Every June, World Oceans Day Calls Attention to Our Planet's "Life Source"

As summer approaches in the Northern Hemisphere, there are undoubtedly many beach days on the horizon, each of which are sure to be spent basking under the sun and splashing around in the ocean. So basically, early June is the perfect time to honor our oceans with a holiday like World Oceans Day. But what is World Oceans Day exactly? This annual holiday — also known as World Ocean Day — aims to remind people all around the world of how important it is to protect our major oceans.

Here’s everything you need to know about the United Nations-hosted holiday, including facts about World Oceans Day, this year’s theme, activities you can do to celebrate, and more.

World Oceans Day falls on June 8 every year, and this year, the holiday is on Saturday, June 8, 2024. The holiday is hosted by the “Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea of the Office of Legal Affairs of the United Nations,” and supported by nonprofit Oceanic Global.

According to the UN, the holiday’s mission is “to inform the public of the impact of human actions on the ocean, develop a worldwide movement of citizens for the ocean, and mobilize and unite the world’s population on a project for the sustainable management of the world's oceans.”

June 8 is also observed as World Ocean Day (that’s a singular “ocean”). According to the World Ocean Day organization’s website, the holiday was originally proposed as World Ocean Day by Canada back in 1992, at the Rio Earth Summit. The organization the Ocean Project began organizing the holiday in 2002, and it was celebrated independently every year through 2008.

In December 2008, the United Nations General Assembly formally recognized the holiday, and added the “s,” officially declaring every June 8 as World Oceans Day. In 2021, the World Ocean Day organization decided to remove the “s” from its promotion of the holiday, restoring its original name, in an effort to remind people that “one world ocean connects us all!”

So basically, you can refer to the holiday with either an “s” or without one — as long as you are referring to the holiday at all!

The action theme for World Oceans Day 2024 is "Catalyzing Action for Our Ocean & Climate," according to the UN. The UN is referring to this theme as a "multi-year action theme," and specifically encourages the public to "create not only a healthy blue planet, but also a more just, equitable and sustainable society." The theme aims to do this by influencing federal lawmakers and corporations to actually accomplish their climate goals and promises.

If you'd like to participate in an official World Oceans Day event, you can find a list of events all across the globe here.

As for other activities you can do on World Oceans Day, we highly recommend visiting the ocean, if you have the time and access this week! You can also watch documentaries about the ocean, such as Seaspiracy, A Plastic Ocean, and Mission Blue.

Additionally, there are a number of resources on the UN World Oceans Day website, which you can use to learn more about oceans with your children — there, you’ll find ocean-themed coloring pages, videos, podcasts, and more.

This article, originally published on June 6, 2022, has been updated to reflect the 2024 holiday.