World Ocean Day 2024

Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History

Celebrate World Ocean Day with the National Museum of Natural History on Friday, June 7, 2024. Join ocean scientists, researchers, and educators in the Sant Ocean Hall for an exciting series of interactive experiences celebrating our blue planet and exploring all the ways science and community action can connect us to our waterways.

Events on June 7

Play Date

A boy holding a magnifying glass over a cast of a fossil bed, while a woman stands over him making scary monster arms — Image credit: Katie Derloshon, Smithsonian

Time: 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Location: Sant Ocean Hall’s Explorer Theater
For families
Come celebrate World Ocean Day with a Play Date! Together, families will be invited to make observations of different ocean collection specimens, build different ocean landscapes for animals to explore through play, and learn more about marine debris through Washed Ashore art pieces.

Conversation Stations with Scientists

Times: 11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Location: Sant Ocean Hall
For everyone
Come meet some of the amazing people who play a role in stewarding our oceans through research, conservation, and storytelling. Organizations will include:

The Museum's Department of Invertebrate Zoology: Chat face to face with some of our very own Smithsonian scientists whose work benefits from artistic collaboration. From mussels to jellyfish, they research the wide, wonderful worlds of ocean animals that all have one thing in common: no backbone!
The Museum's Department of Vertebrate Zoology: Chat face-to-face with some of our very own Smithsonian scientists! From whales and dolphins to turtles and snakes, come learn more about these amazing animals.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration: NOAA will be joining us to discuss some of the roles they play in ocean research and the conservation of key habitats. Find them throughout the Ocean Hall covering topics like ocean careers, remotely operated submarines, and more!
Maryland Institute College of Art, Co-Lab: Coral reefs need our help — and conservation solutions can come from surprising places. These artists are teaming up with bacteria to build artificial reefs in a process called biofabrication. Join them at their Ocean Hall table to discover how!
Chesapeake Bay Foundation: Learn more about the Chesapeake Bay, a local estuary and important waterway to the DC metro area with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF)! Find out ways CBF is helping local habitats and learning more about the waters around us!
North Carolina State University, Center for Marine Sciences and Technology: Artificial reefs and shipwrecks can be important conservation tools to enhance or supplement natural reef habitats. But what are fishes doing on these new artificial reefs and shipwrecks? Stop by to discover how fishes use and move between and within these unique underwater habitats.

Science on the Sphere

A room with a large, illuminated globe of the Earth hanging from the ceiling, with dozens of people sitting on floor and standing around it. — Smithsonian image

Resilient Communities

Times: 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. and 3:00 – 4:00 p.m.
Location: Science on the Sphere in the Sant Ocean Hall
For everyone
Explore stunning interactive visualizations projected on the Sant Ocean Hall’s giant globe, as NOAA experts share details about our changing planet and how we can help.

Teek and Tom Explore Planet Earth

Time: 1:00 – 2:00 p.m.
Location: Science on the Sphere in the Sant Ocean Hall
For everyone
Watch the pilot for the new NOAA's Ocean Today animation series, "Teek and Tom Explore the Planet: the Ocean-Weather-Climate Connection" on Science on a Sphere! Join us to meet the star of the show and learn more about bringing their work to life and the important intersection of art and science. Watch, learn, and have an opportunity to ask your own questions along the way.

Great Blue Heron Puppet Encounter

Image courtesy of Matthew Pauli

Time: 12:30 – 3:30 p.m.
Location: Sant Ocean Hall
For everyone
Go birdwatching in the Sant Ocean Hall this World Ocean Day and you just might find yourself face to face with one of our majestic neighbors on this blue planet: the Great Blue Heron. A wading bird who typically wanders shores and wetlands, the Great Blue Heron will stalk the exhibit floor, brought to life by puppet designer and performer Matthew Pauli and performer Carl Williams.

Diving into Ocean Careers with Jennifer Swanson and the Smithsonian NMNH

Times: 1:30 – 1:45 p.m., 2:15 – 2:30 p.m., and 3:00 – 3:15 p.m.
Location: Sant Ocean Hall's Explorer Theater
For everyone
Join podcaster Jennifer Swanson of Solve It! For Kids and various experts working at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History to peek into the world of ocean careers, science, and storytelling.