Event Highlights

Kim Rizio is Big Blue & You’s resident artist and we’re thrilled to welcome her back this year as our festival artist coordinator! She will also have a scultpture installation featured called “Tangled in the Tides.”

Our Youth Resident Artist, Maredy Narea, is a Studio Arts student at FIU and will be creating a live mural at Art by the Sea, sharing her ocean-inspired vision while celebrating youth leadership through art.

Experience The Ripple Effect, a live painting art activation where you can follow along with Beth Bru as she creates live artwork and create your own work of art using the theme that Beth has created. This interactive experience invites youth to explore creativity, connection, and ocean conservation.

Paint Your Own Sea Creature with Sharon Berebichez! This is an interactive art activation where kids can choose a precut wooden sea creature and bring it to life with their own colors and creativity.

Experience Water Is Life with Luis Valle, a creative, hands-on activity focused on the importance of clean water. Kids will draw, color, and cut out their own little fish, adding their name before placing it onto a vibrant community ocean mural. As they build the underwater scene together, they’ll learn that for their fish (and all sea life) to thrive, our waters must stay clean and healthy.

Print your Own Ocean Patch with Lauren Reilly from Living Studio. Guests will select a fabric patch and an ocean-inspired stamp to design their own custom sew-on patch. Leave with a wearable piece of art that reflects your connection to the ocean.

Make your own “sea scout” with Alexa! Create your own baby turtle out of model magic, complete with a nest photo to give your new baby turtle a home!

Dive into How to Be a Shark Scientist! with MISS, an interactive shark science experience where participants step into the role of real field researchers. Choose a shark species, collect data by taking measurements and fin samples, and tag your shark - just like scientists do in the field!

Learn about South Florida ecosystems including Biscayne Bay and the important of water quality through hands-on water quality testing with Miami Waterkeeper.

Create a colorful bottle cap art piece, test your reef knowledge in a life-sized “Guess Who” game, and explore microplastics under the microscope with MarineLab. See how tiny pieces of plastic make a big impact and learn how you can help protect our oceans.

Dive into Mighty Mangroves, a hands-on wave model activity where participants create their own mini “hurricane” to see how mangroves protect our coastline and support healthy marine environments. Learn more!

Explore the power of coral restoration with Ocean Rescue Alliance International. Participants will explore how coral reefs are built by creating their own “paper reef” using colorful coral shapes inspired by real reef species. Learn how cutting-edge reef restoration techniques are bringing damaged reefs back to life and strengthening marine ecosystems around the world.

Become one with our four flippered friends through this engaging sea turtle conservation experience with the Broward County Sea Turtle Conservation Program, part of Nova Southeastern University. Explore sea turtle nesting biology and ecology with hands-on learning and an interactive Turtle Trivia game.

Dive into a Biscayne Bay’s Living Classroom with Blue Scholars Initiative and solve a riddle to identify a specific animal found in the seagrass, mangrove, and coral reef ecosystems, learning about habitats of Biscayne Bay and the ocean.

We’re excited to introduce our youth emcee Soleil River Nation, a talented 11-year-old actor, singer, musician, and model. She will also be performing original songs, all centered on caring for our planet and protecting our ocean! Learn more!

Get ready to move with Love Hope, the ultimate vibe curator and bearer of love, hope, music, and community! We’ll be featuring two spectacular DJs including OWANI and DJ Anama!

Experience the fluid power of dance, sound, and storytelling with National Water Dancers! This performance features three dancers, a spoken-word artist, and a musician creating amplified water sounds. Audiences will not only watch but also explore and investigate the mesmerizing sounds of water up close.

Breath and Splash Swim School is offering free swim lessons to Art by the Sea, teaching essential water safety and building confidence! Learn more!

Enjoy free paddleboarding courtest of iPaddle Miami and experience the beauty of the ocean up close.

Come get an ocean-themed face painting courtesy of @miamifacepainting. Perfect for kids (and kids at heart)!

Get ready to dance! Creative Stage Productions is turning Art by the Sea into a dance-party parade with stilt walkers and drummers weaving through the crowd!

Start your day feeling centered and energized! Marly Q will lead a gentle mindfulness and stretching session to kick off the festival. With her expertise in wellness at work, Marly brings a calm, focused, and uplifting start to your day.

Become a mermaid for the day at our Mocha Mermaid photobooth! Slip into a colorful mermaid fin, strike a pose, and capture the magic at our photobooth. Tap into the power of play and embrace your inner mermaid!

Get cozy in the reading corner plus do some art! Paint your own fabric square inspired by ocean life and the environmental impact of fast fashion. You can choose to donate your piece to be part of a collective artwork or take it home as a keepsake. All donated creations will be featured in the Miami-Dade Public Library System’s 2026 “Climate of Art: The Price of Fast Fashion” exhibition this July.

Dive into the world of sharks with Carlee Jackson as she reads from her book A Day in the Life: Sharks! Perfect for young ocean enthusiasts and shark fans of all ages! Carlee will be doing a book reading in the cozy reading corner at 12:45pm.

Meet 9-year-old Emiliana Fuger, whose debut book Anatomy Under the Sea: The Adventures of Luna the Loggerhead takes readers on an underwater adventure! Follow Luna the Loggerhead Sea Turtle as she explores South Florida’s waters, meets eight fascinating sea creatures, and discovers how their anatomy compares to her own. Emiliana will be doing a book reading in the cozy reading corner at 12:30pm.

Compost For Life brings hands-on sustainability to Art by the Sea with a seed planting and compost activity.

Get crafty with Reducing Our Waste – How to Recycle Right with Dream in Green! In this hands-on activity, participants will transform toilet paper rolls into colorful octopus creations while learning the right way to sort and recycle their trash.

Join Green Haven Project for a hands-on gardening experience that grows more than plants - it grows community! At their station, participants can get their hands in the soil and take home fresh vegetables while learning how to grow their own food.

Dive into a hands-on exploration of marine conservation by transforming recycled plastics, fabrics, and cardboard into a collaborative "community reef" masterpiece. Alongside the art-making, participants can engage with immersive, ocean-themed sensory bins designed to spark curiosity about our local Miami coastal ecosystems.

Cool off with some sweet snacks from Snow Queens!

Get ready to test your knowledge and have fun with our engaging trivia game. Plus, don’t miss your chance to win one of two private behind-the-scenes tours, offering an exclusive look at what goes on beyond the public view.