Celebrate Chesapeake Bay Awareness Week
This annual event celebrates the cultures, history and natural beauty of the nation’s largest estuary.
Join us from June 6-14, 2026, for Chesapeake Bay Awareness Week! This annual event celebrates the cultures, history and natural beauty of the nation's largest estuary. The week will include online and in-person events, as well as volunteer opportunities and social media conversations so everyone can take part in celebrating the Bay.
History and purpose
In 2016, the Chesapeake Bay Commission worked with their legislative partners to formally designate nine days each June as Chesapeake Bay Awareness Week. This timing was chosen to correspond with two long-running Bay events: Clean the Bay Day in Virginia and the Patuxent River Wade-In in Maryland. Each year, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Virginia pass official proclamations in honor of Chesapeake Bay Awareness Week. Several local county and city governments have followed suit, and the Chesapeake Bay Program has developed a proclamation template for local governments. Organizations and businesses are also encouraged to hold events, activities and volunteer opportunities during this time.
The Chesapeake Bay Program is honored to coordinate this annual event, and will share more information about our 2026 plans as Chesapeake Bay Awareness Week approaches.
If you would like to participate in the planning of Chesapeake Bay Awareness Week in 2026, please email mbaldine@chesapeakebay.net.
Events
View allSaturday, June 6, 2026
Lancaster Clean Water Week
Celebrate the 10th annual Lancaster Water Week with events across Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
View event detailsIntro to Sailing Small Craft
Join us Saturday, June 6, for an introductory course in sailing small craft on the Miles River.
View event detailsIndian Rock Petroglyph Tour, Water Week 2026
Lancaster Historian Paul Nevin and the Conestoga River Club will lead a series of kayaking trips along the Susquehanna River to the Petroglyphs in Safe Harbor.
View event detailsFern ID and Reproduction
Learn about the identification, evolutionary history, and myriad reproductive strategies of ferns on a walk through Rachel Carson Conservation Park’s network of trails.
View event detailsDesign Your Own Tropical Terrarium
Create your own lush tropical terrarium in this hands-on workshop!
View event detailsBoats of the Bay: Racing Boats Guided Tour
From sailing log canoes and skipjack races to one-design classes and hydroplanes, explore some of the racing traditions that keep the spirit of competition alive in the Chesapeake.
View event detailsCelebrate on social media
Join businesses, community organizations, local leaders and nature enthusiasts from across the watershed as we celebrate the Chesapeake Bay on social media.
This year, the theme of Chesapeake Bay Awareness Week is “Built by Nature, Protected Together.” We're breaking the 9 days up into two different sub themes:
June 6-10 | Natural Defenders
‘Natural Defenders’ will explore the natural aspects of the Chesapeake Bay watershed and how they support the nation’s largest estuary.
June 11-14 | Nature’s Protectors
‘Nature’s Protectors’ will detail the manmade and human features that have shaped the Chesapeake Bay watershed.
Need ideas for your social posts? We've also created a list of sub themes you can follow.
- June 6- Kicking off Chesapeake Bay Awareness Week
- June 7- The Bay by Land
- June 8- The Bay by the Water
- June 9- Ecosystem Engineers & Keystones Species
- June 10- Migratory Species & Bay Visitors
- June 11- Indigenous Inhabitants & Historical Stewards
- June 12- Stewards of Nature
- June 13- Recreation & Restoration
- June 14- The future of Bay restoration
Social media toolkit
Our social media toolkit includes sample posts, graphics and relevant content you can share throughout the nine days. Don’t forget to use #BayAwarenessWeek when posting about the event!
Photos
Review our collection of Chesapeake Bay Awareness Week photographs to use for social media posts, event materials, and other communications. Refer to our Terms of Use page for proper citation.
Virtual Background
Join us in celebrating Chesapeake Bay Awareness Week with a virtual background! You can use this background on all virtual meeting platforms.
