MAR at Fin Fest St. Petersburg 2026
Ocean Conservation in Tampa Bay:
This November, ocean conservation, education, music, and community are coming together on the St. Petersburg waterfront and MAR is excited to be part of it.
Florida Fin Fest is coming to St. Petersburg November 13–15, 2026, at Spa Beach at the St. Pete Pier, bringing three days of experiences designed to connect people with Florida’s oceans and inspire greater care for the natural world.
And you’ll find MAR there all weekend!
Ocean Conservation Comes to the St. Pete Pier
Florida Fin Fest is an ocean conservation, education, and music festival that brings environmental learning out of the classroom and into the heart of the community.
Throughout the weekend, the festival’s Education Village will offer hands-on learning experiences, an immersive underwater virtual reality experience, educational activities, talks from scientists and conservation experts, panel discussions, and opportunities to meet organizations and people working to protect Florida’s natural environment.
For MAR, the setting couldn’t feel more fitting.
Our work throughout Tampa Bay is rooted in a simple belief: when people develop a meaningful connection with nature, they are more likely to care for it. Through our BLUE program, MAR works to protect Florida’s coasts and waterways through coastal cleanups, marine education, habitat restoration, community science, and experiences that bring people closer to the ecosystems right outside our doors.
Fin Fest creates another opportunity to build that connection, and this time with thousands of people gathering along the St. Petersburg waterfront.
MAR Will Be at Fin Fest All Three Days
MAR will be participating throughout all three days of Fin Fest St. Petersburg, November 13, 14, and 15.
Stop by and meet the MAR team, learn more about our work across St. Petersburg and the greater Tampa Bay area, explore ways to volunteer, and discover how small actions can contribute to healthier coastlines and stronger communities.
But MAR's involvement doesn't stop at our presence in the Education Village.
We are especially excited to share that MAR’s Executive Director, Dr. Michelle Ellena, will moderate the Education Village panel discussions throughout Fin Fest weekend.
These conversations will bring together voices from across conservation, science, education, and the community to explore some of the ideas shaping the future of our oceans.
Creating space for conversations like these matters. Protecting Florida's coastlines requires more than any single organization, scientist, city, or volunteer can accomplish alone. It requires people with different experiences and areas of expertise coming together, asking thoughtful questions, sharing what they know, and finding ways to move from awareness into action.
Why Ocean Education Matters in St. Petersburg
Here in St. Petersburg, the ocean isn't something happening somewhere else.
It surrounds our communities, shapes our economy and culture, provides habitat for extraordinary wildlife, and gives many of us the places where we swim, paddle, fish, explore, gather, and reconnect.
That proximity also gives us a responsibility to understand and care for these ecosystems.
Environmental education helps turn something as enormous as "ocean conservation" into something personal. A child seeing marine life up close, a family learning what happens to litter after it reaches a storm drain, or a resident hearing directly from a marine scientist can change the way someone sees the water they pass every day.
And connection is often where stewardship begins.
A Weekend of Conservation, Music & Community
Fin Fest St. Petersburg isn't only about education. The weekend combines conservation with live music, art, food, and community experiences, creating a festival environment where environmental learning becomes part of a much larger celebration of Florida's coastal culture.
The Education Village will be open Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, while live music programming takes place Friday and Saturday. Sunday concludes the weekend with a free Family Fun Day, giving families another opportunity to experience Fin Fest and its conservation programming together.
For us, that combination is meaningful.
Regeneration doesn't have to feel distant or overwhelming. It can look like learning something new. Meeting someone doing important work. Bringing your children to an environmental activity. Spending time outside. Volunteering. Asking a question during a panel.
Or simply walking away from the waterfront feeling a little more connected to the place you call home.
Join MAR at Fin Fest St. Petersburg 2026
Come visit MAR in the Education Village, listen in as Dr. Michelle Ellena moderates Fin Fest's conservation and education panels, meet some of the people working to protect Florida's oceans, and experience a weekend dedicated to celebrating the relationship between people and our coastal environment.
Florida Fin Fest St. Petersburg 2026
November 13–15, 2026
Spa Beach at the St. Pete Pier
St. Petersburg, Florida
Whether you already consider yourself an ocean advocate or you're simply curious to learn more, there is a place for you in this conversation.
Because our coast belongs to all of us, and so does the work of caring for it.
We'll see you at the Pier!
