Marine Science Day 2026

Registration

Advance registration is highly encouraged to aid in timely check-in on the day of the event. Please use the link below to request tickets for each member of your party, and if possible, print and bring with you on the day of the event.

Register for this year's event here!

Marine Life Costume Contest

All ages are invited to participate in the MSD 2026 Marine Life Costume Contest by wearing original costumes of marine plants or animals.  Awards will be given for:

• most original plant or animal
• most creative use of sustainable materials
• best group costume
• best representation of a plant or animal
• grand prize

Register for the costume contest here!

Parking

Please note that while we do have parking available on campus, it is limited during an event like this given the amount of event attendees and volunteers.

Overflow satellite parking will be available at Woodville Park (3904 Woodville Park Rd, Gloucester, VA 23061). We will have school bus shuttles running round-trip from the satellite parking location to our campus throughout the entirety of the day. The final shuttle back to the satellite parking location will leave campus at 3:00 PM.

Event Map

Check back closer to the event for an interactive campus map, complete with GPS walking directions!

Timed Events

Watermen's Hall:

• 10:30 - 12:00: Marine-Related Career Fair (in Hargis Library, downstairs)
• 11:00 - 11:30: Marine Life Costume Contest Parade and Award Ceremony (check-in begins at 10:30 in the Watermen's Hall Visitors Center lobby)

Davis Hall:

• 12:30 - 1:30: Marine Science Trivia provided by Mega-Awesome Trivia

Fisheries Science Laboratory:

• Fish Gut Content Analysis demonstrations will be performed every hour on the quarter-hour from 10:15 AM - 2:15 PM in the Fish Processing Lab (each demo will last for 20 minutes).

Exhibits and Activities

Educational Exhibits and Tours:

• Acuff Center for Aquaculture Tours
• Algal Evolutionary Ecology at VIMS ESL
• The Aquaculture Collective (AquaCo) 
• Aquaculture Genetics and Breeding Technology Center (ABC)
• Aquatic Health
• Biosensors Lab Tour: How Mice Can Help Us Detect Oil Spill Pollution
• Chesapeake Bay Blue Crabs
• Claw & Order: Disease Ecology Unit
• CBNERR-VA presents: D.R.O.P. with Splash!
• CCRM presents: Innovation and Crowd Sourced Data to Restore the Bay
• Computer Models in Marine Science
• The Eastern Shore Laboratory (VIMS ESL)
• Green Team
• Invertebrate Collection 
• Multispecies Research Group (MRG)
• Nunnally Ichthyology (Fish) Collection
• Operation: Fish Edition
• Oyster Insights
• Plastic Pollution
• Sampling the Next Generation (Fish Recruitment Survey)
• The Virginia Clean Marina Program
• Virginia Sea Grant
• Zooplankton: Weird and Wonderful Drifters
• Fairfield Foundation
• NOAA Monitor National Marine Sanctuary

Family-Friendly Activities:

• BeyondPhotos DC interactive photo booth
• Fish Printing craft
• MRG Shark & Fish Craft Station
• Shellfish Farming Station
• Society for Women in Marine Science (SWMS @ VIMS) photo booth

Outdoor Exhibits and Activities:

• Carl Hershner Interpretive Teaching Marsh
• Coastal Forest Boardwalk
• Exploring the York River: Seining and Collecting Animals
• Ken Borkey Native Plant and Pollinator Garden
• Scientific Diving Demonstration
• Seagrass Greenhouse Tours
• Vessel Tours

Vendors

Food:

• Avocargo (tentative)
• Burgers on the Edge
• Coastal Thirst (tentative)
• Cousin's Maine Lobster
• Dominion Dogs
• Don Chido

Treats and Sweets:

• Kona Ice Hampton
• O'How Sweet Cotton Candy

Other Fun:

• Mandie's Fancy Faces
• Mega Awesome Trivia

Sustainability

Sustainability is a core value outlined in the Batten School & VIMS' strategic plan, and we are committed to improving sustainability of public events on our campus. You can help us improve Marine Science Day sustainability by:

• Composting - All food and treat vendors will be serving in BPI-certified compostable containers. Along with uneaten food, all of these containers can go in the green compost bins. All other trash (including anything brought from home) should be disposed of in the black garbage bins. If you have any questions regarding composting efforts, please visit the Green Team table or ask a registration booth volunteer!
• Bringing a reusable water bottle - We have free water refilling stations in most of our buildings, which reduces the need to rely on single-use plastics, glass, or aluminum! If you use a single-use container, please dispose of it correctly in our recycling bins across campus!
• Carpooling - Attend with family, friends, or neighbors! This initiative helps to reduce carbon dioxide emissions in our atmosphere, while also reducing parking pressure on campus!

Accessibility

The Batten School & VIMS is committed to providing universal access to all of our events. All buildings are ADA accessible, and many of our school bus shuttles will be as well. Please contact Kristen Sharpe (knsharpe@vims.edu; 804-684-7069) to discuss and request disability accomodations. Advance notice is necessary to arrange for certain accessibility needs.

Additional FAQs

Q: Is there any cost to attend Marine Science Day?

All of our public outreach and education events are always provided free of charge to attendees, due to support from our sponsors and friends! If you would like to support Marine Science Day, as well as the hundreds of other events we host per year, please considering making a gift to the Outreach fund today.

Q: Are family pets allowed?

For the safety of our guests (and maintaining the integrity of our scientific laboratories), please keep family pets at home.

Q: Will there be public bathrooms?

Yes! There are restrooms available in all of our buildings, as well as a restroom trailer unit in our Boat Basin for outdoor activity stations.

Q: Will there be food available?

There will be a variety of food trucks and treat vendors on site with food and non-alcoholic beverages available for purchase. Be sure to help us with our sustainability initiatives by composting all uneaten food and appropriate materials in the green compost bins (more information in the section below)!

Q: What is composting? 

Composting is the act of recycling food waste and compostable items into nutrient-rich fertilizer called compost. It helps reduce waste that goes to landfills as well as methane and other gases in the atmosphere. It also enriches soil that can be used to grow more food! All food served on campus will be in compostable containers – please dispose of these in the green compost bins, and all other trash in black garbage bins. Visit the Green Team table to learn more about composting efforts at the Batten School & VIMS. 

Q: Is there a Seafood Cooking Demonstration this year? 

No. But check out Marine Science trivia under the tent behind Davis Hall at 12:30 PM. 

Q: Are the exhibits for children or adults? 

The exhibits will be enjoyed by everyone – all ages.

Q: What should we wear?

Come ready to explore in comfortable, casual clothes and shoes! If you'd like to partake in the seining station in the York River, please consider bringing an additional set of clothing and shoes that can get wet that you can change out of before entering any other buildings. We will have waders available for those who prefer not to bring additional clothing.