National Maritime Museum celebrates third annual World Oceans Day with online festival

World Oceans Day 2020, a home learning workshop using household waste © National Maritime Museum, London

The National Maritime Museum (NMM) will hold a day-long festival of activities to mark World Oceans Day for the third consecutive year on 8 June 2020. With social distancing measures limiting gatherings, and cultural institutions temporarily closed, Royal Museums Greenwich (RMG) will mark the day with a completely digital festival, a first for the organisation.

NMM is partnering with individuals and organisations from across the world to provide a day-long schedule of exciting programming, accessible to virtual visitors through RMG's World Oceans Day 2020 web portal. This hub for the digital festival will allow virtual visitors to engage in innovative activities and explore RMG's extensive online resources from home. Those taking part in World Oceans Day activities will also be encouraged to share their experiences on social media using the hashtag #WorldOceansDay, which will connect them not only with their fellow virtual visitors to the Museum, but to other worldwide participants, in this international day of action.

Highlights of World Oceans Day 2020 online festival include a welcome by Royal Museums Greenwich Director Paddy Rodgers, a specially curated music mix by BBC Radio DJ and presenter Nick Luscombe, home learning craft and kitchen science videos, interviews with scientists and oceanography experts, an online scavenger hunt, a panel discussion with live Q&A, and a live online quiz.

The variety of events on offer as part of NMM's World Oceans Day 2020 online festival aims to encourage visitors to act as caretakers of the ocean - allowing participants of all ages to discover the diverse and beautiful ocean creatures and habitats, how our daily actions affect them, and how we are all interconnected.

"The Museum recognises the importance of highlighting issues related to maritime sustainability and good ocean stewardship." says Laura Boon, Contemporary Maritime Curator at NMM. "A healthy world ocean is critical to our survival as it generates much of the oxygen we breathe, helps feed us, and regulates our climate. Together we can and must protect and restore our ocean."

For more information about World Oceans Day 2020 visit www.rmg.co.uk/worldoceansday.