our sea. Create your own unique activity or event, or market some of your existing programs to promote World Oceans Day.
Below you'll find a number of creative event and activity ideas for organizations as well as individuals. You'll also find information for coordinating with Ocean Project Partners and others in your area to share the workload and resources as well as generate greater media attention and public awareness!
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- Ocean festival
Organize an open-air ocean festival featuring ocean creature touch tanks, and ocean-themed art making, music, mascots, dramatizations and information booths.
- Beach party
Host a beach party, BBQ, or picnic with contests for best sea creature costume, sand castle, and dance (to ocean-themed music of course).
Hand out ocean-themed prizes such as free kayak tours; tickets to the local aquarium, museum, or zoo; ocean conservation t-shirts, hats, or other gear; a sustainable seafood dinner for two; or membership to an ocean conservation organization.
- Sand sculpture contest
Have a sand sculpture contest with ocean-themed prizes. Put a World Oceans Day stamp on the competition by making the sand sculptures in the shape of ocean creatures.
- Sea kayaking tours
Organize a day of sea kayak tours for the local community to learn about and enjoy the ocean’s beauty.
- Swimming or sailing race
Host other athletic events related to the ocean, such as a swimming or sailing race, and donate the proceeds to a conservation program or organization in your area.
- Road race or street parade
Host a road race or street parade (featuring kids and adults dressed as their favorite sea creature) through town. Encourage participants to attach fun facts about their sea creature to their costumes and carry educational banners about World Oceans Day, ocean issues, and ocean conservation.
- Educational walk and picnic
Sponsor a local naturalist to lead a nature walk or cruise along a nearby river, lake, or coastal area. The tour can include identifications and discussions of the aquatic wildlife and features seen and unseen along the way. Give participants lots of time for hands-on exploration and include information about our ocean connection and how we can protect our blue backyard.
- Public lecture
Sponsor a public lecture about the ocean by a prominent environmental leader, manager or scientist. Focus the lecture topic around this year’s World Oceans Day theme, one ocean, one climate, one future, or a specific local issue of interest.
- Classroom visits
Make the rounds at local schools in the months leading up to World Oceans Day with a fun presentation about the ocean. Make it as exciting and interactive as possible by using films, music, games, and outdoor activities. Visit Bridge for additional resources and ideas.
- Book reading or signing
Host a book reading and signing by local authors who have written about the ocean. Local bookstores and book clubs should be able to give you leads on persons to contact.
- World Oceans Day page
Add a page to your organization’s existing website with a brief write-up about World Oceans Day and the connection between climate change and the ocean. You can include the Seven C’s Pledge for ocean conservation and point visitors to the Seas the Day! initiative, where they can get daily tips and other information for protecting the ocean.
- Sustainable seafood event
Sponsor a sustainable seafood event and invite local chefs to give demonstrations and food tastings. Check out Chefs Collaborative for a list of "sustainable seafood chefs" in your area.Host a fundraising dinner featuring sustainable seafood.
- Serve shark-friendly wine at your World Oceans Day event
Shark Trust Wines donates 10% of proceeds to shark conservation efforts. Now, through World Oceans Day 2009, the organization has graciously offered to donate 30% of sales to The Ocean Project whenever the coupon code "TOP" is entered at checkout. See more details on our blog.
- Aquatic cleanup
Host a beach, river, lake, wetland, or underwater cleanup. Contact local dive and water sport shops to help organize and spread the word.
Recruit volunteers through the media, community posters, or local youth groups. Follow the cleanup with a celebratory dinner featuring sustainable seafood!
Get cleanup volunteers to "adopt" a local beach, river, lake, wetland, or underwater area to keep clean long after your World Oceans Day clean up. Join forces with local environmental groups to help manage and provide resources to these volunteers.
- Tree planting
Enhance a local river bank or shoreline with some native vegetation. Not only will this beautify the area, but it will help reduce storm water running into rivers, as well as reduce erosion.
- Ocean pledge
Develop an ocean pledge tailored to your area for visitors to sign, and enter "pledgers" in a drawing to win ocean-themed prizes. Pledges can list things individuals can do to lessen their negative impact or increase their positive impact on the ocean.
Wherever you are located, you can always use the Seven C’s Pledge for ocean conservation and contact us to request a batch of Seas the Day bookmarks with the pledge on the back to hand out to each pledger as a reminder. We very much appreciate donations for bookmarks, which help to cover shipping costs.
- Raise ocean awareness at the beach
The beach is the perfect place to raise awareness about ocean issues and conservation.
Sponsor a World Oceans Day beach banner to raise awareness about the celebration, ocean issues, and easy actions people can take to protect the ocean. Use the World Oceans Day action poster as a guide for content.
Organize a volunteer booth at the beach entrance with awareness and action materials, a mini aquarium or touch tank, and ocean music. Contact us to request Seas the Day bookmarks, seafood wallet guides, and other free materials to distribute. In return, we greatly appreciate your donations, which help cover shipping costs.
