Àros na Mara
House of the Sea
World Oceans Day
World Oceans Day, held every June, is the United Nations-recognized day of ocean celebration and action. People all over our blue planet organize celebrations and community events to support actions to protect the oceans.
CCBCVI would like to thank all volunteers, partners and sponsors for their continued support, hard work and commitment in helping us achieve our goals and celebrating our successes!
Àros na Mara World Oceans Day Festival – 2018
This years Àros na Mara World Oceans Day Festival will take place June 7-10, 2018.
World Oceans Day will be celebrated on Sunday, June 10, 2018.
Join us in Iona for Àros na Mara World Oceans Day Festival 2018. Named as one of Destination Cape Breton’s 18 in 18 events this year!
Àros na Mara World Oceans Day Festival is a four day event held on the Barra Strait acknowledging and celebrating one of the province’s greatest indigenous resources, Canada’s Inland Sea – the Bras d’ Or Lake.
The four days are jam packed with activities for the whole family.
Thursday
8:00pm – Frolic n’ Folk Pub – Bras d’Or Lake Trivia
Friday
6:00-7:00pm – Iona Legion, Haddock Supper & Entertainment 7-10pm
Saturday
10:00am – Iona Beach Clean-Up & Hike
11:00-1:00pm – Farmers Market
5:00-8:00pm – Céilidh at the Frolic n’ Folk Pub with Rachel Davis
8:00pm-12:00am – Dance at the Iona Legion with Full Circle
Sunday – World Oceans Day Celebrations
12:00pm – Opening Ceremonies at Iona Port
Rankin School of the Narrows School Choir, Elder Albert Marshall and
Dr. Bruce Hatcher.
12:00-4:00pm – Join us scientific and interactive displays, touch tank, children’s games, and
informative marine oriented demonstrations. Entertainment by Susan
MacLean, Helen MacDonald, Stephanie MacDonald and Paul Wukitsch.
3:00-4:00pm – Discussion & Speaker Presentations
St. Columba Church Centre – Eco-tourism and the Bras d’Or Lake will be the
topic for discussion at our panel. This year’s discussion panel theme is:
Beauty, Science, and Eco-tourism at the Barra Strait.
Àros na Mara World Oceans Day Festival | Trans Canada Trail Opening – 2017
The intent of the four-day festival is to spread awareness of the role the Bras d’Or Lake can play in understanding and maintaining the health of the world’s oceans. Thanks to our many volunteers, the festival was once again a huge success! In conjunction with NS Trails and Trans Canada Trails, the official Opening of the Bras d’Or Lake Water Route, a part of The Great Trail and the Access Point at Iona Port also occurred during World Oceans Day. Partnering officials participated in a ribbon-cutting ceremony while enjoying local live music and great food throughout the day (special shout out to our talented students from Rankin School of the Narrows!)
Àros na Mara World Oceans Day Festival – 2016
In 2016, the global theme was Healthy Oceans, Healthy Planet. Accelerating changes in the Global climate and economy having a direct and dynamic effects on the health of the World’s oceans and people. As an inland sea, the Bras d’ Or Lake can be both a model of ecosystem-based management for ocean health, and an indicator for monitoring the health of the worlds’ oceans.
The World Oceans Day event held in Iona in June 2016, explored what communities, institutions and residents around the Bras d’Or estuary can do to increase resilience in the face of global climate changes and economic pressures.
Since increasing resiliency to these forces requires a solid understanding of the science of the ecosystems and the practice of management, this year’s event will examine the roles that Research, Education and Institutions such as the proposed Àros na Mara Marine Science and Energy Center can play in supporting community resiliency.
