Celebrate the Gulf
Celebrate the Gulf Marine Education Festival
Saturday, April 5, 2025
Memorial Park- Pass Christian, MS
Celebrate the Gulf Marine Education Festival was first established in 1991 to teach residents and visitors about the importance of the Gulf of Mexico. The festival is held the first Saturday in April under the beautiful canopy of the live oak trees in Memorial Park in Pass Christian, Mississippi in conjunction with our sister festival, Art in the Pass. Join us and our 35+ exhibitors to learn about everything from our upland habitats and wildlife to the recreational and commercial services that the Gulf of Mexico provides! Come get a festival poster signed by our winning artist, and talk to our Student Science Showcase winners to learn about the science local students are doing in our community. Stop by our Registration tent to help your school win our School Attendance Award. We will have live animal shows, free family caricatures and photo booths, and tons of activities for kids of all ages. Come join us in celebrating our Gulf on the first Saturday in April!
Poster and T-shirt Contest
Enter our annual poster contest for the chance to have your artwork as part of the Celebrate the Gulf festival poster series! We encourage all artists, both amateur and professional, to submit an original poster design that depicts the conservation, recreational, or the scenic qualities of Mississippi’s coastal resources. The winning artist will be awarded $250.00 and ten posters. The artwork chosen will be printed as the official festival poster and the artist will sign the posters the day of the festival. Additionally, the artwork may be used as the artwork for the festival t-shirt.
The Poster and T-shirt Contest entry information can be downloaded here. Deadline for submissions is January 10th, 2025 at 5pm.
Student Art Contest
Celebrate the Gulf is hosting its annual Student Art Contest! We encourage all students in grade K-8th to submit an original design that depicts the conservation, recreation, or the scenic qualities of Mississippi’s coastal resources. Art submissions will be judged according to grade of artist. The winning artwork will be featured at the festival and awards will be given out at the festival to the winning artists.
More information about how teachers submit student artwork can be found here. Deadline for submission is March 7th, 2025 at 5pm.
Student Science Showcase
The Student Science Showcase is an exciting opportunity for students to showcase the science they are doing at their school, their community or at home. Projects from individuals or groups between 1st through 12th grades will be selected by our committee to showcase their science at Celebrate the Gulf 2025. This gives students the opportunity to present their work to the MS Gulf Coast community, alongside other scientists. Students representing projects selected will receive a Celebrate the Gulf t-shirt and meals will be provided throughout the day. The winners of the showcase will receive a scholarship.
To register fill our the form at this link. The Deadline to apply is March 11th, 2025.
School Attendance Award
We’re bringing back the School Attendance Award this year for the schools with the most students attending the festival! Students who register at the booth will help increase the chance of their school winning a scholarship.
*Enter in Contest the day of the festival*
Exhibitors
Exhibiting a booth is an exciting opportunity for your organization to interact with families and students to share how the Gulf of Mexico is important. Exhibitors must have a hands-on educational activity. Per festival rules, exhibitors CANNOT sell anything. Exhibitors at the 2024 festival saw between 500-900 visitors per booth!
Exhibitor forms can be found here. Submit Exhibitor forms to celebrate.gulf@dmr.ms.gov by March 7th, 2025!