Get a group of volunteers to round up interested beachgoers and make large human formations in the shape of ocean creatures, and phrases such as “Protect Our World Ocean.” Invite the local media to photograph the formations or take photographs yourself and submit them along with a story about World Oceans Day and ocean conservation.
- Make World Oceans Day officially celebrated in your community
Write a letter on behalf of your organization or as a group of individuals supporting official town or city recognition of June 8th as World Oceans Day. Hawaii Girl Scout Troop 401 has an inspiring success story about this! Click here for all the information you’ll need to contact your representative. We’ve created a sample letter that you can use. - Raffle to benefit ocean conservation
Host a raffle and give away ocean prizes including coupons to local sustainable seafood restaurants; a day at the local aquarium, zoo, or museum; and so on, with proceeds going to a conservation program.
- Photo and art exhibit
Host a photo and art exhibit featuring ocean-themed works by local professional artists as well as works by everyday people expressing their connection to the ocean and their concern about ocean issues.
- Film showing
Screen ocean-themed movies, cartoons, and documentaries with a discussion following. Check out The Ocean Project’s collection of ocean films.
- Writing and poetry contest
Hold a writing and poetry contest featuring stories about the ocean. Pick the winners on World Oceans Day and hold a ceremony where the winners can share their works with a crowd.
- Paint-off
Sponsor a “paint-off” and invite young and old alike to paint ocean-themed pictures in front of an audience. The event can have music and snacks, and the best works (selected by the audience) could be showcased at your organization or a local zoo, aquarium, museum, library, or other public place. Be sure to use eco-friendly paint.
- Community mural
Organize a group of community artists to paint a mural in a popular public place in honor of the ocean. The mural could feature a few easy actions people could take to protect the ocean.
- Kids' art contest
Host a kids' art contest with fun prizes, such as a behind-the-scenes tour of your organization (if you're affiliated with an aquarium, zoo, or nature museum). Here are some great ideas for kids' ocean art projects. Remember to use eco-friendly art supplies, including recycled materials as much as possible.
- Sleepover at the aquarium
Have a special aquarium sleepover so kids can watch the ocean creatures at night.
- Ocean stories
Have a professional storyteller come to your location and tell stories related to the ocean. If you cannot find a professional, then have children bring in their favorite ocean stories and ask a parent or staff volunteer to read them to everyone.
- Treasure hunt
Have an ocean scavenger or treasure hunt with many small ocean-themed prizes such as T-shirts, bookmarks, aquarium passes, etc. Consider providing maps with fun ocean-related facts on them.
- Surf Sweets World Ocean Day Artwork Contest
Enter the Surf Sweets World Ocean Day Artwork Contest for Kids to win tickets to your local aquarium, museum, or zoo; a year’s supply of Surf Sweets natural and organic candies; and other great prizes! Click here to download a PDF file with more information and an entry form.
- Take the Seven C's Pledge for ocean conservation:
- Commit to making a real difference
Aim to be carbon neutral by reducing and offsetting your energy consumption.
- Conserve in your home
Upgrade to Energy Star appliances and compact fluorescent light bulbs.
- Consume consciously
Rethink what you need, purchase "green" products, buy locally grown foods, and choose sustainable seafood.
- Communicate your interests and concerns
Let your friends, family, colleagues, and the local media know about the impact of climate change on the ocean.
- Challenge yourself daily
Walk, bike, carpool, and take public transportation to cut down your carbon emissions.
- Connect in your community
Get active as a volunteer with a local watershed or ocean group.
- Celebrate our ocean!
Take part in a World Oceans Day activity near you or plan your own.
- Speak out for the ocean
Write a letter to your local newspaper editor promoting World Oceans Day. We have provided a sample letter for you.
Write a letter to your local representative asking them to take action to make World Oceans Day an official celebration in your town or country. We have provided a sample letter for you.
- Help clean up the ocean
Get a friend or family member to join you for a cleanup of a nearby river bank, shoreline, or beach. After your cleanup enjoy the day at the river bank or beach.
Sharing the Workload, Involving the Community
You can reach many more people, and share the workload and resources, if you partner with other groups including:
Invite local environmental organizations to set up booths at your event.
A great source for event participants and volunteers.
Invite your mayor or other elected official to attend your event and give a speech. This is a great way to attract media and public attention.
Many Ocean Project partners will be planning World Oceans Day activities over the coming weeks. Find a partner near you and see if they are willing to merge ideas and resources.
The ocean and ocean issues know no boundaries. Feel free to link up with organizations in another community - coastal or inland - nearby or far away - to collaborate on celebrating World Oceans Day with a common or connected awareness activity or conservation action project.
For example, a coastal community might want to connect with a community upriver to draw awareness to pollution flowing through the watershed and into the ocean.