Join the New England Aquarium for World Ocean Day 2026

Mark your calendars for another exciting World Ocean Day celebration!

People of all ages are invited to the New England Aquarium on Sunday, June 7, 2026, for a day of free, ocean-inspired programming and additional activities for ticket holders. See what’s in store below.

Aquarium World Ocean Day Events & Programming

We’re excited to gather our community to celebrate, learn about, and take action to protect the blue planet for another amazing World Ocean Day.

On June 7, a variety of activities will be available from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., with free activities for all visitors on Central Wharf and inside the Simons Theatre lobby and additional programming inside the Aquarium for visitors who purchase tickets.

Plus, as part of our commitment to accessibility and inclusivity on Boston’s downtown waterfront, the Aquarium is partnering with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston to provide free transportation from the Berkshire Partners Blue Hill Club in Dorchester and the Yawkey Club of Roxbury to Central Wharf for World Ocean Day. (See Transportation below for more details.) 

We strongly encourage purchasing Aquarium admission tickets in advance if you plan to join the celebrations!

Free Programming

Central Wharf Plaza

Artists for Humanity
Join local youth artists to help complete a mural, designed uniquely for this event. Leave with your own postcard of the same design as a keepsake of the day’s festivities!

DJ Vic Baruzza at Dockside Beer Garden
DJ Vic Baruzza will be providing entertainment at our Dockside Beer Garden on Central Wharf. Visitors can purchase food and drinks, including beer, wine, and cocktails and a variety of appetizers, salads, and sandwiches. The menu will also include a few surprise World Ocean Day themed items! 

Harborside Water Quality Testing
Learn how we monitor water quality throughout the Aquarium, live with our team. 

NOAA Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary
Meet representatives from NOAA Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary alongside their 43-foot inflatable humpback whale, Salt (weather permitting).  

The Massachusett Tribe at Ponkapoag
Members of the Massachusett Tribe at Ponkapoag will lead a hands-on fish weir-building activity, providing attendees with an immersive experience of traditional fishing practices. This activity will highlight the cultural and historical significance of fish weirs to the Indigenous peoples of the Boston Harbor area. Participants will gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of these sustainable fishing methods and their role in the ecosystem. 

Temperature Tapestry: A Climate Stripes Art Installation (various locations)
This colorful art installation displays 174 years of the global average temperature. Each stripe represents a year, forming a vibrant tapestry of color. This illustrates how carbon pollution has had a dramatic ripple effect on Earth over the past decades. Visit the installation at its locations along the Harborwalk and on Central Wharf Plaza. Learn more.

Harbor View Terrace and Tent

Kulture City
Kulture City’s sensory activation vehicle, S.A.V for short, is designed to bring a mobile sensory experience to any event that lacks a physical space for a dedicated sensory room. It provides a quick sensory refuge for those with sensory needs. More info: kulturecity.org/save

“Ask a Scientist” Booth
Scientists from our Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life, Sea Turtle Rescue & Rehabilitation, and Animal Care teams will meet visitors and answer questions about their work protecting our ocean and marine animals. 

New England Aquarium Interpretation & Engagement team

New England Aquarium Conservation Policy team

New England Aquarium Dive Club
Learn about the New England Aquarium Dive Club and our efforts to educate the public and conserve and protect the ocean. 

New England Aquarium Membership Info Station
Learn more about membership options at the Aquarium. From 2:00-4:00 p.m., Liza Ketchum, “Turtles Heading Home!” author, will be hosting a book signing. 

New England Aquarium Volunteer & Internship Programs and Youth Development Info Station 

Neponset River Watershed Association 

Rajji Desai
“Dispatches from the Deep” is a visual correspondence with the marine creatures of New England waters, imagined as a collection of postage stamps. Each stamp places a resident of the deep inside the civic fabric of Boston, arriving through the very infrastructure built to hold the sea at a distance. Together they form a portrait of marine life at a moment of profound ecological transformation, drawn from the species of the New England Aquarium and the Gulf of Maine. The table becomes a marine post office, where visitors are invited to write letters in response to the dispatches these creatures have been sending for decades, through their migrations, their disappearances, and the slow dissolution of their forms.

The American City Coalition
Participate in a heat island effect activity which educates on the albedo effect and heat islands in Boston. Learn more about engaging with urban and waterfront ecology through a Boston waterfront birding activity. 

Glitter Dolls Face Painting
Interactive face painting, glitter tattoos, and face bling featuring special ocean-themed designs. Guests can choose from sea-inspired creations like mermaids, sharks, dolphins, turtles, and more, bringing creativity, color, and sparkle to all ages.

