World Ocean Day is the UN-recognized day of ocean celebration and action. All around the globe individuals and groups use the day to celebrate, learn about, and do their part to help the ocean. Local, regional, and state organizations will come together to provide engaging activities to help visitors understand the human connection to the ocean.

Join Artist Boat and our partners on East Beach to celebrate World Ocean Day by discovering and learning through hands-on activities, presentations, exhibits, entertainment, and Eco-Art workshops! Live Entertainment includes the Galveston Ukulele Society, the Pleasant Adventures of Pirate Pete, Polynesian Storytelling and a special presentation of Women in Coastal Science.

Eco-Art Workshops for this year’s festival includes Masters of Adaptation Art, Ocean Rhythms Drum Circle, Totally Turtles Acrylic Painting Workshop and Bucket Brigade tours.

For more details, click here.

Pre-Festival Events

Leading up to the festival at East Beach, two events are scheduled:

Sentinels of the Port
Produced by Galveston Unscripted
Thursday, June 5, 2025 – 6:30 pm – 1:01 Minutes
Wortham Auditorium, Rosenberg Library – Galveston, Texas
In partnership with Rosenberg Library.
FREE EVENT.

Sentinels of the Port is a locally produced and popular documentary describing the expertise and dedication of Galveston’s Pilot Boat Captains. Learn about these dedicated men and women that risk their lives, rain or shine, to guide commercial vessels and cruise ships through the Galveston ship channels safely. Registration required due to 100 seat capacity.

The Crude Life Portable Museum Adventure
Hosted by Brandon Ballangée, Artist and Biologist
Friday, June 6, 2025 – 9:00 am, 6:00 pm
Artist Boat Coastal Heritage Preserve – Galveston, Texas
FREE WORKSHOPS.

Join Brandon Ballangée, artist and biologist, as he takes you into the waters of Galveston Bay to seine for marine life. Learn about the live specimens, then browse through a 1^st century chest filled with preserved specimens. Afterward, you will capture what you’ve learned through art. Registration required due to 25 participant capacity.

World Ocean Day Festival

Saturday, June 7, 2025 – 11:00 AM – 4:30 PM
R.A. Apffel Beach Park, East Beach – Galveston, Texas
In partnership with the Galveston Park Board of Trustees.
FREE EVENT with park entry ($15 per car).

Women in Coastal Science
With Sandra Metoyer, Environmental Institute of Houston
June 7, 2025 – 3:00 pm
R.A. Apffel Beach Park, East Beach – Galveston, Texas
In Partnership with Visit Galveston
FREE ACTIVITY with park entry.

Join Visit Galveston on the main stage, as Artist Boat hosts the Women in Coastal Science live stream.  Sandra Metoyer, Executive Director of the Environmental Institute of Houston, will be interviewed by Karla Klay, Executive Director of Artist Boat. Learn more about Sandra and her role within coastal science community.

Beautify the Bucket Art Contest
June 7, 2025 – 11:00 AM – 4:30 PM
R.A. Apffel Beach Park, East Beach – Galveston, Texas
In partnership with the Galveston Park Board of Trustees.
FREE EVENT with park entry.

The Beautify the Bucket Art Contest is in full swing with 130 blue trash barrels adopted by artists, schools, and other organizations. Contest entries will be on display at Artist Boat’s World Ocean Day Festival on East Beach, next to the main tent. Awards for the contest will be announce at 4:00 pm. The beautified buckets will then be dispersed across Galveston Island beaches and events.

Festival Workshops, June 7 at East Beach

Masters of Adaptation Art Workshop
Join artist and biologist, Brandon Ballengée, for this hands on art-science workshop on Gulf fish species diversity, natural history, and specimen drawing.
Times: 11:00 am, 12:30 pm, and 2:30 pm

Island Rhythms Drum Circle
Join in on a drum circle on the beach, as leader and host Ilya Janos Kolozs guides you through creating rhythms using various percussion instruments. You will get an opportunity to learn specific rhythms to play on provided drums and other percussion instruments, while enjoying the day with your toes in the sand. Space is limited to 30 participants.
Times: 12:15 pm, 1:30 pm, 2:45 pm

I Smell Something Fishy
Hand-build your own fish from clay as you experience and learn the feeding adaptations of fish. Our Eco-Art Educators will guide you through this workshop using both the disciplines of art and science.
Times: 11:00 am, 1:30 pm

Totally Turtles Acrylic Painting
Learn acrylic painting techniques with an Artist Boat artist. You will explore basic acrylic painting techniques as you create a portrait your favorite coastal turtle species native to the land and waters of the Gulf Coast. Space is limited to 30 participants.
Times: 11:00 am, 12:15 pm, 1:30 pm, 2:45 pm

Bucket Brigade
Explore the creatures and features that make Galveston beaches unique with Artist Boat’s Bucket Brigade, an interpretive Beach tour. Learn all about what makes our coast unique with hands-on activities and topics like turbid water, marine debris, Sargassum landings, and more! Fun for all ages. Space is limited to 15 participants.
Times: 11:00 am, 12:15 pm, 1:30 pm, 2:45 pm

To register for workshops, visit click here.

NOAA and National Marine Sanctuary Deep Sea Adventure Tent
Visit the NOAA and National Marine Sanctuary Foundation tent to learn how experts are restoring the deep coral habitats injured by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. See footage of colorful corals and mysterious creatures found a mile below the surface, hear about how high-tech underwater robots and specialized divers help scientists work at these depths, ask questions, and try a hands-on activity to learn more about deep Gulf ecosystems! No registration required.

For more details, click here.