World Ocean Celebration Returns to Miami

Hosted by ARTSail and Blue Scholars Initiative, the annual event series runs May 30 through June 8, bringing Miami into a broader global movement for stronger ocean protection.

Few American cities live as closely with the ocean as Miami, and World Ocean Celebration has spent the past six years turning that proximity into purpose.

Returning from May 30 through June 8, 2026, the annual event series brings together a citywide ocean program that connects public participation to ocean protection at both local and global scales.

Hosted by ARTSail and Blue Scholars Initiative and presented by Surfing’s Evolution and Preservation Foundation, WOC 2026 is built around the idea that the case for protecting the ocean is strongest when people can see it, swim in it, and understand what is at stake in their own waterways.

Over 10 consecutive days, World Ocean Celebration invites residents and visitors alike to enjoy a closer relationship with Miami’s waters through programming that spans direct ocean access, art, culture, science, and public conversation. Ocean Week is designed to mobilize people to build a shared sense of what local ocean stewardship looks like in practice. Most events are free or low-cost and open to the public, with select events requiring advance registration.

Full program details and registration are available at worldoceancelebration.miami, with a few event highlights below:

• Neon Reef and REEFLINE Guided Snorkel (May 31, 5th Street, Miami Beach): A guided in-water exploration of the Neon Reef and REEFLINE.

• Sheroes of the Ocean Panel (June 5, Storer Auditorium, University of Miami): WOC’s annual conversation with women leaders in ocean science, conservation, and advocacy.

• Beach Activation (June 6, 81st Street, Miami Beach): A free family-friendly morning of beach activities, cleanup, and ocean education.

By June 8, World Ocean Day, that momentum will culminate in a public call to action inviting the community to support two measures to protect Miami Beach’s Neon Reef and those who wish to explore it safely: relocating the buoy line beyond the reef to improve swimmer safety, and establishing a Miami Beach Marine Park to safeguard the marine ecosystem it supports. In doing so, WOC 2026 gives the official 2026 World Ocean Day theme, Strong Marine Protected Areas for Our Blue Planet, a clear local expression in Miami. Located just 600 feet off South Beach, the reef sits alongside one of the country’s most visited stretches of coastline, yet remains unseen by many Miamians and outside formal federal marine protection.

Full Schedule

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