Uvida Shop
Uvida Shop, a minority & women-owned business, is Boston’s first zero-waste and eco-friendly store. Shop plastic-free products for improving home health to protect the environment through their wide variety and ever-expanding selection of affordable and sustainable household goods. 

Stone Living Lab
Learn about how our warming oceans impact local species through an activity. 

Surfrider Foundation 

Hispanic Access Foundation
The Hispanic Access Foundation will share information about the vital relationship between Latino communities and our oceans and coasts. Attendees will learn about our ocean programs, Latino Conservation Week, and our newest short film on sustainable fisheries, “From Sea to Soul.” They will also offer ocean-themed coloring pages for children, immersive ocean VR experiences for all ages, and giveaways. 

Boys and Girls Club of Boston
Stop by to learn how the Boys and Girls Club of Boston provides a safe, supportive environment where young people ages 6–18 can thrive. From after-school programming and mentorship to college prep and career exploration, BGCB members across nine Club sites develop the skills and confidence to succeed. Chat with their team to learn how to enroll your child and start their journey with BGCB today.  Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston | BGCB

Boston Sea Rovers
Meet with members of the Boston Sea Rovers to learn more about their annual International Ocean Symposium, as well as summer internships and family day activities.

Bow Seat Ocean Awareness Program Art Exhibition
An interactive, family-friendly exhibit table where attendees will be able to create their own, unique buttons/pins using youth artwork created as a part of our annual Ocean Awareness Contest. 

New England Aquarium Sustainability Committee

Simons Theatre

Ocean Dreams Film Premiere • free showings at 11:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m.

Narrated by actress Shailene Woodley, Ocean Dreams takes viewers on an epic adventure from the deep fjords of Norway where orcas teach their young to hunt, to Raja Ampat in Indonesia, home to the richest biodiversity on Earth and where a groundbreaking project is saving endangered sharks with help from aquariums in America. Dive with wolffish, the guardians of the kelp forest, as they use their powerful jaws to protect the forest from sea urchins. Be mesmerized by the splendor of the rarely seen Bikini Atoll where marine life that disappeared after nuclear testing over 50 years ago is thriving again.

Please note: Ocean Dreams will be free to visitors on World Ocean Day on a first-come, first-served basis and we will not be taking reservations.

Regularly-scheduled film showings • ticketed, throughout the day
View current film schedule here. 

For Aquarium Ticket Holders

Inside the Aquarium

Remarks by Robert Lewis, President and CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston • 11:00 a.m. 
Hear from local leader Robert Lewis at the top of the Giant Ocean Tank at 11 a.m., where he’ll discuss his extensive work empowering youth and strengthening community. 

Remarks by Commander Crystal Schaefer • 2:00 p.m.
Hear from Commander Crystal Schaefer at the top of the Giant Ocean Tank at 2:00 p.m., where she’ll discuss maritime culture and naval service, as well as the upcoming Sail Boston 2026.

Temperature Tapestry: A Climate Stripes Art Installation •  throughout the day
This colorful art installation displays 174 years of the global average temperature. Each stripe represents a year, forming a vibrant tapestry of color. This illustrates how carbon pollution has had a dramatic ripple effect on Earth over the past decades. Visit the installation inside the Aquarium near the Marine Mammal Center. Learn more.

Conservation Learning and Animal Care Presentations • throughout the day 
Staff from our Interpretation & Engagement, Marine Mammals, and Penguins teams will deliver short presentations explaining the many ways we take care of our animal communities and how we all can take action within our own communities to take care of animals all over the world. 

Transportation

The Aquarium is partnering with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston to provide free transportation from the Berkshire Partners Blue Hill Club in Dorchester and the Yawkey Club of Roxbury to Central Wharf on World Ocean Day. 

Pre-registration is required and spots are limited. If you are interested in registering for a shuttle, please contact your local Boys & Girls Club for information on timing and availability. 

For additional information about traveling to the Aquarium, please visit our Directions and Parking page.

Boston Family Days

We’re proud to partner with the City of Boston for Boston Family Days, an access program that provides students who live in Boston and their families free entry to many of the City’s world-class cultural institutions on the first and second Sunday of each month. World Ocean Day is also a Boston Family Days Sunday, and we hope Boston students and their guests join us for the celebration to collect a stamp for their Boston Family Days passport! Learn more about the Boston Family Days program.

Thank you to our sponsors the Lowell Institute and the Barr Foundation, WBZ-TV CBS Boston, M&T Bank, Eastern Bank Foundation, Plymouth Rock Assurance Foundation, SLC Management, Vilms Consulting, E.M. Duggan Inc., and Coastal Measures Inc.