In celebration of our local coast and ocean, the Aquarium will host its fifth annual Urban Ocean Festival on May 3 and 4, featuring food, live music, art, and shows that highlight the connection between humans and wildlife in the ocean. Children, students, and adults all have the opportunity to use their creativity to explore urban ocean through the Aquarium’s contests associated with the festival. Winners receive cash prizes.
The Trashin’ Fashion Contest will feature eco-friendly clothing and accessories designs made from trash and recycled materials. Finalists will have their designs featured in a fashion show with live music during the festival. Submissions are due by midnight, March 17. For more information, click here.
The festival will also feature an art contest, with entries in three categories: painting/drawing, digital/photography, and mixed media/sculpture/3D. All submitted art pieces should fall under the theme of “Our Urban Ocean,” which may include artwork about our ports, human uses of the ocean (like SCUBA diving, water sports, beach activities), marine life affected by the urban ocean, or ocean pollution. The deadline for entries is March 28. For more information, click here.
Poems submitted for the Urban Ocean Poetry Contest must address the following theme: Humans and Nature: Coexisting with an Urban Ocean. Entries must be received by mail or online by April 8. Winners will be announced at our Urban Ocean Festival on May 3, 2014, and invited to read their poem during the Awards Ceremony. For more information, click here.
People will have the opportunity to see the urban ocean up close and learn more about human activity and wildlife habitat in the local ocean during the Aquarium’s Urban Ocean: World Port and Sealife cruises scheduled monthly throughout the summer. An Aquarium educator together with a knowledgeable boat captain will guide the cruises, which tour the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles, the Long Beach Breakwater, and other local landmarks. Click here to reserve tickets.